Do you know the most infuriating thing I find in my everyday life as a straight edge kid? Not the questions about drinking coffee. Not the "how many sxe kids does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" jokes. Not the "so, is it a gang or what?" inquiries.

Itıs finding out that people donıt respect you enough to tell you the truth. Iıve been told this a million times by kids I thought of as friends or possible friends: "Yeah, I donıt drink. No, Iım straight." And why would I have reason to disbelieve them?

But eventually I realize whatıs really going on. Turns out friend X (no pun intended) lied to me about his or her views on substances. Turns out everyone else knew it. Turns out Iım naive once again.

"Oh, you're just a militant hardliner," you may think. "You're angry because your friends drink." Not so fast there, tiger. I'm not. Being straight edge is a personal choice, and it doesn't factor into whether I care about someone. So why, then, does all of this upset me?

Because it's mean to lie. Because some people apparently think I won't talk with them if they have some drinks. Because while I don't care if someone isn't straight edge, that person might care that I am. Because the whole issue of being lied to makes me feel abnormal, like I need to be treated in a certain way.

Do you define your existence by what you drink or smoke? I didn't think so. I don't either. I am not just straight edge. I am a person like you.