Ok... This is it. I really hope that I can help people through this campaign. Maybe together, we can save lives, just by uploading a silly little story. Who knows? Maybe this will become a great campaign, maybe it will be lost in the sands of time. It doesn't matter to me which way it goes. What I think is "As long as I'm helping one person, my job is more than fulfilled." and I want ALL of you to 1: tell one or more friends about this, and 2: REMEMBER THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE EXCELLENT. Anyways... On with our first campaign! First, I will tell my story!

Hello everyone. My pen name is Natalia Faye. (Depending on where this all goes, I may or may not reveal my true name) I am 14 years old this very second and I am here to help. Just remember that. The purpose of this is to help you, or your friends. Anyone who is going through some rough stuff is welcome. I will take you under my (virtual) wing and try to make you feel better.

My story:

I have a wonderful home. A supportive (if not overexpecting) family. In fact, I have one of the best lives that I can think of. But I've been feeling very depressed lately. (If you are -10 years old, skip to the next paragraph NOW. Only read the bold.) I have 2 older sisters who are very successful and even seem perfectly flawless sometimes. My one sister has one of the best success stories I'v ever heard! And then there's me. The baby of the family. The one who hasn't even found her niche yet. Anybody get that feeling? Well I've always been a perfectionist, because it's how I was raised. In my family, a B- is bad. Both of my sisters graduated with highest honors from both high school and college. But here I am with 2 C's and having to watch my parents fake enthusiasm. That honestly makes me feel useless. I just feel like a mistake when I see disappointment behind their smiles. I know, I know. "That's not that bad!" "Wow, this chick is whiny!" "This is dumb." I know that may or may not be what you're thinking, but when you add the rollercoaster of emotions that we call puberty, natural human nature insecurities, a few big mistakes, super bad bullies, a few messy arguments, and a breakup; it's a recipe for your own destruction. (Last chance for you younger readers!) With all of those added up, I felt absolutely useless and horribly screwed up. And so I started cutting myself. I just didn't care. At first the pain felt good. But slowly, I started to become aware and the paranoia sink in. "What if someone finds out?" "What if I can't stop?" "What if I die?" I didn't want to die, I simply thought that I should have felt pain to make up for my mistakes. I thought that it would just make everyone's life better. I thought of my friends, my family, and my classmates/teachers. My judgement was so shot that I actually convinced myself that everyone I know would have been better off if I'd killed myself right then and there. But! I remembered something. My wonderful (yet hardass) english teacher would always tell us You don't have to be perfect to be excellent. No one is perfect. If someone appears to be, they are just REALLY good at hiding their demons inside. I hid all of my tears with smiles. And at the end of one fateful day, this happened;

I was cleaning up after my 7th period health class, and taking my time. I had to tell my teacher today. I waited and waited for my friend Carina to leave, and as soon as she rounded the corner, I turned around. Mrs. Yarnell knew instantly that something was wrong, because I wasn't hiding anymore; I had tears pouring down my face.

I asked her, "Can you keep a secret? Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

When I showed her my wrist, she was horrified. All this time, I even had the adults fooled with my smiles, and that woman could read us all like an open book.

"Sweetie, why did you do this?" She asked.

I hesitated and said, "I just feel lost, and like a disappointment. My grades are a mess, I'm impatient, angry, and I try to hide it..."

"Behind a smile?"

I nodded, unable to speak. It felt like my throat was gonna burst under the pressure of holding my tears in.

"Well... I'm going to help you." she said.

I was reffered to the school psychologist the next day. Never in my life had I been so scared.

"What if she doesn't like me?" "What if she writes me down as suicidal?" "What if I get sent to re-hab?" "What if-"

"S****?" she called out. I quickly stood up from the bench I was sitting on under a manzanita tree.

"Y-yes?"

"Come on in!" She said with a smile. Wait. A smile? I thought she was supposed to make me feel guilty...

"So! What seems to be the problem?" She said with a bubbly tone. I struggled to loosen up enough to speak.

"Oh, go ahead and just drop your stuff wherever! I don't care!" She said, cheery as can be. I decided to lean my backpack against a chair and I sat down.

"I...Uh... I've been feeling kinda bad lately." I lied. I didn't feel bad, I felt awful.

"You can tell me the truth," she said calmly, "I'm not gonna get you in trouble." She smiled a warm smile that practically screamed 'trust me!', but I was at war with my voice saying 'don't trust her'.

So I told her the truth. Every word of it. She listened, didn't ask questions, and never made me doubt myself.

At the end of our session, she told me how proud she was that I came to her without help. It made me proud, too, and I was overjoyed that someone might understand. She called my mom, and together my family and I have fixed our relationships and I have no doubt that I will never even think of making that mistake again. I've stopped that habit, and one by one, I'm slowly trying to make lives better at school. I've already helped one of my friends with the same problem stop, and on a smaller scale, I simply smile at everyone I make eye contact with in the hallway, and I go out of my way to say "Hi!" to people who look sad. I got lucky, and was able to stop in the early stages, but hopefully I can help anyone no matter what problem or phase they are in.

My challenge: Find someone, anyone. Complement them. Smile at them. Wave. Tell them a joke. Do something to make someone feel even slightly better about their day. It's best to go with someone looking sad. If they tell you to go away, just let them be, and don't pry.

My offer: No matter who you are, you can ask me for help. I you want it to be confidential, I'll keep it that way. If you're willing to tell your story (don't worry, no names will be used EVER) I will post a public chapter based on how to cope with your specific need. I'm sorry if you think that you are beyond help, but just know that you are never beyond help if you are still here. There is never a better time than directly after an offer to stand up and fix any problems you need to. I'm here for you. Remember: You don't have to be perfect to be excellent!

My system:

If you want your question to be confidential, PM me.

If you want it semi-public, but not completely blown up in everyone's faces, review me your problem.

If you are feeling brave, or you feel that your problem may be effecting numerous others, do either of the above stated actions, but specify to what degree you want your story and/or question to be announced.