I was dreading going to school today. Not because of the three tests I had. Not because I eat lunch alone everyday. It's because I get tripped and beat up by the same person every morning. It's because the small amount of money that I save up gets stolen, so I am left with nothing but the fallen coins on the streets

It's because of being called anorexic when really I just can't afford to eat even a small bag of chips. It's because of the empty feeling I get at school that's painfully swallowing me up like I'm sinking further and further in quicksand. The depression I get whenever I have to savor every last bit of my food because I know I won't get another meal in the next 48 hours.

I tried not to think about everything that was going to happen today. As I walked through the front doors and into the hallway, I passed the signs warning against suicide, and wondered if I could be one of the 800,000 people who ended it all.

Right on cue, I felt someone hit my head as I collapsed on the floor, hearing voices of laughter behind me. Immediately, I knew who it was. Hunter then walked passed me, with a sly smirk on his face.

I heard footsteps coming briskly towards me and braced myself for another hit.

"Are you okay?" a soft voice asks. I slowly lift my head, a tear drizzling down my cheek as my blurred vision slowly focused on a smiling face. They reached out their hand and helped me to my feet.

"Hi, I'm Ruel. What's your name?"

"E-e-eric", I stammered. What was happening? Why was someone talking to me?

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you," Ruel said as he smiled and walked away. For the first time, I felt like all the signs I saw posted on the walls telling me there's more to life might've been right.

As weeks passed, I decided to open up to Ruel about my depression and my suicidal thoughts. He told that they had a group that sat together during lunch with similar situations as mine. Hope started to fill the empty hole that had been eating me away for years.

As I surrounded myself with supportive people and started getting school counseling, I realized that suicide was never the best option. When I was talking to my counselor, she had me make a diagram of my thoughts before and after I got help.