A true (?) story. — When it all began, I was a lonely seventh grader at a large public school.  I had few friends there, and even these “friends” of mine bullied and mistreated me more often then not.  So I made my friends at church.  At this point in my life, I was deeply religious, even at such a young age.  I prayed and read the Bible daily, and my family regularly attended church.  However, no matter how much effort I put into my religion, I always felt a great distance between me and God.  I could spend all day praying, but every time I tried, I still felt like I was talking to the wall.  How could I…

I was always afraid of the lunch lady when I was a kid.  I don’t know why; maybe it was the toxic stench of her breath, or the dead look in her eyes, or the unkempt hairs dangling off her chin.  No matter what the reason was, my palms grew sweaty and my heart pounded every time I passed her in the lunch line.  I never felt quite at ease until I had left the cafeteria, and even then I still was worried I would catch sight of her in the hallway between classes. One day I got into a fight with another kid named Jeremy, and we both received detention.  It was his fault really.  I had been passing…