Anyone looking at me would think that I am a normal high school freshman. I like to think of myself as that, too. I am really just like everyone else. I have a boyfriend, I go to dances, I have fun at the mall, I go to see movies, I forget to do my homework at times, I am late for class often enough, and I talk to my friends on the telephone as often as possible. Despite all this, I am still looked at as strange by many of my peers. This is because I get good grades in school, very good grades.

Unfortunately, this causes many people to judge me unfairly. Some people think I am conceited because of my grades. Others label me as a "nerd" or a "geek." I am also talked about behind my back for no reason except that my grades are good. There are many people who don't bother talking to me or responding to me because they think that I am beyond their level, or that there is no way that I could enjoy doing the same things they do. I feel really bad about this because it is not true. The only thing stopping us from becoming friends is their preconceived ideas about people who get good grades.

I am sad that being a good student separates me from the crowd. Many times I feel lonely, wishing that people would stop staring at me and erase the invisible line that separates me from them. I want people to stop talking about me and start talking with me. Other times I almost wish I were not an "A" student so that things would change. I would like to change a lot of these things, but I can only do what is possible. For me, that is to keep smiling and hope that soon people will see who I am and not what I appear to be.