My Single Story- Abigail Forrest

Me, a brown haired, brown eyed, average white girl. “That tall girl”, “that girl who plays soccer”, or “the girl who’s dating that hot guy”, labels can affect how others see you. People see me as just another teenage girl who only wants to shop and listen to loud rap music to try to fit in with the crowd. Just another good girl who goes home finishes all her homework, gets a home cooked vegan meal, and kisses her parents goodnight and thanks them for getting her a new car. An entitled, spoiled, white girl. There is so much more to a person than the stereotypes given to people. I’m assumed to have had no pain or sadness in my life. “There’s no way she’s experienced anything bad, she’s just a white girl.”

Me, a strong, happy, and smart individual. I have more than just the story seen by each person who unknowingly passes me in their day to day life. My family is less functional, than the least functional family. Together, separate in the same house, togetherish, divorce, living with grandma, two seperate houses, sadness, together, one house, and happiness (sometimes). That is a story of my parents. Sober, relapse, rehab, sober, happy, sad, relapse, rehab, sober, and grateful. That is a story of my dad. Happy, confused, scared, sad, worried, confused again, happy, and now stronger. That is a story of me. I’ve seen a lot and learned a lot about life in 15 years from my experiences. There are many stories that have made me who I am today. There are simple stories and ones that have changed the way I see life. I don’t drink underage, I don’t smoke, I don’t participate in risky behavior, and I don’t only care about myself. I’m a teenage girl, but I am not the average teenage girl with only one story.