Don't be like me

When I was in the 8th grade, i met a boy there named ricky. We were
in the same homeroom and the same p.E. Class, and we started to talk and be friends
right off the bat. Well, as I started learning more and more about him, I learned that this
wasnt his 1st year in the 8th grade, and it wasnt his 2nd or 3rd either. This was his 4th
year in the eigth grade. I soon learned that he had a problem, or actually had 2
problems. 

First, he smoked a lot. Second, he did drugs. Not soon after that, a teacher
told me that she and some other teachers had tried to help him quit a few years before, and
he wanted to just as badly, but his body started rejecting the fact that it didnt have the
drugs in his system;

so he eventually fell back to doing them both. One day a month or two
after I was told this by this teacher, we were in p.E. And he hadnt said a single word
the whole period. Then, all of a sudden he said something to me. He said, "dont be like
me." that was all he said. 

Then it was time to go in for class. He walked straight out the
door of the school and never came back. Now, about a year ago, i got the news that he
died. He died because he overdosed. Now, all i try to remember is the simple four
words that he left me with. I look at these words not only him saying not to do drugs and
smoke, but also get into the same situations as he did and dig yourself a huge hole. 

I hope you can get something out of this in some way, it has helped me through a 
lot and im sure it can help others. And it proves that you can learn stuff
from the people who may be thought the dumbest.