Dear Charlie,

"I am nobody, who are you? Are you nobody too?" - Emily Dickinson.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised when I received your letter, some might even say it was creepy to suddenly get mail from a person you don't really know. On the other hand, I can understand not wanting to be found. Believe me, its easy to make yourself invisible when you wish you be. Then again, you can easily make yourself known if you make the effort too. I will try not to figure out who you are and if I somehow do, I won't act on it, you have my word.

First of all I suppose I should say thank you for your somewhat compliments and if you want answers I'll try to give them: No, I did not sleep with that person at that party despite what was conjectured (I like using fancy words sometimes to make myself sound smarter, you should try it too). And I somehow have always been the person people come to for advice, help, or simply someone to vent to. So I offer you my services as an unofficial counselor, because I do like the idea that I am doing something to make the world better no matter how small the deed might be.

I was sorry to hear about your friend Michael, it's never easy when someone you're used to seeing everyday is suddenly gone. I can't say that I know exactly how you feel since I've never lost anyone that way. However, my parents divorced when I was four years old and I stayed with my dad. I didn't understand or remember much at first but it made me curious later on why I didn't notice my mom's absence earlier or maybe I did but don't remember. My sister is three years older than me and remembers more about it than I do, but she lies a lot so I wasn't sure if I should've believed the stories she said about what happened between my parents. Maybe it's better that I didn't know until I was older, but you probably don't want to hear about all that.

I know they say high school is hell but it is a necessity everyone should go through. I sound hypocritical saying this since I was petrified my first day of high school, didn't really talk to many people and I'm so short it was easy to be overlooked by all those giant jocks in the letter jackets. Just take deep breaths and take it one day at a time. Start a countdown to when you graduate or at least the end of the school year to help give you something to focus on if you'd like. Whenever I have to do something I don't like I play something called "The Glad Game" I don't know if you've heard of this but the title character in Pollyanna is always able to find something positive about most situations. It's sounds stupid I know but it usually works to take my mind of bad things.

I do hope you'll keep writing to me and I will write back even though I don't know how they will find you but who knows? Maybe there could a neutral place to send my letters so you can get them and still conceal who you are. I always worry about what to say at the end of a conversation, not wanting to sound too corny or stupid. I suppose I'll end this letter the same way John and Abigail Adams say goodbye in the musical 1776:

Yours, Yours, Yours.