Sammi and Persephone






Hi my name is Sammi, not Samantha or Sam, Sammi Rilen. I love to play basketball, it’s my favorite sport. I live in Santa, Barbara California and I live with my mom and my grandma. I am from Minnesota, and I’m Italian. I get bullied a lot because I’m poor and my dads in jail. I have blonde hair and blue eye, my mother says my eyes are as blue as the ocean. I’m 17 years old and I’m 5’7 my friend thinks I’m tall she’s only 5’4. I’m skinny, 110 lbs to be exact, I’m also very tan! My friends name is Persephone Johnson. Well i should have said BEST FRIEND! She’s been my best friend since kindergarden. I love her to death! She’s my life, she’s why I love getting up in the morning, she brightens my day. She also gets bullied because she cuts. She doesn’t want to but she thinks it helps with the stress. She’s stopped as far as I know. I try my hardest to help her through it. Her mom moved to Minnesota, her dad abuses her and she never gets a say in what happens to her house. Her dads girlfriend is always trying to get Persephone in trouble. She hates her siblings, they get whatever they want while she gets nothing. I’m trying to prevent her from suicide.
Well it all began in the sixth grade when my dad first got in jail, everyone teased me. Persephone was my friend all through it, now I’ll be her sister all through this! We have been through everything together. She’s over every weekend ever since the sixth grade. On vacation’s she comes with, on holidays she usually stays with us.Most days on weekdays she over too, but not all the time. She pretty much lives here. She even has her own room! We do literally everything together. My grandma loves Persephone’s jokes, she thinks she’s the funniest girl she’s ever met. My mom says she wishes Persephone was her real daughter instead of me, but she’s just kidding. Persephone helps around the house a lot. She cooks and cleans all the time. One time my mom just had back surgery and Persephone cooked and cleaned for two week! Then my mom made her stop, and my mom made me do the rest of the cooking and cleaning.
Okay so I got into school and said Hi to my counselor she said Good Morning back. Then I saw Persephone and yelled her name, we hugged and went to first hour together. We have every single class together even home room. I have first, second, fourth, and fifth hour with this kid named Alex, I really like him! First hour was fine, we have honors History. Then we have regular math, second hour, it started to do downhill from there. This really popular, mean girl named Maddy bullies me everyday, she’s been suspended three times for it, but never stops. Today she said to me “you stink and your hair looks greasy!” I know that wasn’t true because I took a shower last night and I wear perfume and deodorant everyday. She told Persephone to tell me to take a shower. Maddy walked away giggling. Persephone wanted to say something, but I told her not to. Third hour was honors English that was also fine, no one to bully us there. Fourth hour was gym and music, the girl in the locker room named Janice, a friend of Maddy’s, said I looked like an elephant and I should be on Weight Watchers! Persephone got up and said “WHY ARE YOU GUYS ALWAYS MESSING WITH US! WHY DO YOU HATE US!” Janice pushed Persephone down, and Persephone got up and punched her in the face. I was shocked I didn’t know what to do! They went down to the office and Janice got afternoon detention and Persephone had morning detention. Fifth hour came and we had that class with all the girls that bully us, Maddy, Candice, Courtney and Tiffany were all there. They didn’t say a word because of what happened to Janice, but I heard one of them whisper

“Have you seen the scars on Persephone’s wrist?”

“Yah it’s like she’s suicidal or something!”
I told Persephone and she started crying in home room. I didn’t want to tell her I knew she would break down, but I had to tell her. I had to meet up with the counselor after school, I told her about my day, she said she would talk to the girls. She never does, she never talks to the girls. She said I could go to basketball practice, now. I was the team, everyone says so. Obviously not the girls that bully me, two of them are on my team, Maddy and Courtney. We started to play against the boys team. It was fine because I like one of the boys, Alex, Persephone said he also likes me but I don’t believe it because I’m ugly and not popular. I had the ball then Courtney ran into me, I blacked out! I woke up and my coach was over my face and so was everyone else, asking if I was okay, I said yes. I tried to get up and I almost fell. I sat out, Persephone sat out with me. I was extremely dizzy.

“I really don’t like them! I absolutely hate them!” Persephone said angrily.

“Yes I know I don’t really like them either but please don’t do anything about it, my arm hurts really bad can we please go to the nurse?” I said calmly.

“Then there never going to stop! Sure lets get you down to the nurse.” Persephone said frustrated.

