The 6th HUPE in Storyland competition Ranking

I died three times before my sixteenth birthday. Fog rolled through the empty streets, the streetlights melting in my vision, while I was focused on the raindrop on the car window. My mind is spiralling to a hundred different places. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Ann, not Anna, just Ann. I was never good at following rules. Teachers always called me too energetic, too disruptive. My family didn't disagree; I was the black sheep of the family. The cousins called me weird, aunts asked my parents if I was positive for ADHD. I wasn't. I was just me, simply me. I didn't care for anybody's opinion, I was fine being the authentic me. I actually had a lot of friends in school, and they liked my carefree attitude. One unexpected thing about myself, I was a straight-A student. I liked studying and being smart. The only thing I was good at was being at the top of the class. I was good at school, just not at staying still and shutting up. In 7th grade, my whole class was playing volleyball, and we had PE. I was good, but something horrific happened: I broke my leg. I guess I got too hyped up and accidentally fell directly on my bone. My parents punished me for not caring about my health. But that everything changed... My leg had a lot of complications, constant trips to the doctor, and different specialists. I wasn't me anymore. Everyone asked where that fun person went, but the honest answer is that I don't know. I fell into a severe depression. At first, I stopped going out with my friends, then I stopped studying, and at the peak of my depression, I stopped going to school altogether. My parents were seriously worried about me; I even had to go to a therapist at the ripe age of 14. Everyone begged me to leave my room, but I just couldn't. Fortunetly I eventually had to go to school, at first I didn't care about anything, my grade, or my state of mind. A lot of people missed the old me, but so did more than anyone else. During the worst period of my life, I found my spark again, and I met my best friend. Life was going better significantly, but little did I know. My best friend Ria was a really funny, smart girl, and I thought she would always have my back no matter what. I met a lot of new people, and I even met my boyfriend, or should I say, my now ex-boyfriend. Ria went behind my back and took my boyfriend in front of my eyes. I couldn't care less about the boy. I just couldn't believe she would do something like that. So I decided to become the girl I was before, fearless. I wasn't going to do anything petty like spill her secrets; I was going to do something worse. I acted like I didn't know what shes been doing behind my back. I was gathering evidence of them day by day. I planned to ruin their lives. Since we were in the same friend group, a pretty large one, I decided to be nice and prepare a nice hangout for my friend, snack TV, good vibes, the whole deal. During the hangout,t I decided to present my presentation, in that presentation where all evidence where I will expose both of them. I presented it. Everyone was mortified and shocked. Ria was already crying, my ex-boyfriend James standing there paralysed. In that moment, I knew I was back. Eventually, they ran off my property and never came back. No one at school wanted to hangout with them. I felt a little bit bad, but I had a lot of work to do to catch up in school, and I was empathic after all. Summer rolled around the corner, swimming snorkeling and overall good time. Unfortunately, I've ended primary school and gone into high school, and I got into a pretty good one. Life was finally going great, no unnecessary drama, no fake friends. It was a rainy Tuesday in Wisconsin, during our fourth period, the headmaster called me in through the speaker. My mind was racing over a thousand worst case scenario, with shaky legs, I stood up and went to the headmaster's office, politely knocking on the door. Mrs Jean let me in, I greeted her and asked why I was called here. She said that I was a remarkable child with a brilliant brain. I was going up a grade. A few days prior, I went to do a hard test, for me it was easy, but turns out it was 2 grades higher exam. I passed it. I was shocked. I moved up a year, but it was hard adjusting to all those new people... Year by year, I graduated from high school, and I wasn't really sure what I wanted to be. But I finally decided to be a lawyer. An international lawyer, to be specific. Turns out I was really good, really. I graduated eventually and went to work as an intern. It was hard; everyone treated me like I was stupid until I proved myself otherwise. I got a job at a fancy law firm, and I became one of the best closers in town. Life got even better when I started travelling. My job opened a lot of new opportunities, and I was travelling all across America and Europe to represent powerful people in court. I was the new best thing in the law world. I was becoming really successful. It was weird for someone who grew up not following the rules and being careless to be around a lawyer. My life revolved around law. I was proud of myself.In this story, something is missing. I didn't tell when it happened, the third time was allegedly supposed to die. I was fifteen a few months before my sixteenth birthday. I received a call, it was from Ria. She sent me her location, and her voice made me uneasy. I just felt like I needed to come and get her. A big, big mistake. I ran as fast as I could to get there. I knocked on the door a few older guys opened the door and invited me in. Ria was sitting on the couch, acting weird. They offered me a drink. At first, I hesitated, but under pressure, I gave in. Turns out that drink had drugs plus sleeping pills. I ended up in the ER. My parents were worried sick; those guys got arrested later on. But from Ria, I never heard from her again, as she disappeared off the face of the earth. Life moved on. My current situation was amazing; I was the happiest I've ever been, and I deserved it. I'm now in Portland, writing this story. The moral of this story isthat you deserve the best, you deserve to live and never give up. Don't be stupid like me anddon't do smart things. Hope someone out there can learn from my mistakes and never forget to be you. The authentic real you and never hide your personality, whatever it might be, because it will come to light...

