Hi there! Is it spring yet? Come on sunshine!

So, has a girlfriend ever told you that she thought she could land a date with a guy if she texted him a sexy picture of herself? Has a guy ever asked you to do the same? Well, the latest stats claim that "sexting" is gaining popularity among teens. Check out my article to learn more!

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art170431.asp

Also, I am including in this newsletter the full text of chapter one of Amber's story! This is a great story you won't want to miss. Chapter 2 will be included in next week's newsletter.



My Life
by Amber S.
Chapter One


Dim , dull, faded, but not lost. This is how I would describe the memories that are scrambling and rushing throughout my brain. Trying to pull together each memory to build a story will be anything but easy, but not impossible.
Born in Austin, Texas on May 21, 1992, I, Amber Nichelle was perfectly created. I was the third born of Karen. I have a sister who is 5 years older than I am. I also have a brother who is 14 months older. To start my life off, my older sister and I moved to Florida to live with my aunt while my brother stayed with family in Texas. We lived there for a year or so, then came back to Texas and my mom, sister, brother, and I moved into my grandparent's house in Dallas. I never had the opportunity to meet my grandparents. My grandfather was an alcoholic and my grandmother told him to leave, and he did. Later he told her that he was no longer drinking and was pleading for her to let him come back. She resisted so he got drunk, borrowed a gun, and was off to her house. They tried to talk but he was drunk, she was mad, so talking led to arguing, so she asked him to leave. He was so angry; he shot her, he later turned the gun on himself. I know my mom was devastated, all this happened a week before her birthday. Thinking about this now, my heart is broken for her because every birthday is a reminder of what happened that night. She was very depressed and took to drinking alcohol and occasionally doing different types of drugs, desperately trying anything that could help “mend” her broken heart.
It was after moving back into their house that things start to get blurry and out of order. My sister was only 6 or 7 at the time and doesn't exactly remember where we moved from there. We did live at about every motel/hotel on some street in Dallas. We also move to a duplex in Dallas. We moved many times and met different strange people. We never had the chance to make friends at the places we were passing through. My brother, sister, and I, we were best friends, we had to be, we were all we had! My brother and I were best buds, even at a younger age, I looked up to him.


Hope you enjoy Amber's story!


Okay - have a great week!


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Leslie Swindle, Teen Editor
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