Shelby's winning DARE essay

Title: An Unfamiliar Note
By Shelby Lane
B, C, F, and D flat. Those are musical notes. Beer, cigarettes, marijuana, and crystal meth. Those are not musical notes. I'm a musical person and I know a lot of notes. If those musical notes, they are unfamiliar to me. They will stay that way.
I promise to stay drug free. I promise people all around the world and beyond. Drugs won't come near me, no way, no how. I'm in charge here and there is nothing you can do about it. Yep, that's right. I control my life and my decisions. Now, my decision is to promise you that I will be drug free forever.
How will I keep this promise, you ask? By keeping myself occupied. If I get involved in enough activities, I won't have time to do drugs. I probably won't even have enough time to THINK about doing drugs. So far, it's working!
Do you have a dream? I do, it's music. I don't care what it is, as long as it's musical. That's what I want to go to college for, but it won't happen if drugs are in my system. Just remember, if you have a dream, you can't reach it if you do drugs.
I want an amazing future, a healthy future. I don't want to be stuck in he hospital fighting for my life, or in jail for drunk driving.I want to be somebody. I want a great reputation. Not to be known as a crazy person. That's not who I am, that's not me.
What about friends and family? They would be overwhelmed with disappointment in me. I love and care for my friends and family. They're very close to me. I wouldn't want them to feel that way about me! They might never talk to me again! They may never feel the same way about me ever again.
So, I will make the best choices, and that's a promise. A promise that will be forever kept. To me, drugs will stay, an unfamiliar note.