Kathleen. Named after my Aunt Kathleen, who everyone called Tabby. I never met her. My dad said she was very kind. I have her eyes. My mom said she would have loved me. That we were both sweet. Always acted older than our age.

Teachers default to Kathy or Katie. Kathy sounds like an old lady with 8 cats. Whereas Katie sounds like a girl who loves pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks . Kate fits better. Meaning pure or innocent. Orange, like the leaves that fall to the ground in Autumn. A girl with a sweet smile. Brunette. To a bypasser, she fits in with the crowd.

At school my friends laugh if I get called Kathy or Katie. Which happens often. Kate seems to be a hard name for people to grasp when they first meet me. I think it is because I don’t look like a Kate.

I don’t have a fun or cute nickname. I always wanted one though. My parents call me Katers but that's not really a nickname. Just adding two letters on the end. When I was 4, my neighbor called me Cake. But that was only because he couldn’t say his T’s.

Nicknames show how close the bond between two people is. I call all of my close friends by a nickname. Sophie is Soph. Millie is Mil. Becky is Beck, Beckers or Squints.

My mom wanted to name me Atticus. Like in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. They were going to call me Addie. If I were a boy I would be Spencer, my parents liked the way it sounded. Only my closest friends would call me Spence. I prefer Kate over Atticus. But they are both pretty bad.

Kate does not suit me. Maddie? No. Maddie is a blondie. With ocean blue eyes. Hadley? I have always loved that name. My close friends could call me Hads. It is a unique name. But difficult to mess up.

It is decided. You can call me Hadley.