Ask someone to define the word “Burn” and you’ll automatically have someone shout out a basic textbook definition of an injury caused by excessive heat. However, when I say that I have been burned more times then I’m happy to admit, I mean it in the sense of being betrayed, abandoned, and demeaned by people who I once called friends. This is why I say popularity is hard...

Now, I know some of you read this title and thought immediately that this article would be some petty story telling the trials and tribulations of a girl just trying to fit in. Well, in this case, the girl has already climbed the social latter to the top but didn’t realize the consequences she was going to have to face in doing so. She hadn't realized what the "popularity privilege" would mean for her decision to remove herself from the top. Man, high school is tough...

Some days, I would go to school feeling on top of the world. I had more friends then I could ever imagine, I was a varsity cheerleader, and had good grades. If you saw me in the hallways, you would think I was the happiest person in the world. Yet, for most of high school, I dealt with some of the worst truths I would ever have to face in life. People aren’t always who they seem to be. They lie and manipulate you for years, yet you’re so blinded by their friendship, you don't notice how horrible of a person they are until it’s too late. I saw the real life version of mean girls in high school all the time. Today, I wonder why I would ever let myself become friends with people like that. But, at that time, they made me feel so accepted and appreciated, I didn’t think twice about the toxic friendship we had. Until it was my turn…

The harsh reality of it all was this friendship I had with these girls was a ticking time bomb from the beginning. When they ran out of other people to humiliate or degrade, they targeted me. Now, at first, the jokes weren’t too bad. They would call me brace face or a dumbass in front of a group of friends at lunch. My choice to ignore it only made it worse. Until the day they “burned” me. They began making comments about my weight and my appearance in front of others. People who I thought were also friends started joining in on the laughter and slurs. This next part is where I am most ashamed. I FORGAVE them…

Days later, they came back apologizing for their rude and demeaning comments and I immediately forgave them. LIKE AN IDIOT! We went on with life like nothing had happened. I guess I was just so comfortable on top, I was too scared to say anything. Thank god for reality checks, or else I could have ended up just as horrible as these girls are.

I had an epiphany one day that I would never consider these girls my friends, nor would I associate with them after graduation. That day was the best day of my life. I felt like a better person for not standing around and listening to them trash on others. I finally got the balls to stick up for those who were in my same shoes. Do you want to know something funny? I kept these girls believing I was still their friend, just so I could know all the people who they were targeting. Then, I would deter it before it ever happened. Once graduation hit, they were never thought of again. I became your average high school survivor.

I just want to take a quick moment to thankthese girls, and all the other mean girls out there, who show people like me the way not to act and build us up into the strong and beautiful women we are today.