Fake friends

I was really naive 

A new kid expecting to make new friends

Real friends

That would be with you every step of the way

Invite you to things

Hang out ALL the time

But that didn't happen 

I had school friends

They didn't talk to me outside of school

Never 

Never got invited anywhere 

Never texted me for my opinion 

And then high school came 

I stopped talking to those friends

And was alone again 

New friends came 

I was still naive 

Thought these friends would be real

I was again wrong

Not invited anywhere

Used 

Only talked to inside of school

Not invited anywhere

And when I was I didn't feel welcome 

Lied to 

Used

Ignored

Upset

I was there for them when they were upset

The only time I was upset was because of them 

Courage is the child at the playground

Courage never stops going up the stairs then down the slide 

Courage is always there

At the playground 

Courage goes on the monkey bars even though they are very scary 

Courage falls but gets right back up again 

Bigger, and older kids are also scary 

When the bigger kids come to the park

Courage doesn't leave 

Courage is like a superhero 

But courage doesn't wear a cape to the park 

But courage gets scared too 

Just like the other kids

A bully steals kids lunch money

The bully is fear 

Courage sticks up for herself 

Courage doesn't give into fear and give him her lunch money 

Courage is a child 

The face of God

To fall in love 

Boyfriends and family

Your first loves

The most powerful happiness 

Comfortable and amazing 

Emotions pour our 

Never stopping and unbreakable 

Reading response 2/12

In reading the book, I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak, I have learned something.Everything truly does happen for a reason. Ed Kennedy is introduced into the story as 19 year old boy who is out of high school but not going to college who has pursued a job in can driving, even though he is underaged. The book opens in a bank during a robbery. Ed ends up being the hero and shooting the robber as he tried to get away after the robber accidentally dropped his gun. After this Ed is in newspapers and people know who he is which is different than normal. Soon after this, Ed starts receiving strange playing cards in his mail, and by strange I mean playing cards with addresses on them with a time to go there. Ed was chosen for this “mission” for a reason. Someone, whoever this mysterious person is, knew the many sides to Ed Kennedy and knew that if given a gun, he would kill the man who was sexually assaulting his wife, in front of their daughter or that he would know how to help the girl with her track meets or that he would stay with Milla and keep her company or that he would even acknowledge the cards at all. If Ed hadn't shot the man robbing the bank, the mystery person would have never found him and Ed would never have gotten the playing cards and he wouldn't be where he is now. 

Another thing I learned from reading I Am The Messenger, is that you shouldn't underestimate people. Ed Kennedy is just a 19 year old who has never killed anyone before. He never seemed like the person that would be conned into being an “assassin”. When I was reading the last few pages of part one of the book, I couldn't believe it. “Ed just shot him! Killed him”, I thought. It was so uncharacteristic for Ed to do this because he talk about having few friends and just hanging out and playing cards. Does that seem like a person who would get a gun in the mail and go murder someone with it? I automatically disagreed with his decision and it led me to think of a few things. What if he has to kill again? What “messages” is he supposed to be sending? And of course is he going to get caught for murdering the man? I am excited to read the book more because I NEED to find this out.