Dear The Invisible Zombie Kid,

It must be a huge shock to your system, to feel invincible one day and invisible the next.

I’m not the most popular kid in school, but I’m pretty well-liked, and I’m sure I’d feel the same way as you if more people said “What’s up?” to the janitors than to me.

Even though I haven’t been in your (star athlete) shoes before, I know what I’d tell myself if I were the new kid.

First, you’re not a nobody; it’s just that nobody knows you yet. Yet. They don’t know why all the girls used to crush on you. They don’t know about all your skills. All they know is that you’re new.

But you’re still that same talented, likeable guy – and other people will see it as soon as you give them a chance.

Second, you’re not sitting all alone because you’re a loser; you’re sitting all alone because you’re choosing not to ask people if you can sit with them.

In a perfect world, all the guys who play sports would walk up to you and say, “Hey, man. We can tell that when you’re not sitting, eating a Sloppy Joe, you can shoot a mean 3-pointer, so come hang out with us!”

But this isn’t a perfect world. So you’re probably going to have to get up and introduce yourself.

And third, sure, it sucks that you can’t try out for any sports. But that just means you have a chance to try some new things to see what else you’re good at.

Maybe you have artistic skills, or you’re an awesome writer, or you have a talent for photography, like me. If you try something new instead of sitting on the sidelines, you’ll definitely meet some new people. And I’m sure girls will be crushing on you in no time.

I hope this helps!