Gum, earphones, cell phone, and iPod, each of these never far from my side, and usually found on my hip, in my pocket. Does it make me a bad kid? One who texts in class, and listens to music in school when she's supposed to be doing homework, and disrespectfully chews gum in class?

No... It doesn't make me that person at all... It makes me me.

Just because I'll send a text to my best friend or my boyfriend when the teacher is taking attendance doesn't make me a bad person. It's makes me a loving person. I care about that person enough to risk getting my phone taken away because I wanted to tell them to have a great day, that I'll miss them until I see them again.

And when I listen to my music, and do my homework at the same time, I am making the homework more enjoyable so that I'll work harder on it, and get it done fast and right, while I also listen to the music that I love so much. Music is my life. Without it, I have very little to live for. I'm making my homework a part of my life that I don't mind doing.

And when I chew gum, or apply chap stick to my lips while the teacher is talking to me, it's not because I don't care what he/she is saying. It's because I care about my appearance. I want my breath to smell minty fresh, and my lips to be soft and smooth for when I smile at my friends, and kiss my boyfriend's cheek. I want to be the best person I can be for those I love.

Inside my backpack, have a number of school related things, most of which I don't care much about. A notebook for sociology, one for chemistry, one for Spanish, and so on, and so on...

But my prized possessions... the ones I'm not allowed to have in school... I care about them the most... Because they bring me closer to the things I love.