The sun was starting to set as you stood at the edge of the ocean, watching the water ripple with the breeze. The waves crashed rhythmically, each sound a distant reminder of the calm you longed for. Your chest felt tight, the weight of your thoughts pressing down on you. Life had been hard—harder than most people could understand—but you always tried to keep going. You gave to others when you had nothing left, believed things would get better, even as you found it harder and harder to believe in yourself

But lately, things had only gotten worse. You’d tried to do the right thing when you saw Jordan bullying a classmate. You reported him, thinking that standing up for what was right would somehow make things better. Instead, it had backfired. Jordan had turned his wrath on you, tormenting you in ways you never imagined. Every day, it got worse. Your classmates—people you had helped, stood up for, and cared for—turned their backs on you, afraid that they’d be next if they didn’t stay quiet

And now, you stood at the ocean bay, hoping the vastness of the water would wash away the ache in your chest, the feeling that you were sinking under the weight of it all. The ocean, so wide and endless, seemed like a place where you could finally rest

But your moment of peace was shattered when you heard the sound of footsteps behind you. You didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

Before you could even respond, he yanked your bag off your shoulder and threw it into the water with a force that made your stomach churn. You stood there, shocked, as your bag sank beneath the waves, the last of your belongings disappearing into the darkening sea.

“What are you gonna do about it? Tell your dad?” Jordan sneered

Those words, tell your dad, hit you harder than the cold wind. You froze, the world around you blurring. Dad?

You could almost hear his voice in your head, the words that had haunted you for years now. “You’re not our child. Get out.”

Your parents had disowned you years ago. You were a burden, a disappointment.