








Sis - You're a bitch. No offense. Your my sister, and you always will be, but you treat me like crap. You take advantage of the fact that I can never say no, because I'm afraid you'll walk out on me. I'm tired of being taken advantage of. I'm tired of you expecting me to be able to hang out with you on the drop of a dime. And I'm tired of you always bitching to me about Steph. OK, she's my friend too, and she knows me better than you do, and when you bitch about her to me, it makes it hard when I have to go to work. Remember, she my fucking MANAGER! I can't avoid her until the situation isn't awkward anymore. And don't put me in the middle when you and mom aren't getting along. I have enough shit with her already, and I don't need you adding to it. BTW, I get depressed everytime we go out. That's why I'm always "bitchy" as you put it, cuz I just want to go home or drive or something and I need to get away from you. Can't you just understand that? Cuz I know in my own head that if I get too depressed, that I'll cut or take alot more pills than I should, so when I say that I feel like going home, keep in mind, I'm doing it for my own safety and not because I don't like hanging out with you. And seriously, how NAIVE can you be? Do you really think that all the scars on my arm can from scratching on my bedstand in my room? They are all nice and parallel and everything. Yeah, I lied to you, but seriously, would you have even understood if I told you the truth? Come on. Picture it.... "Oh these scars, ... yeah I got them from the razor I keep next to my bed. I do it to myself..." You would have flipped. Sometimes, I have to weigh the pros and the cons in situations, and I know that would prolly like to know the truth, but our relationship isn't the best and I'm not ready to drop a bomb like that. Remember, I love you. Your my big sis, and you always will be.
Dad - Lay off! I'm a big girl now. If you haven't noticed, I'm 20 years old. I don't need you everytime I get a flat tire, or when I'm running low on money. You don't have enough money to keep handing it out to me. Take care of your wife. And, in case you don't know, I really do like Nancy, and that won't change. She's my stepmom and she tries to include me in things, but her health isn't the best right now. You need to take care of her, not me. I can take care of myself. If it gets to the point when I can't take care of myself anymore, I'll let you know. I'll ASK for help. I don't want it handed to me unless I need it. I am a big girl. I am capable of handling my own problems, but when you snoop around and try to find things out without me knowing, GET A CLUE!!! I know that you went through my room when I would come over. I know you would go through my bags and stuff. Can't you just trust me, just once.

Mom

Mom and Dad - This is more of a mixed reaction. When I was in the hospital, you found out that I am on medication, and you saw my arm. You saw the cuts and the scars. You asked about them. I didn't lie to you. I told you that I was working on it, and I expected you to push me more. I expected you to become the overprotective parents that I grew up with. But you didn't. In one way, I thank you for that. But in another, it makes me feel like you don't care. Yeah, you saw my arm, and I told you to leave it alone. But you have never been the kind of people to just give up like that. If you really want to know, sit me down and ask me rationally, not when I have a hospital tech putting an IV in my arm. I know that I want you to back off sometimes and I know that I hate it when you pry into my life, but sometimes, it hurts when you don't because it seems like you could care less that I am in pain and that my way of dealing with that pain, is to take a blade to my arm.
Entire Family - Okay, I only have a couple things to say to yall. What happened to good old-fashioned courtesy? Since when is it okay to start a family lunch when the entire family isn't there yet? Like I though, it isn't. So why exactly have you done it to me three times? One of the times, there wasn't any special thing going on so I will just let that one slide. Another one was on Mother's Day. I was running a little late, because I actually felt like going to church. I'm sorry that my church is downtown while everyone else is closer to Granny's. And don't try to tell me that you all had just started eating. I don't give a flying fuck. If you had just started eating, why couldn't you have waited five more fucking minute until I got there. You knew I was coming, and you knew that I was almost there, and you decided to start to eat anyway. Okay, the third time that you did it was when we were celebrating the April birthdays. I know that we have a big family, and that yall were hungry, BUT IT WAS MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! WHAT, DID YOU FORGET THAT IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY? DID YOU THINK THAT SINCE MY BIRTHDAY IS ON THE LAST DAY OF THE FUCKING MONTH THAT IT WAS OKAY TO DISREGARD ME? DID YOU THINK I WOULDN'T MIND? Well, guess what, I do mind. When you start without me, it makes me feel like I'm invisible, like I'm not a part of the family. The other thing I have to say to you is along a different line. I want to know how hard it is to say "I love you." Honestly, how hard is it? Must be harder than giving childbirth or lifting a car or something, because not a single fucking one of you, not even my own fucking parents, has said it to me in the last ten fucking years!!! The only person who has said it that I can remember is Aunt Shirley, but as you all know, she dead now. She was the only relief that I had at family gatherings, because she was the only one who would make me feel welcome. When we were sitting down to eat, she would offer to sit with the kids, so that I would be able to actually have civilized conversation. But now, the only conversation I get is telling my cousins that they need to eat more of their lunch or they won't get desert, that they need to stop blowing bubbles in their milk, and that it isn't polite to kick eachother under the table. Since when was I the free babysitter. I thought I was actually a member of the family. I know that I am the youngest grandchild and therefore, I am the closest in age to all of the kids, but why does that automatically mean that it is my job to wrangle a 7 year old, two 3 year olds, and a 1 year old? All I want is to be included. I want to know that I am actually welcome, and I want to hear that you actually love me. I don't want to have to assume that you do. I want to HEAR it.
To the world - Don't assume that you understand me. Don't assume that you know what I'm going through. Don't tell me it will be okay, because you don't know if it will be okay. You don't know whether I will die tomorrow or if I will be happily married for 50 years. You have no idea. Don't ask me how I am unless you truely want to know. Don't pretend that you care about me. I don't need people around me who don't give a shit. Don't look at me like I'm a freak. Don't treat me like shit and then expect me to be there when you need me. Don't think that you know me. I have more pain than you will ever know. Just because I look like a happy, fun-loving, carefree college kid on the outside, that doesn't mean that I don't have my own scars that I hide from the world.
Church Buddies - All I can say is thank you. You don't know how much you really mean to me, or how many times the though of you has kept me from walking out on everything I know. You will most likely never know what I feel inside, but I can honestly say that someday, I might be able to say these words out loud to you. I might be able to eventually tell you how much you have helped me. I know that you can see that everything in my life isn't okay, and I know that you would like to know what is going on, but you don't ask. You know me well enough to know that asking would only push me away. You know that when I am ready, I will come to you, and I know that you will always be there for me. And for all of that, I sincerely thank you. I love you guys, more than you will ever know.
Work Gang - You guys are like a family to me, and that means alot. I know that we fight some times, and I know that we cry with eachother sometimes, but that is what makes working with yall so wonderful. You will always be there when I need you, and that is the world to me. I love you all.
Bussers - Thank you. In the short amount of time that I have been here, you have all made an effort to make me feel welcome. You have all made me feel like I am not worthless and that I do deserve to be alive. So, thank you.
Weirdo (you know who you are) - I love you beyond words. You are my guardian angel.




Well, that turned out alot longer than I thought it would be.

~Emily
