Shut up! You're different. Who cares. You can go without them.
I lay in bed. Something had changed. I mean, the thought had always existed in the back of my mind, but it seemed to be a firm truth now. It was all kind of a blur- the news had come so quickly. Just a few letters and my fears had been confirmed. No going back. This wasn't a dream, it was reality. And now I would have to live with it.
It seemed stupid, but it was my second worst fear. But unlike my truly greatest fear, this was something that I couldn't control. Something that wasn't my fault. Something that relied on the people around me to prevent. I had tried so hard to make real friends and even tried to join a family. But no matter what I did I couldn't seem to prevent it. I couldn't make people care about me.
It happened in third grade
It happened in fourth grade
It happened in fifth grade
It happened in sixth grade
I had no one in seventh grade
Or eighth grade.
But in ninth grade, things started changing. People began to show interest. They enjoyed my humor, they listened to my facts. They appreciated my defects and looked past my faults. For almost three years, I enjoyed a loved, destiny-filled life.
And then, the text came.
Tears began to develop in my eyes.
How could this happen after so long?
-----
I felt the heart of my phone spring to life.
I sprung up instantly. Could it be? Could it really be her?
It was.
Theresa.
Somehow, she had known. She always knew. Every single time he was in distress, in tears- she knew.
"Just like you said. I found the peephole. That one place where the sun shines through."
I see the real you.
And in that moment, I knew that the Man of the Mountains smiled upon me and that I would never be alone again.
