The Struggles of Being a Tomboy

Chapter 1

April 1, 2005

No, this is not a joke. I opened my eyes on this very day and that when the doctors looked at me. It was like they could see my future, so in my mother's arms, I couldn't help but cry. Even as a newborn, I felt like I was a nobody and just another addition to the shit population.
But what I remember fondly about that day was this: my mother cradled me and sang my favourite song.

Sweet little angel
Floating high above
Sweet little angel
My instant love

Hush, little angel
Mommy's here
The world will be cruel to you
But strong you must stand
That's what you have to do

So hush and hear the crashing
Of the ocean waves
Across my beating heart

Let this be a start
Of something new
For me and you

December 23, 2008

It was winter break in my preschool, Gillian Academy. Back then, I wound hear my parents converse about the school and how they despised the idea of dorms at such a young age. They believed that the younger a child is, the more time they need with their family. I guess they were right. Just three years old, I walked over to my parents with my hair tied back in a low ponytail with a backwards cap fit for a Preschool child. Overalls and bruised knees, you could tell that I wasn't your average girl, and my parents knew that too. And to top it off, I was and still am closest to my dad, so it wasn't really a surprise when I uttered his name rather than Mom's.

"Dad, do you know what grades my school goes up to?" I asked, just a curious three-year-old.

Nothing was a stupid  question when it came to being in your first year of preschool, because why the fuck would it be? None of my classmates even understood the world around them and I've come to learn that as normal.

"Why, Riley, Gillian Academy goes from Pre-K all the way up to high school," Dad replied.

When I was that age, like any child, I didn't understand the world that much to understand that you cannot trust anyone in this world unless they are your true friends. I looked up to everyone older than me-- it fucking bothers me now that I know older children can be such bitches, especially the girls. Every time I remember those times, I think of how naive I was and how nice life was. Nobody bullied you for being different - - - childhood was full of innocence. That was before I was going into second grade. That was when my life would change for the worse.