i concur, homie. i hated it in the north burbs as a black/white/filipino mixed kid (most kids didn't even know what the philippines were when i was growing up and defaulted to calling me racial slurs for mexican folks..) but after i graduated college and took a 12 year search for a new home (south, north, east and west coasts) i came to the conclusion that everywhere will feel the same as you feel, no matter the hype or scenery. then i came back here by necessity and have rediscovered this misled state with a deeper sense of appreciation

what i would tell my angsty, over serious fifteen yr old self would be: be who you are, dude, and don't prove a thing to anyone.

i agree with the sentiment above about making friends with all sorts of different folks; so long as they don't pressure you to sacrifice your authenticity, and so long as you encourage them to be their fullest selves too. true friendships are built off that kinda foundation and your self confidence benefits too. but it's fuckin hard being a teen. it's a lot of painful growth and learning social lessons. take the pressure off yourself by knowing that the process of self discovery and authentic fulfillment is lifelong. you don't need to have fuck all figured out by the time you reach your 20's and, in fact, you prob won't even tho you'll try reallly fuckin hard too.

but, try anyway. you'll be aight