Growing up I was always so innocent, caring, honest, and a loving girl. My life was like a triangle; going to school, church and back home. Friends were not important until one arrived.

Her life was so interesting that I started viewing mine differently. Awesome outfits, nice expensive phones; being popular and all makes any teenager go wild, and I became that teenager.

To be cool like her, I had to stop living the triangle life, but a freeway life. Obviously church had to excuse me, going home early also had to move away, not to mention my school work.

Alcohol became my best friend, roaming around with boys and older men became my life. As for my parents they had to keep quiet for me to continue viewing them as my parents. I was now a “woman” they said.

Everything that I wished for became real until I found out that I was pregnant. That was not a problem because abortion was my answer I thought. I found out that I was not only pregnant, but five months pregnant, and HIV positive. I had to keep the baby after all.

I saw my whole life and my dreams disappear one by one, right in front of my eyes, because of trying to fit in and taking shortcuts that were not forever. God I was only in grade 9, what was there to be done because my hope disappeared.

Life was never the same again.

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