Troubled Soul (manxman) *Completed*

Seven: Perry

My eyes took in the bored looking high schoolers sitting in front of me. Some of them looked scared or worried, probably because they knew what I was going to say wasn't going to be a walk in the park. There was something inside of me that was actually a little nervous. I've given this talk almost every year, the same place I used to love coming to. I didn't love it because of the actual school part, but to just get out of the house. At school I didn't have to worry about my parents being absolutely awful to me. I was able to be around my best friends, even if they were absolutely clueless that they loved each other.

"And without further ado, Perry Ross."

I zoned back in when I felt Cleo's gentle touch on my hand, giving me a reassuring smile as I looked up at her. Smiling back at her, I walked out into the center of the gymnasium before thanking the principal for the kind introduction.

"Well hello everyone," I said with a smile while some mumbled a hello back to me. "My name is Perry," I said into the microphone as I swallowed my fear. "Some of you may recognize me, and for you freshman I'm a total stranger. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a drug counselor in the crisis center downtown. My work is mainly focused on teenagers and young adults, because that's when everything started to fall apart for me,"

"I graduated from this high school and had actually started at a college in Colorado. Things were alright in the beginning, even though I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. It may be a surprise because I'm a little flamboyant," I said with a hair flip. The students laughed as I struck a pose before standing up normal again. "But I really wasn't social in college. Things scared me and the fact that I was completely alone, terrified me even more. Things went even more downhill when I found myself not being able to be in school anymore,"

"When that happened, my world really started to fall apart. I got mixed up with the wrong people and got caught up in the world of drugs. Heroine consumed every little part of me, and it almost took every little thing away from me. My personality changed, my outlook on life changed, everything changed. It felt as if I was in a black hole that I couldn't get out of." My eyes wandered over the crowd before I noticed a boy close to the front. His eyes were locked on me before he quickly looked away.

"I'm not going to lie and say that you you're not going to have these temptations. There will be people out there who will try and take everything from you. They can try, but it won't work. Every single one of you is strong enough. Trust me, I was there. I know what it was like in that black hole but it does get better. What truly saved me though, were my friends. The friends I made in high school and the friends I made later in life, truly saved my life. And I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, but that's okay,"

"You don't need to have a million friends. There's going to be that one person who will truly save your life. And if you feel like you don't have anyone, I'm Perry and I'll be your best friend. I want everyone here to know that you don't have to feel alone, ever. I filter through here so much you guys will probably get sick of me. And even if you don't feel comfortable going downtown or stopping me in the hallway, I'll always be here. I know the struggle of feeling like you're alone and it doesn't have to be like that. Even if you need someone to talk to, someone to vent to, someone to hug, I'm here. And if you can't make it downtown that's okay. You can talk to your teacher; they all have my contact information. Mrs. Rosemary your guidance teacher, also has all my information. But if you don't feel comfortable talking to anyone, I've left slips practically everywhere. You can find my number, the address of the center, and practically anything else."

I talked a little more about the struggles and challenges I faced after getting caught up in that dark time. Some students asked me questions, some personal. I didn't leave anything out; I wasn't here to sugar coat anything. They asked about my overdose and if I had been close to dying. The talk really seemed to get through to some, but my eyes kept wandering back over to the boy in the front. He seemed a little nervous the entire time and I didn't want to scare him off even more by staring at him.