Silent Cries

Slowly and silently she walks to the stage. Her eyes scan the crowd, nervous, scared, unsure. Wishing her heart would slow down before it bursts out of her chest, or worse, stops. At last, she reaches centerstage, all eyes on this shy, scared little girl.

What, may you ask, brings all these people together? Why is that girl on stage, and what`s she going to talk about? No, it`s not graduation or a school-related event. Sadness, loss, and grief are what`s bringing these individuals together.

As everyone starts to settle down, the timid and shy speaker gets ready to address her audience. She, (for time being, we`ll call her Z), takes a deep breath, and begins.

"Some of you may know why we`re all here today. For those who were too busy to care, I`ll enlighten you." Everyone who knows of the events that occured simply nod. Those who don`t, wait for Z to continue.

"Earlier this morning, Tyler Peters, a senior and our classmate, was found dead. His parents were shocked to find a suicide note on the bed, a pill bottle clutched in his hand."

Silence echos throughout the auditorium, gasps of disbelief begin to fill the silence. The shocked expressions show how few of Tyler`s peers could`ve seen this coming.

"In the note Tyler sincerely apologized to his friends and family for abandoning them. He just couldn`t live a double life anymore. Tyler committed suicide because he was forced to pretend he was straight in front of almost everyone he knew."

Tears stream down Z`s face, her makeup runny, nose snotty. Although she was Tyler`s best friend, his suicide was a mind-shattering shock. Tyler had expressed how dissatisfied he had been with his life, but never thoughts of suicide.

Forced to be something he wasn`t, added in with the bullying he recieved on a daily basis, caused Tyler`s life to end. His parents, (if you could call them that), were never around much. When they discovered Tyler was gay, they were ashamed and unaccepting. Seeing their faces in the crowd, Z realizes they wish this didn`t happen.

Wishing they had fully accepted their son for who he was, instead of pushing him away. Maybe then he wouldn`t have caused his life to come to a crashing halt. But, wish all they want, Tyler isn`t coming back.

Z continues her speech, as it comes to a close. "So today, we`re here to mourn the loss of Tyler, but also to celebrate his life. Whether you accept homosexuality or not, I leave you with this. Never push someone away because they`re different from you. Accept who they are, because you never know when they could be gone."

I ask all of you who read this, to try doing just that. Even if you`re against homosexuality, don`t be against the person. They`re still the same, so why let that one thing cause you to push them away? We all want the same thing, to be fully accepted and loved, no matter who we are. At the end of the day, (in my opinion), that`s all that matters.