I was just standing there, trying to make myself small. The kids were laughing at me again, calling me names, pushing me around. I tried to ignore them, but it hurt so much. I didn’t know what to do. My chest felt tight, and I wanted to run away, but my feet were stuck to the ground.
Then I felt something soft—someone was there. I looked up, and it was a girl I didn’t really know. She didn’t say anything at first, just came up and wrapped her arms around me in the tightest hug. I was so confused. No one had ever done that before.
For a second, I didn’t know what to do. But then I just… lost it. I started crying, big sobs that I couldn’t stop. All the mean words, all the hurt—everything just came rushing out. I cried into her shoulder, not even caring who saw anymore.
She didn’t say anything, just held me close. And in that moment, I didn’t feel so alone.