A Teenager's Life Lesson

She met him at a friend's house and they hit it off from there. He went to a different school that she had never heard of. Dan and Megan dated officially for 9 months. With him, she spent some of the most amazing days of her life. He was gorgeous, fun, and knew a large number of people, which meant constant partying. Every weekend encompassed several social gatherings.

Megan had many different things introduced to her throughout this time. Whether it was skipping school, sex, or drugs, she didn't mind. After all, she never had too much of a social status, but now she had a guy who would buy her anything she desired, and showed her a good time. Life began to seem exciting until, that is, her parents caught on. They had a great relationship, Megan and her mother, especially when her father died. She eventually remarried Phil, an "okay guy" in Megan's words, and after all he did show concern when they received a note from her school that stated: "To the parent(s) of Megan Davidson- Your son/daughter has 6 unexcused absences on the following dates..." When they approached her, she immediately became defensive and could not believe the school "could make such a huge mistake!" She knew they caught her, as she anticipated. Her parents did not want to believe it either.

For the past three years of high school, Megan held a position in the top ten percentile of her class, involved in at least three different sports per year, and had great relationships with friends and family. At this time, however, her grades were slipping along with her perfect attendance, her weight dropping, and the only people she seemed to know consisted of Dan and his friends. When her mother came to her decision of punishment, Megan's built up emotions got the best of her as she burst into unpreventable tears. She stormed up to her bedroom and called her boyfriend. After explaining the situation, she expected to hear a little compassion, but instead she heard, "So?" Dan was in one of his moods again. She knew he most likely smoked the entire amount weed he was supposed to sell earlier. This never failed to make him emotionless. "Look, babe, its cool. You don't have to do anything your parents say, you're seventeen years old. Stop complaining and grow up..." Click.

At this point, Megan didn't know where to turn. She couldn't approach her parents whom she just screamed at. Her best friends, Kate and Laura didn't have the time to talk to the girl who ditched them for a guy, and that guy whom she ditched her friends for just didn't seem to care. She needed some guidance, so she turned to her last alternative for it- her dad. Quietly talking to him in her room, Megan finally began to feel at peace. This tranquility abruptly ended due to the annoying ring of her cell phone. She quietly answered the phone to the sound of a circus. Loud voices, music, and laughter filled her ears. "Megan? Babe, you there?"

"Yea." She replied, in wonder of what her boyfriend had gotten into this time.

"I'm at Brian Z.'s, he gotta free crib tonight, come up!" He sounded exhilarated.

"I already told you about my situation, Dan, and you hung up on me. I did not appreciate it."

"Oh, c'mon honey, lighten up. I wasn't payin' too much attention. I'm sorry. Just get over here."

"And how will I manage to do that?" she asked.

"Hmm. Let's see...walk out the door and drive over. He's only a couple miles away from your house. All right, look. Be here in 15 minutes or else."
Megan knew exactly what that meant. If she didn't go, her poor excuse for a boyfriend wouldn't let her hear the end of it, or worse. He always got his way. Otherwise, Megan would be independent and self-driven, and why would he possibly want that?

After a quick argument with her mom and Phil, ending in a slammed door, Megan headed to that place down town wondering to herself what kind of things the night would bring. Of course when she arrived, she saw all the new, rebellious peers in her life. As she walked through the door, the all-too-familiar smell of pot, beer, and cigarette smoke which filled her lungs. Deep down inside, she didn't like this lifestyle. It began to feel old. She couldn't go back now. Looking deeply into the crowd of people, she noticed a lot of them staring at her with a sense of worry or perhaps guilt, especially when she asked the question, "Where's Dan?"

Brian, after an estimated three joints, 8 shots, and a forty, approached the confused, sober girl. "Yo, Meg! How you doin'? The keg's over there. What you waitin' for girl?"
"Yea thanks Brian, but I really gotta find Dan and let him know that I'm here."
He had a crazy look on his face. "Okay, check it out. Since you're my most faaaaavorite person in the world tonight, I'll let ya in on a little secret. He's in bedroom with Cindy Conway! Ha-ha."

Megan all at once felt angry, confused, and sad. "Maybe Brian got something mixed up", she thought. Of course he didn't, and as he always tended to do when he's drunk, he blurted out something he shouldn't have. Megan felt glad that he did though. Now the truth had revealed itself. She knew that her so-called love and commitment to Dan had taken its toll- for good this time.

As the lonely days passed, as well as the torment and persistency of her now ex-boyfriend, Megan discovered something she had never thought would happen. On top of bad grades, and loss of respect from others and herself, Megan was pregnant. How could she possibly take care of another human being when she couldn't even take care of herself?

This is a lesson Megan has had to deal with her entire life. Looking into her child's eyes everyday reminded her of something her father once said. "Be true to yourself, Meg. If you do, no one can ever get in your way." Megan now has a new outlook and mission in life, vowing that she'd never let her daughter fall the way she has.