The Orange Changed my Life

The Orange Changed My Life
My Turning Point



I was a very shy child. My parents had always told me things like...."Children are to be seen and not heard", "if you cant say something nice, dont say anything at all", "Mind your own business", "speak when spoken to", and on and on. So I guess I decided I never would have anything worth saying. I had a teacher in seventh grade who had told me one time, as I was trying to help her prepare papers for the new school year, that I was so painfully shy and she wished there was something she could do to help me.

My help came the first day of school in ninth grade. I had been in a Catholic School, the same one, for grades one through 8. So entering a public school was something very new to me.

The bus arrived nearly half an hour before school started, so that meant a long wait outside, before they opened the doors. I stood in the middle of a crowd of well over 100 kids. I had on my pretty pink skirt, and ruffled white blouse. How cute.

As I looked around, I don’t think I saw anyone else with anything but jeans on. I was worried about how I looked, not knowing anyone, a new school...... and then... I got hit in the back of the head with an orange.

I was sure that whoever threw that orange was aiming right at me.... because I was new... because I was wearing a skirt... because I was quiet... for some reason I knew that orange was meant for me. But that was not all. I managed the day pretty well, but then the bus ride home. I missed my first bus, so I had to take the late bus. Of course the late bus carried all the kids who had to stay after for misbehaving. The bus was nearly empty, probably six people on the bus total. Two kids in the very back laughing away caught my attention, so I decided to walk back and sit near them. They were brother and sister. And I should have guessed, two of those that must have had to stay late for misbehaving. They told me their names and asked mine, and seemed so nice and polite. I began feeling maybe this new school wouldn’t be so bad after all. Well within about fifteen minutes, they asked if I would like some of the peanuts they were eating. I said sure and reached toward the bag, as she held it out toward me. As soon as my hand got near the bag, she pulled it back and said “Just kidding” and the two of them sat there and laughed all the rest of the ride home. Again, fighting back tears from the embarrassment of the whole thing, I picked up my books and tried to pretend I was looking for something. The next day I met a girl who started talking to me and I don’t know exactly what went on that day, but I thought to myself “Wow, I finally have a friend at this school. At least I know one person.” So after school that day we met after class. We discussed how we lived near each other and would be taking the same bus home, but I told her I was going to stop off for cheerleading tryouts and would have to take the late bus home. She told me I would have to make a choice. She was not the cheerleader type and not the type of person to have a cheerleader as a friend. Without hesitation, I said “No problem. I was very nervous about trying out, not because I wasn’t good enough, I was just so shy and embarrassed so easily.”

So I blew off the tryouts. I don’t remember the conversation on the way home, but I remember that good feeling that I had found a friend. And she was tough, not a shy, quiet, girl like me. I decided right then and there, I was not going to be that kind of kid. I was going to toughen up quickly… today. After we got off the bus, she offered me a cigarette. I said no, and again I don’t recall what she said, but of course I was easily convinced that if I smoked, people would no longer pick on me. I would look tougher. So I lit up the cigarette, nearly choking to death, but after the third one, I was on my way. I was a smoker. I was tough. I wore jeans to school. I walked around like I owned the school. And she was right. I talked the talk and people thought I was this real tough person that people just don’t mess with. And that was how my life went for the next three years.