There once was a girl. She wanted nothing more than to be accepted by others. She didn't want to be rich or famous. She didn't want the latest clothes or jewelry. she just wanted friends who wouldn't hurt her again. Like her last "best friend" did.

She wasn't smart. She couldn't stand out in class even if she tried. Math confused her-she didn't do well in tests.

She wasn't athletic either. There was no use in her trying out for any sports. She had lacked coordination in everything she did.

She loved music with passion, but she knew she wasn't good at it. Her range was limited, she was tone deaf. music was something she loved, but couldn't do.

She didn't have any talents. She went through school and her life slowly. she didn't know what to do with herself. She wanted to be accepted-she wanted to be loved. The only compliment she had received was that she was "nice".

She was hopeful. She wanted to be nice. she didn't want to be hated. She just wanted friends again. Friends who cared for her and wouldn't abandon her.

Slowly and slowly, she made a few good friends. They were nice, they were smart. funny. and they seemed to care about her well-being. She was automatically labeled as the "nice but silly one". Her friends teased her but she received it good-naturedly. They didn't mean to hurt her, right? It was just harmless. she already knew she wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch. What's harm in the truth?

She smiled at her friends; believing the naïve thought. 'Friends don't hurt each other.' Friends. Actual friends. She wasn't being used- they haven't kicked her out of the group once she overstayed her welcome-they were real friends.

So with every joke that went her way, she ignored it with a mask and a smile. The words seemed to bounce off her-it didn't seem to affect her at all. With her blank mask, people just assumed she didn't take things to heart. But she did.

Every single remark. she remembered them. She remembered the things people said behind her back in elementary school. she remembered the things people said about her in middle school. She knew she wasn't smart. She knew she didn't have any talents that made her stand out. She was "nice" and that's all she could ever hope for. There wasn't anything else associated with her.

But she was scared. She didn't always want to be "sweet" and "nice". She couldn't-she couldn't smile and listen to peoples' problems all day. She just couldn't face all the teasing every day. but if she stopped being nice, she would lose her identity. She didn't want that-all she wanted was to be liked for who she was.

To be content and pretty much happy, it fitted her well. She couldn't be good at school, nor could she be musically talented or artistically inclined. but she was comfortable. She had friends. She could trust them.

Or so she thought.

But then one little joke gone too far. it brought it all back. All the memories of the backstabbing-she then knew.

. She was taken for granted-people didn't care when she got hurt. No one even considered that she might have gotten hurt. People told her their problems. she made them feel better. and then they go away.

But no one ever asked her if she had any problems. No one could tell if anything was wrong with her. weren't friends suppose to know you well enough to tell?

That echoed through her mind. she then knew. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't be the sweet and naïve person people made her out to be. she just couldn't. She wanted to be liked for who she was, but no one liked her that way. When she tried to be someone else, she got friends. but they didn't really care about her.

She now knew. She wasn't meant to have friends. Acquaintances, maybe. but friends? Every time she exposed her heart-she got trampled. She got laughed at-was it really worth it? Who really cared about her enough? Who took her feelings into consideration? She was meant to live alone. People were better off without her.

Resolved, she decided to be herself. She wouldn't have friends.

She didn't need them-she could handle things herself. She couldn't trust anyone. She had enough of her self-esteem torn into bits and she just wanted to go home. and just to be.

Alone.

That girl died tonight. She died at approximately 6:41 pm.

Seconds later, a new girl appeared. She was wiser than the girl before. She accepted the facts of life, and she knew she wasn't friends-material.

She was meant to live alone.

And she would die alone.