Represent Magazine

• Mean Girl Wipeout

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed. I got my first skateboard in April of my junior year. I practiced hard, mostly by myself, for a month because I was self-conscious about being a girl who couldn’t do cool “guy” things well.  By May, I had mastered some skateboard basics.

• My Father’s Failure, Not My Fault

  by Anonymous ("Angela")

  The assignment was to paint a mug for your father. It was June, and the warm air calmed our usually rowdy 1st-grade classroom. The other kids bragged about their fathers and turned their store-bought mugs into symbols of perfect families.  I dipped my paintbrush into the bright paint.

• Being Creative, Getting Paid

  by Anonymous

  Names and identifying details have been changed. One of my earliest memories, from when I was 3: I dunked my hands into the paint can and watched them disappear into the blue liquid. My sister Stephanie and cousin Axel were covering each other and the floor with blue handprints and footprints, giggling loudly, and I joined in, slapping blue onto everything around me.

• I Can Make Friends

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed.  The high school cafeteria bustled with chattering students as I anxiously looked around for Amy. I spotted her and felt relief, but a second later dread poured over me like lava. Amy was surrounded by kids I didn’t know.

• Ready for Independence

  by J.C.

  Names have been changed. When I lived in a group home, kids were always moving in and out; staff changed a lot; and violent, erratic girls messed with me. Now I live in a cozy apartment in the Bronx. A few months ago, when I first arrived here, I was running late to a program I’m in.

• She’s Not Like Other Moms

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed. My mom, Diamond, was never like other moms. Other moms wore skinny jeans and cardigans in the elementary school pick up area, but Diamond looked like she came from the future, with red hair and butterfly tattoos.