Essay Contest: I am so jealous of …

By Audrey Walton, 16, Dominguez HS (Compton)

I’m jealous of my older sister and friends who are all close in age. When I see them getting ready to go out for the night, I get very jealous, because I have a baby. So I can’t go out and stay out until whenever.

Sometimes I sit and cry about it. Because of one little mistake, I had to grow up extra fast and get a job. At the same time, my sister and her friends are out enjoying life and going out on little weekend trips, while I clock into work to support my baby.

I’m jealous, because I want to be a kid again. I want to laugh and get ready to go out on weekends and stay out all night.

By Tristan C. Corpus, 17, Birmingham HS (Van Nuys)

The thing that makes me jealous is facial appearances. What I’m trying to say is that all the guys have normal-looking lips, while I don’t.

Those guys don’t have to go through their lives knowing that everyday someone will stare at them and laugh, because of their lips. They don’t have to go through their lives knowing someone is out there to make fun of the way they look.

Those guys don’t have to feel the pain from girls they like, ask them out on dates, but already know inside that the girls don’t want to have anything to do with them.

I recently went through that. I liked this one girl for so long and thought she liked me too, because we always talked and shared secrets with each other. One day I had the strength to ask her out. She said, "No." Then she told a counselor that I was stalking her. The next day, I felt so heartbroken. After that experience, we never spoke again. I’ve never thought of asking a girl out after all of that.

By Carlos Adams, 15, Dominguez HS

I can say that I’m jealous when I see a dude with longer hair than mine. I’m trying to grow my hair, but it’s too much work to wake up in the morning and spend time putting gel in it. If I had longer hair, I could just wake up with it braided and not have to worry about it.

I can also say that long hair attracts the girls. I remember one time when my friend with long hair and I were in the mall. About five girls came up, touched my friend’s hair and complimented him about it. I felt left out.

By LaQuisha Anderson, Dominguez HS

The person I am jealous of is a person I shouldn’t be jealous of. But I am. It’s my brother.

I have been jealous of him for most of my life, because he has a father and I don’t. I only have one parent—my mother. There is nothing wrong with that, because some people don’t have either parent. So I believe that I am blessed in that respect.

But when Father’s Day comes, my brother always makes cards for his dad. But I can’t. There are other people I can make cards for, such as my uncles. But I think it would feel better to make a card for my father. My life has been hard without him.

When my brother gets upset with me, he always says, "I have a father, and you don’t!" That really hurts my feelings. It’s not just because he says that, but it’s because he’s my brother. Every time he says that, I just walk away, cry and tell my mother. She punishes him and then tries to comfort me.

By Alex Davidson, 17, Verdugo Hills HS

My older brother, who wishes to remain anonymous, had the one thing that all kids wanted in the late 80s. It was the king of all toys—a bendable Gumby figurine. Since it was my brother’s and I was only three, he of course banned me from coming within a two-foot radius of it. Although I begged and pleaded, he wouldn’t allow me to see it, let alone play with it.

One morning I woke up extra early and snuck into his room. As soon as I entered, I saw exactly what I was looking for. It was sitting on a table by his bed. Green curves flowing from end to end. I could almost smell the plastic mold.

As I walked slowly past him, trying not to breathe and wake him, I tripped and fell with a thud. Luckily, he didn’t awaken. After finally reaching my foresaken goal, it only took me five minutes to realize that the bendable Gumby toy I lusted after was just an unbendable toy. But it was too late. As Gumby’s arms fell to the floor, the only thing I could think of was, "Oops."