Memoir

People often say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” In other words, appearances don’t tell the whole story. In a society as judgmental as ours, it can be hard for us to remember such a simple fact. I have to admit I’ve been guilty of this act many times. The most memorable of these incidents occurred when I entered my freshman year of high school and met someone who eventually proved me wrong on so many levels.

            Freshman year is a blur to me as it was four years ago. However, I distinctly remember my first encounter with Sharlyn Navarrete. I first saw her as I was exploring the school and as I walked past her, she had an overpowering air of obnoxious attitude that it nearly choked me. It took all the self-control I had within me to stop myself from bursting her bubble with cruel and blunt words. She didn’t even smile at me when I strolled by; on the contrary, she gave me the most annoying look one teenage girl could give another. It was an invitation for a verbal confrontation and for more aggressive and impulsive people, it could have been the start of a silent but obvious war. However, I was running for Freshman President, therefore I needed her support, whether she liked me or not. I went up to her with a sweet smile and asked for her vote and quite honestly, I couldn’t have cared less what her thoughts of me were. At that time, I thought I was higher than anyone else anyway. Jealousy was a word I associated with many grudges against me.

            I later learned Sharlyn didn’t vote for me and it was true; she didn’t like me, just as I didn’t like her. However, as the year went on, I learned she wasn’t what I originally saw her to be. She wasn’t obnoxious but rather kind and genuine. I did think she was weird and she hasn’t proven me wrong on that note, however, the better word to describe her would have to eccentric. I never would have thought, looking back on that first day of freshman year, that she and I would actually be friends. But by some small miracle, she’s become a person I can call when I need a laugh and the perfect victim for my Jersey Shore obsession. Looks can be deceiving and when you judge a book by its cover, then you are really missing out on everything that makes a person worth knowing.