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In grammar school, I was the smart kid with red hair, glasses, freckles, and a tall, skinny body which made me a nerd and the object of abuse. I always was beaten up by the school and neighborhood bullies. It got so bad that my mother had to contact the police. This was the 1980's and you didn't do that then. The bullying stopped, and I was alone. I had one friend. I transferred schools in seventh grade, and at least the violence had stopped, but I was terribly shy. (Actually, when I see those commercials for Social Anxiety Disorder, I wish that I had Paxil as a child. It might have helped!) Anyway, I was afraid to talk to anyone and was very insecure and hung out in the library. I did make a friend and slowly a few friends. I wound up invited to parties and joined clubs. Things gradually improved. The summer before tenth grade I got contact lenses. I couldn't believe how things changed for me. I looked good and made a lot of friends because I looked good. I became more popular and joined all of the clubs and teams and felt better about myself. I was not the most popular girl, but I was nice so people liked me. It all worked out in the end.
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