I died three times before my sixteenth birthday. Fog rolled through the empty streets, the streetlights melting in my vision, while I was focused on the raindrop on the car window. My mind is spiralling to a hundred different places. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Ann, not Anna, just Ann. I was never good at following rules. Teachers always called me too energetic, too disruptive. My family didn't disagree; I was the black sheep of the family. The cousins called me weird, aunts asked my parents if I was positive for ADHD. I wasn't. I was just me, simply me. I didn't care for anybody's opinion, I was fine being the authentic me. I actually had a lot of friends in school, and they liked my carefree attitude. One unexpected thing about myself, I was a straight-A student. I liked studying and being smart. The only thing I was good at was being at the top of the class. I was good at school, just not at staying still and shutting up. In 7th grade, my whole class was playing volleyball, and we had PE. I was good, but something horrific happened: I broke my leg. I guess I got too hyped up and accidentally fell directly on my bone. My parents punished me for not caring about my health. But that everything changed... My leg had a lot of complications, constant trips to the doctor, and different specialists. I wasn't me anymore. Everyone asked where that fun person went, but the honest answer is that I don't know. I fell into a severe depression. At first, I stopped going out with my friends, then I stopped studying, and at the peak of my depression, I stopped going to school altogether. My parents were seriously worried about me; I even had to go to a therapist at the ripe age of 14. Everyone begged me to leave my room, but I just couldn't. Fortunetly I eventually had to go to school, at first I didn't care about anything, my grade, or my state of mind. A lot of people missed the old me, but so did more than anyone else. During the worst period of my life, I found my spark again, and I met my best friend. Life was going better significantly, but little did I know. My best friend Ria was a really funny, smart girl, and I thought she would always have my back no matter what. I met a lot of new people, and I even met my boyfriend, or should I say, my now ex-boyfriend. Ria went behind my back and took my boyfriend in front of my eyes. I couldn't care less about the boy. I just couldn't believe she would do something like that. So I decided to become the girl I was before, fearless. I wasn't going to do anything petty like spill her secrets; I was going to do something worse. I acted like I didn't know what shes been doing behind my back. I was gathering evidence of them day by day. I planned to ruin their lives. Since we were in the same friend group, a pretty large one, I decided to be nice and prepare a nice hangout for my friend, snack TV, good vibes, the whole deal. During the hangout,t I decided to present my presentation, in that presentation where all evidence where I will expose both of them. I presented it. Everyone was mortified and shocked. Ria was already crying, my ex-boyfriend James standing there paralysed. In that moment, I knew I was back. Eventually, they ran off my property and never came back. No one at school wanted to hangout with them. I felt a little bit bad, but I had a lot of work to do to catch up in school, and I was empathic after all. Summer rolled around the corner, swimming snorkeling and overall good time. Unfortunately, I've ended primary school and gone into high school, and I got into a pretty good one. Life was finally going great, no unnecessary drama, no fake friends. It was a rainy Tuesday in Wisconsin, during our fourth period, the headmaster called me in through the speaker. My mind was racing over a thousand worst case scenario, with shaky legs, I stood up and went to the headmaster's office, politely knocking on the door. Mrs Jean let me in, I greeted her and asked why I was called here. She said that I was a remarkable child with a brilliant brain. I was going up a grade. A few days prior, I went to do a hard test, for me it was easy, but turns out it was 2 grades higher exam. I passed it. I was shocked. I moved up a year, but it was hard adjusting to all those new people... Year by year, I graduated from high school, and I wasn't really sure what I wanted to be. But I finally decided to be a lawyer. An international lawyer, to be specific. Turns out I was really good, really. I graduated eventually and went to work as an intern. It was hard; everyone treated me like I was stupid until I proved myself otherwise. I got a job at a fancy law firm, and I became one of the best closers in town. Life got even better when I started travelling. My job opened a lot of new opportunities, and I was travelling all across America and Europe to represent powerful people in court. I was the new best thing in the law world. I was becoming really successful. It was weird for someone who grew up not following the rules and being careless to be around a lawyer. My life revolved around law. I was proud of myself.In this story, something is missing. I didn't tell when it happened, the third time was allegedly supposed to die. I was fifteen a few months before my sixteenth birthday. I received a call, it was from Ria. She sent me her location, and her voice made me uneasy. I just felt like I needed to come and get her. A big, big mistake. I ran as fast as I could to get there. I knocked on the door a few older guys opened the door and invited me in. Ria was sitting on the couch, acting weird. They offered me a drink. At first, I hesitated, but under pressure, I gave in. Turns out that drink had drugs plus sleeping pills. I ended up in the ER. My parents were worried sick; those guys got arrested later on. But from Ria, I never heard from her again, as she disappeared off the face of the earth. Life moved on. My current situation was amazing; I was the happiest I've ever been, and I deserved it. I'm now in Portland, writing this story. The moral of this story isthat you deserve the best, you deserve to live and never give up. Don't be stupid like me anddon't do smart things. Hope someone out there can learn from my mistakes and never forget to be you. The authentic real you and never hide your personality, whatever it might be, because it will come to light...