Sixteen going on seventeen.

If I could send my sixteen-year-old self a few pieces of advice,  here’s what I’d say to myself:

1. It gets better. It truly does.
2. You’re autistic. Not a weirdo, or a freak. All those ways you don’t seem to fit are because you’re autistic.
3. Heartbreaks aren’t the end of the world.
4. You can be a writer. Just keep writing.
5. Everyone makes mistakes.
6. Not everyone who claims to be your friend–is your friend.
7. Practice the Spanish, Mandarin, and sign language that you learned. (Being multi lingual would’ve been so handy now lol.)
8. One day, you’ll find your real family. It’ll be better than all the times you’ve imagined it.
9. You are brilliant.
10. You don’t owe abusive bastards anything–no matter who they are.

What would you tell your sixteen-year-old self if you could?