Dear Darren Criss,
Okay before you get the idea that this is a normal fan letter let me just tell you; It's not. This is more like a story. My life story just shortened. I am an average 14 year old girl named Stephanie and I am going to tell you about the people and the show that saved me. You being the person, Darren. Let's start from the beginning. 7th grade. I was bullied so badly. Some high schoolers who rode my bus harassed me. They you kick me and my stuff, call me ugly fat and dumb, push me and just make my life a living hell for no reason. They even had a particular nickname they liked to use for me. Whale. But I spoke to our schools guidance counselor and the bullying stopped. At least it stopped from them. I was till getting taunted and teased by my classmates and stuff but I kept it a secret. Let's move ahead a little shall we?
May 26th, 2011. Me and my mom were helping work the concession stand for my little brothers baseball game and I just all of the sudden felt funny. There was this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach and I just felt 'out of it'. That's when we got the phone call. Without any explanation told the other parents working at the stand we had to go, grabbed me and my brother and started walking us to the car. I blurted out something before I could stop myself and I barely knew what I was saying. "What happened to uncle John?" The words that she responded with still haunt me to this very day.
"How did you know?" Later in the car she told us my uncle had gone missing. I almost fainted than and there. My uncle was my best friend and the most amazing person I knew. My mom told us what happened when we got home. My dad was in Pennsylvania for a huge board meeting for the family company and my uncle was supposed to be there to but he never showed. He started to get worried so he left the meeting and drove to my uncle's house to see if he was there. My uncle's car was there and everything but the doors were locked. My dad knocked on the doors and nobody answered. He looked through as many windows as he could but couldn't see him. Immediately concerned he called the police. They came to the house but they said that they couldn't enter the house without three family members and a search warrant. My dad checked back periodically but still nothing. I had a terrible feeling for the rest of the night.
May 27th, 2011. They found my uncle. They found him in his house. They found him stabbed to death on the kitchen floor in a pool of his own blood. The police confirmed that he was stabbed in the back sixteen times and was dragged down the hall into the kitchen and evidence indicates some sort of struggle between him and the killer. There was also a giant bruise covering the whole left side of his face. The police indicated his time of death was May 26th. 3 days before my 13th birthday. When you love a person they become a part of you. And when that person suddenly just... disappears part of you disappears too. You wake up every morning just feeling empty and just dead inside. You search for something to fill that emptiness inside you but most of the time it can never be regained. To this day they still haven't found my uncle's killer. I had come so close to just forgetting everything and just committing suicide. So close that if I moved just an inch or two I wouldn't be here right now.
I needed to find something. Something so I didn't feel like my whole entire world would just crumble beneath me at any given second. And eventually after a year and a half more of struggle I finally found something. I found Glee and guess what else I found? You. I found you Darren. I quickly became obsessed. I would just listen to you sing and it would instantly pick me up and for the short time the song lasted I didn't have to worry about the earth crumbling beneath my feet. I felt safe again.
Courage. I write it on my arm everyday in marker. I write it so everyone can see and so it fills up my whole forearm. I wear short sleeves everyday just so I can show it off because I am so proud of it and you. Even i people pick on me you and Glee have taught me that no matter what hey say I have nothing to be ashamed of if I'm just being me. The only thing I should strive to be is the best I can. And I am proud to be who I am. A tall, frizzy haired, blond, drawing, writing, softball playing, dancing, singing, glee loving, proud, courageous, brave, fourteen year old girl from New York who doesn't care what anyone else thinks. And I know all the struggle in my life will eventually pay off and I will be something great. With all of the crap I had to deal with I know one day all of the suffering will be worth it. I will meet you, Chris Colfer (my other hero), make a great name for myself and grow up to be the happiest person I know because I lived everyday like there was no tomorrow because sometimes like in my uncle's case... there may not be a tomorrow sooner than you think.
-Stephanie <3
Thank you so much for reading and if you don't mind comment and tell me what you think or tweet me at @DCmySavior or @KLAINE_IS_LOVE also please help spread the word I am trying to get Darren to read this because if I do my life will be worth living on. Thank you so much once again.
