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I started a Facebook account a few weeks ago. All of my friends have one, so I got my dad to help me set up my own profile. He helped me get started and even uploaded this totally funny picture of me and all of my friends from last summer as my profile picture. I was completely obsessed with checking everyone’s status, almost to the point where I forgot about homework, but I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what I was doing.

A few nights ago, I had this guy request to be my friend. I didn’t know him and hadn’t even heard of his name, but my best friend Amy was friends with him. I said yes to his friend request because I didn’t want him to think I was rude. Amy and I had gotten into a HUGE fight last week over me getting captain of the soccer team over her, so I thought maybe she told him about me and he wanted to try and help?

He started talking to me about where I went to school, if I had a job and where I lived. His name was Matt and he was totally hot, so why wouldn’t I have talked to him? And plus, he knows Amy so he couldn’t have been THAT bad! He asked me to post more pictures for him to see what I really looked like. After a lesson from my dad, I put a few more on my profile; nothing bad, just more shots of only me since the picture of me and my friends had about 10 girls in it!

I asked him if he had talked to Amy recently because she wasn’t speaking to me at school or during soccer practice. We live a few houses down from each other, but I wasn’t comfortable just ringing her doorbell, so I asked Matt if he would tell her I was sorry.

The next day, Matt and I started talking again and he seemed like a totally different person. He told me he thought I was an ugly, mean, and horrible friend and said the world would be better if I wasn’t in it. I was already feeling down about my friendship with Amy and now this? I was so confused, but maybe he was right. Maybe the world WOULD be a better place without me.

I didn’t sleep very much that night and the next morning, I talked to my mom about being a good friend. I told her what happened with Amy and Matt and she told me that no matter what I do, people are always going to find something or someway to bring me down. She said that I shouldn’t feel bad for getting captain either and people, especially my best friend, should be happy for me.

I knew she was right and I knew the world was a better place with me in it. I stopped talking to Matt and deleted him from my friends. I don’t need anyone else putting me down, and I’m not going to let what others say about me effect how I feel. I may even take a break from Facebook for a while if people are only going to use it to make me feel like a loser. That’s not for me because I like who I am and I deserve better.

About the story:
Based on the power of words over the Internet, this story is a representation of the events leading up to the suicide of Megan Meiers, a 13 year-old girl from Dardenne Prairie, MO.

If you or someone you know is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24-hour hotline. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you.

To read Megan’s story, please visit:
http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org

This is a fictional account of the real effects of how peer pressure affects you.

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