im 16.
i didn’t think i would make it to 13.
especially not to 14.
15? dont know how i managed.
but 16?
hell. this year, i went through everything a girl shouldn’t have to go through.
heartbroken
stepped on
backstabbed
i watched my dad almost die
can you imagine?
and now i get to say
with my own words
that im 16 years old?
how privileged am i
that it wasn’t spoken at a funeral
“she was nearly 16 years old”
that it wasn’t written on a card
2001-2017
like the one i have on my wall
for my friend who didnt make it to say she was 16
like the ones i see on the news
for my angels who didnt get to see their day
16 isnt an accomplishment like a marriage
but yet i sit here and i wonder why i cry over a number
when age is an irrelevant counter?
but then i know and i remember
every tear
every faked-smile
every heartbreak
made me stronger
made me better
made me who i am today
and at 16 years old i can finally say
im happy to be alive.
Hayley Goff is a member of the class of 2019.