2013
[SEOUL FOREIGN BRITISH SCHOOL] changed. Over the three years, Ciara had been through so much. She had been caught in the middle of her parent’s messy divorce, turning her mean and uncaring. And to everybody’s surprise, she had lost a lot of weight and became very pretty over that time. She became instantly popular after her return—losing whatever unpleasant image she had before. But this new and changed Ciara came with a price. And it turned out that I was her victim. ↭
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The bell rings and the sound of crowded hallways and slamming lockers floats up from the main division. I can hear laughter and friends shouting to one another. I feel a sharp pain around my neck that causes tears to spring to my eyes. I unfasten the top button of my collar and breathe deeply, trying to keep myself from hyperventilating. Ever since “the incident”, I can’t seem to get a hold of myself. I keep losing focus, forgetting important things, having flashbacks... It’s like I’m going crazy and nobody cares enough to notice. “The incident” was what caused me to leave. That day was the first time Stacey had joined “them” in their teasing and taunting. It was the worst day of my life, and I finally decided that I had had enough. No matter what they did to me, no matter how much they despised and bullied me... I was still Samantha Corler. And no one—not Ciara, not Stacey—could change that. I wouldn’t let them push me around like this anymore. I wasn’t going to be their victim. I was going to stand up for myself and change things. That night I went home and considered my options. There was a nice private school a little under an hour’s drive from here. Or perhaps... The next morning I didn’t come to school, and just like that it was over. I left Fair Oaks and convinced myself that I would never have to go through such pain again. Little did I know that one year later I would be standing in the exact spot I had left in such a hurry. I thought an open door was all I needed. I thought a fresh start would fix everything. Never had I been so wrong. Oh, how stupid I had been! I should have known it was just a phase in life; I should have known that things would have gotten better! Instead, I was so wrapped up in my own sorrow and pain that I threw away the best thing that I ever had. My friends, my family, everything and everyone I cared about... when I left I distanced myself from everybody so much that I ended up hurting them as well. I came back in hopes of making everything right again, but now I see that it is a little too late.
“Secrets” 2013
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