"Toad Face". "Ugly". "Truck-Face". "Warty". "Frog". "Creepin' Crud Corey". "Leper". "Disgusting".

Believe me, I have heard just about every name flung at me like stones. It's nothing new; it's something I have had to live with for the past four/five years, ever since I first hit puberty.

Before I turned into a teenager, I had a pretty easy life: nothing to worry about, just enjoying being a kid. Then came the acne. Oh boy, did it ever! I am not talking your basic every-day acne: I am talking about cystic acne, which are more like boils, huge, gross pimples that ooze nasty stuff and distort your face. These pimples  hurt.

Not even the most advanced pimple cream is going to help these babies: the stuff I use is special; it comes from the drugstore. It's pretty expensive, but it helps. My pimples, although still bad, are not nearly as bad as they were prior to getting the medication. I do, however, get teased; even though I don't show it on the surface, inside, I'm dying of sheer embarrassment.

To tell you about myself, my name is Corey. Corey Dane Matthias Grigsby. I am fifteen years old. I live in Conyers, Georgia, with my ma, my pa, and my younger sisters Carissa (11) and Celine (6), and my baby brother, Carsyn (he'll be two in January). I have a dog, a Pomeranian I named "Chuckles" because he's always smiling; it looks like he is laughing half of the time. He's solid black, really beautiful to see!

When I am not at school (which seems like ninety-five percent of my life!), I like to veg out on the weekends, sleep in as late as two/three in the afternoon (ahhh, bliss!), play with my video games, watch horror movies (the scarier and grosser they are, the better I seem to like them, which drives my parents crazy; they don't like horror flicks), and write poetry/songs.

In addition to this, I like to attend concerts (rock of course; my favorite group? No question: Mick Jagger and "The Rolling Stones". I have seen them at least twenty times; they're really awesome! They're legends in the rock genre, and I love a lot of their songs!)

When I'm watching my movies, going to rock concerts, or playing my games, I seem to forget about all the teasing I have to endure. This is when I'm happiest because I am no longer stressing out about school, and I'd much rather people leave me alone. I am embarrassed about how my face looks, and people don't understand what it's like to have a problem like I do.

My parents try to be supportive, but on my bad days, I come home from school in tears; this is when my parents are at their best: they try everything to try to make me forget of my troubles; they make me my favorite pizza (pepperoni, jalapeno peppers, and onion), or they take me to the video arcade, just so I can work out some frustration; that usually helps in less than two hours; by the time it's time to leave, I'm calm, happy, happy to be alive.

Well, I am going to go now; school tomorrow. Killer test in history tomorrow. Hope I get through it! I will write in here again; take care!

~Corey Dane Matthias Grigsby, aged 15.