• Finding and Telling the Truth

  by J.M.

  Names have been changed.  Anna and I have been friends our whole lives: Our parents met in a neighborhood playgroup when we were 2. She and I biked around the schoolyard, went to the natural history museum, and talked about Percy Jackson together.

• Finding Luck

  by Rylynn

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Luck said sadly, patting my shoulder.  The February air was cold and the trees bare. I brushed wet leaves from the damp picnic table and laid my backpack across it like a casket. I unzipped the backpack and pulled out the battered black Chromebook, covered in scratches from my dogs.

• Figuring Out Relationships By Myself

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed. When I started 8th grade, my friend Ashley posted a status on Facebook saying I was looking for a boyfriend. Soon after, I received a friend request from a boy named David. I accepted it and we started messaging.

• Writing My Way to Love

  by S.G.

  Names have been changed. Although my brother Zack was a year older than I was, sometimes I felt like the big sister. I was bolder than he was and I stuck up for him when he was about to be beaten by our adoptive parents.

• Unplanned Parenthood

  by B.A.

  Names have been changed. Daisy and I knew each other for about five years before we cuffed. We have a lot in common: We are both from Brooklyn. We both have a good sense of humor and like hip-hop, action movies, and comedy.

• I Became a Bully

  by I.M.

  Names have been changed. Middle school was the worst period of my life because of bullying. I was awkward, antisocial, and shy. I liked nerdy things like video games, anime, and comic books. I didn’t dress like most kids in school, and I had wild, untamed hair that was thick and messy.