We told coach and he said it was fine to go down to the nurse. The nurse said I broke my wrist. I went home and my mom took me to the doctors., they gave my a cast. I let Persephone pick out the color, she picked teal because thats the color of her braces. I stayed home from school the next day. Persephone still went,she said they still called her names and teased her. We got over it, Persephone, my grandma, my mom and I went to Applebee's to forget about it. We all ate and went home and passed out.

Persephone and I went to school, they left Persephone alone they didn’t tease her. Me, they called me cripple and clumsy. Fifth hour comes around and they all came in yelling “CRIPPLE!” During the hour Courtney, the girl that tripped me, old Maddy to stop being mean and shut up! Courtney said she hated Maddy and never wanted to be her friend. Courtney came up to me and said she was sorry and she wanted to be my friend.Persephone told me not to believe her and its a trick. But I did, I had to, I had no choice. After school came and I still went to practice.The boys were also there. I watched them until the end, Persephone came over and got her stuff she went home, her actual home. I was talked to the coach for 5 minutes then he left. I played a little basketball with one hand, I obviously wasn’t that good. I got a text from Alex, that said turn around, I turned around. I felt his lips touch mine! We kissed for about seven seconds. I looked up surprised.

“I’ve loved you since the day I met you!” He said.

“We’ve known eachother since fifth grade.” I said confusingly.

“Yea I know, I love you Sammi Rilen! I don’t know if you love me but I definitly love you!” He said.

We kissed again.
“I love you too! I have since sixth grade! I said.
“Then Sammi..” He said.

He took a step back and grabbed my hand.
“Will you please go out with me?”

I hesitated for a minute, I was shocked.
“Yes!” I said shocked.
He took me home and kissed me goodnight.
I told my mom, I shouted on top of my lungs I HAVE A BOYFRIEND! My grandma, my mom and I celebrated with ice cream and movies. It was about midnight before I went to bed. The next day I ran into school and I saw Persephone kissing somebody I couldn’t tell who it was. I asked her in first hour, she said it was a kid named Jacob West. He’s captain of the basketball team. I told her about Alex, she was even more shocked! She said I told you he liked you! We giggled and went to second hour. Alex wasn’t here today so I texted him and asked him where he was. He said he didn’t feel good so he stayed home, he said he loved me. I texted him back and said Miss you and love you! Hope you feel better tomorrow! Nobody said anything until fifth hour. Maddy came up to me and said
“I heard you have a boyfriend, Alex is it?”
“Yes” I responded.
“And you took Courtney from me!’ She said.
Before I could answer she walked away. Persephone was laughing, I couldn’t help but giggle a little. I was texting Alex for the rest of the day. Persephone called me around 9 o’clock, she said she was going to confront Maddy and all of them, I wasn’t a 100% with the idea but I just said sure. I called Courtney and told her what Persephone said. Courtney wanted to do it too. I texted Alex about it and he said he would be pleased to do it. I wasn't so thrilled. Truth is I get embarrassed very easily, and all that attention is going to be hard, but I have to stand up for what’s right. I went to bed around 10:30. I woke up got dressed and went to school. Alex picked Persephone and I up. We breezed through school until lunch. That’s when it happened, the confronting, Persephone took me, I was holding Alex’s hand so he followed, Courtney just followed behind him. Persephone told Maddy off, she said “

Why do you bully people! Do you think your going to get somewhere in life? Well you're not you're making some people’s lives even harder you're killing us inside and thinking dark thoughts! You only think about yourself! Your judging people when you don’t even know them! You know their name not their story! Your--”

She got cut off by Maddy.

“Shut your traintrack face up before I shut it--”

She got cut of by Courtney punching her in the face!

“You know what I hated what you did to them, I had to stand by and watch you torture them! I acted like I was nothing. I acted useless! But not anymore!” Courtney said.
Jacob ran up to Persephone kissed her and said “I love you!” I’m holding Alex’s hand in shock, we look at eachother then Maddy trying to get up with the help of Candice. Courtney started to walk away and this kid named Michael Rodriguez, a guy she liked for a while,grabbed her from behind and kissed her. He said he's loved her since kindergarten! She’s liked him since then too! He asked her out, she said yes. All three of us girls are in a relationship now. After that Courtney, Maddy and Persephone all got suspended. Alex and I continued to date. Persephone and Jacob were on and off a couple of times. Courtney and Michael stayed together but had a ton of fights. Persephone ended up moving completely in with us and my dad he got out of jail, he stopped by and said he was sorry to me. The next day he was dead. he committed suicide. That was the last I ever heard of Maddy and her friends. They don’t bother us anymore.