Fish Out of Water

The story of a big change.

She was in the 4th grade at a private catholic school. She loved it there. That's where she grew up. She knew everyone in her class, and everyone in her class knew here. She looked to them as a family almost. She loved each and every one of them.

This girl loved to run. She would sprint all over the place for what felt like hours. She felt so light and energetic. She never grew tired from it. She was the fastest girl in her class. Her energy was unlimited. 

She was so innocent too. She had no idea what the outside world was like. She didn't really care, either. She hardly knew it existed, really. She never thought about it. She never got in conflicts. She knew no insults, swear words, slang, jokes, nothing. Her classmates would bring the dirty news from the outside world, she couldn't make sense of it at all. 

This girl was truly happy where she was. But it wasn't all perfect. She had problems.

She was shy like you wouldn't believe. Whenever a teacher so much as spoke to her, tears would roll down her face in fear that she would be in trouble. She had difficulty starting conversations with anyone, even her own family. She didn't really enjoy meeting new people, it frightened her. She didn't like change. 

But those flaws were so insignificant compared to how great everything was. 

One day, coming home from school, her parents informed her that a big change was coming. She was going to a different school. The girl cried herself to sleep almost every night. She loved her school, it was her home. It's where she belonged. She grew up there, she couldn't leave. She was a part of the pack, not a newcomer.

On the first day at the new school, she didn't wear a uniform, this was a public school. Her mother didn't drive her to school, she rode in the bus. She didn't meet up with her friends because here she had no friends. She was alone. It horrified her. The kids dressed differently. They spoke with disgusting words, she had never heard before. The classmates weren't all friends. They were separated into groups of friends. They were cruel to each other. The girl's shyness quickly took over. She got bullied. The other kids thought this girl was so odd. She was ignorant to everything. She couldn't relate to anything they spoke about. She was an outcast. She stopped eating. She was afraid the kids would pick on her. She never raised her hands in class. She never spoke, and when she did, they didn't sound normal compared to the other kids' words. 

One day, she got a chance. She found a way she could be happy. She could be powerful. She could show everyone what she was made of. The kids were supposed to run. She was so excited to finally be able to redeem herself. A whistle blew and she took off. She ran as fast as she could, as usual. But something didn't feel right. She wasn't going her usual speed. Over a matter of seconds, she became exhausted and got a pain in her side. She felt like a failure. 

That day, she came home traumatized. She hated this school. She thought there was something wrong with it. But as she grew up, she learned that this is what the world is like. She went to several different schools. Each one brought more waves of frightening culture shock. I lost my innocence over time. It is sad, but life happens. But I have learned to fall into place. I have learned to re-adjust. I have learned that the world is a big place and that there are so many other people who are learning the same lessons that I am.

Author's Note

(true story) Any tips on how to make a good ending? I believe I am struggling with that. Any advice is appreciated!