I remember it clearly as if it was yesterday. It was the first day of seventh grade and I was very excited to be starting a new school year. There were endless possibilities of what I could do now that I was an intermediate in our little elementary school and I was sure that I would have fun being at the top of the food chain….well, I was sure wrong there.


I had taken a lot of time to get ready in the morning, meticulous about every little detail, to make sure I looked the part of a cool seventh grader and I felt very confident. I had straightened my hair and even worn a skirt just for the occasion. My bus was bubbling with animated conversations about summer activities and the first day of school, but all I could think about was my new fearless personality. I had told myself after grade six that I would no longer care about what others thought of me and stop worrying so much but the minute that I entered the intermediate hallway my beaming smile turned into an exasperated frown.


The popular girls.With their new shoulder bags, faces with caked-on makeup and Abercrombie skirts, they always thought of themselves as amazing. Ever since grade five, these girls ruled over everyone and there was nothing you could do about it. No one ever stood up to them because then they wouldn’t like you, simple as that. I never could figure out for sure why it was such a big deal if they didn’t like you or why it was them that were ‘popular’. My guess though: boys. It’s not like I had a crush on any of them, all of the boys in my grade were immature and thought they were way cooler than they actually were, but somehow it really hurt if you heard them talking about you. If the popular girls didn’t like you, they could spread vicious rumors to everyone.


I felt powerless and weird standing there watching them, but at the same time could not stand the thought of obeying their unwritten rules any more. All the other girls in my grade said that it was hard to be yourself around them without the worry of being judged. When you walked past the horde of glamour girls it made them feel high and mighty if you looked at them in a jealous way. Well I said no more! I confidently strolled by them as they gave me a glaring, hateful stare and do you know what I did next?....


I gave them a big ear-to-ear smile, said a quick hello and watched their confused expressions as I walked away with triumph in my heart, I was no longer going to let mean girls get me down!