Growing up, I was an immensely shy child. In my pre-teen years, I often had trouble with confrontation. This led to people taking advantage of my meek demeanor and I was frequently the target of bullying despite my consistent efforts to be as likeable as possible. As the years passed by, I eventually had conformed into the typical bookworm who enjoyed reading obscure literature for hours in a comfy chair at the local library. My mother secretly enjoyed me being an antisocial freak, as she never had to worry about me mixing in with the wrong crowd. Finally, when high school came around, a teacher whom I still admire eventually encouraged me to try and expand my interests as I’m sure he must have been tired of me following him around all day.
