Ever since you were little, you dreamed of being older. Wearing makeup, forming your own style, having a job, being ‘free’. At least that’s how your distorted perception viewed adulthood.

Thats why when your teenage years hit, they hit like a brick, completely stunting your dreams and fogging up your planned pathway of life. All surety had been forgotten and stripped away by society.

Beauty standards were enforced on you even before you had a chance to fully develop your own identity. School felt like some sort of tightrope act, where one misstep could derail your entire future. All these razor sharp changes had been shoved down your throat before giving you a chance to swallow. And soon enough, all you could do was drown in it.

Andrew felt like he was drowning in it too. Sure, he knew that raising a daughter as a single dad would be difficult, especially when it came down to puberty and the dreaded teenage years. But he never thought you’d be this affected. Maybe the teenage experience had changed since he’d hit adulthood.

You’d been drowning in this for what felt like an eternity, your body submerged in the harsh, cold waters of the world around you. You didn’t try to fight it anymore.

Days turned into weeks, keeping yourself cooped up in your dark room, practically rotting in your bed for hours on end.

Today you finally managed to climb out of bed, your already aching body still clad with the same clothes you’ve worn for a week. Oh well, you were only retreating to grab a few crackers from the kitchen anyway.