A girl hated me in elementary school because I used “big words” – colossal, gargantuan, and monstrous words that her fourth grade brain felt threatened by.

My fate was then sealed in 2011 and my destiny became a lifelong quest to find the biggest words, the smallest words, and all the words in-between. My reading log became my arsenal and vocabulary activities my soapbox. Finishing a 700 page book in a day was easier than doing long division (who remembers how to do long division anyway?).

To this day, I lace up a pair of sneakers from my intermediate collection and wear her hatred for my big words as a badge of honor. I use my headphones as a shield, surrounding myself with song lyrics and poetry. I sprinkle my sentences with words as colorful as the neon sign and movie posters that hang in my bedroom.

Some might say, “it was the fourth grade, get over it,” but I’ve always loved a good revenge story. Her hatred was my fuel and I spun all those big, little, and in-between words into a career.

Take that, Hailey S.