AMY

No one knows why Amy did what she did. Not many people ask. Most don't want to trouble themselves. They probably wouldn't get the answer. There's plenty of answers. 'She was a teenager, They're supposed to do things like that, Aren't they?', 'Troubles at home, Isn't that always it?'. Drugs. Drinking. She was a teenager. Being a teenager in this day and age has become an explanation, a reason, an excuse. You don't look at every elderly woman and presume her life can be rolled into a stereotype, can be described in one word. When you look at most older people, you probably wonder about the kind of life they've lead. There's always a kind of mysterious quality about them. What was it like for them growing up? You could remember learning about Martin Luther King, Jr in history class, while Mrs. Krantz down the hall remembers hearing him speak. But the word teenager isn't as kind. The word teenager is used to explain why your daughter just walked by wearing a leather skirt and a new ring in her nose. 'She's a teenager.'. That phrase always seems to be greeted with an understanding and sympathetic nod. Is it so undesireable to be a teenager? So, Maybe Amy just got fed up. Maybe she felt her actions were more than just being a teenager. Maybe she felt misunderstood. It's just more theories. Her parents don't talk about it. I knew Amy since first grade. Afterwards, people would turn to me to understand. In the end, maybe Amy failed. Perhaps trying to escape her stereotype, she unwittingly added to it. It's been years and she's mostly been forgotten. If you ask anyone else, They'll say, with a shrug, she was a teenager. But you're asking me. You want to know why Amy did what she did. To be honest, I don't know. No one knows the right answer. Maybe, someday, someone will ask the right question. But until then, only Amy knows...and she's not talking, is she?