No matter how much you want to disagree, there are people that want you here. Your friends, your family, acquaintances that you seem to make smile despite the fact that they hardly know you. Not everyone’s going to love you. There may be people that actually hate you. It’s unfathomable to me, I’ve never had it in me to really hate someone. People are going to say things about you. Bad things. They will criticize you, they will want to make you miserable. Chances are they might not even really know you, they just want to see you crumble. Don’t let them win. It’s easier to let hate effect you than love. If the person before me called you ugly and I called you beautiful, you’d feel the sting of ugly much longer than you’d feel the kindness of my compliment. For some people, it’s worse than others. Some people take it very personally. Ugly words kill beautiful people all the time. Don’t let it get you. I’m sure you’ve laughed until your cheeks hurt, I’m sure you’ve kissed someone for the first time, I’m positive you’ve had heartfelt conversations with friends, you may have been with someone for so long that you can still smell them on you long after they leave. Cicadas hissing in the summer, hugs goodbye, crawling under blankets when you have a fever, singing and dancing along to a favorite band. They’re all memories, memories you’ll never get to make again if you throw in the towel and let them win. All that’s going to be left are old photographs of a time that once was. Inanimate photos that people will be left with. Don’t do that to them and don’t do that to me. You don’t need anything big in the future to keep living for, you have all the small things to keep you going. You never really know how many people would miss you either, not until you’ve seen the funeral of a young suicide. Aunts, uncles, your mom, dad, brother, sister, cousins, all of your friends, your pets will never see you again, even people that don’t actually know you that just see you every now-and-again.. they’re going to wonder why they haven’t seen you in a while. People care about you. Don’t say they don’t, because I know at least one person does. I do. I care about you. Please don’t let me down. Every time I read or hear about another casualty to depression or bullying, it hurts me. So here I am telling you right now, you’re beautiful. People may not agree with you, people may put you down, and people may hurt you, but those people clearly aren’t worth your time or tears. You are loved. You are the best you that you can be and in time you could work to make yourself a better you. Chin up, razors down. You’ve come this far, I know you have the strength to keep going.