High school is filled with many idiotic teenagers. Many of them are immature, reckless, and uneducated about the dangers of life. Now, I consider myself a very wise and smart person with an old soul, even though my grades don't show it. My friends consider me as a party pooper, since I pass from attending any of their wild activities, such as jumping from a roof onto a nearby trampoline. Yikes. But that's not the kind of danger that I aim to stay away from. As a teen, acting as an adult can be exciting, since you're basically allowed to do whatever you want, without asking for permission. Since teenagers want to act like adults, they do adult things, such as drinking and smoking. And because teens haven't realized the damage that these lethal drugs can do, they see no problem with it. I do. Being around my grandparents, who have smoked their entire lives, I've been disgusted by the smell of a cigar, and just looking at one makes my stomach churn. Hearing them cough every minute or so, and their raspy voice, and smelling the cigar from their mouth every time they kissed me goodbye was disgusting. At family gatherings on the holidays, they would drink up, and enjoy themselves. Maybe a little too much. Seeing my grandpa stumble around and talking gibberish was funny, but it was also disturbing in my eyes. Quickly, I realized what a stupid thing it is for them to hurt themselves like that. A few months ago, as I was walking home from a friend's house, some kids from my middle school approached me. I recognized them immediately. They offered me a smoke, saying that it would make the walk home feel faster. Kindly refusing, I walked away and continued my walk home. As I was walking, the teens started hollering at me, calling me unspeakable names. Once I got home, I forgot about it and got some rest. The next day I encountered two of the guys from the same group, at a local mall. Again, the names rolled off their tongues like water on glass. My close friend was with me at that time, and I eventually told her about my situation. She gave me good advice, which was to tell them to stop, and if they continued, I would tell someone. Surprisingly, I encountered them again, as I was walking my friend home from school. Since I got out of my school early that day, I decided, why not? Well, the villains had struck again. I firmly approached the teens, telling them no, I would not like any of their items. I threatened to tell someone, which made them run off like scared little mice. It was hilarious seeing tough adolescents act like little children. After that day, they've never talked to me again. My self-esteem improved, knowing that I had the guts to refuse, and not give in. Saying no was easy for me, since I had experience in seeing the effects of smoking. But for some, it might be impossible.