I sat in the back of the class, head down, hands in my lap, eyes staring at the scratched-up desk. Everyone else was talking, laughing, whispering, passing notes, throwing glances across the room like I didn't exist. I never talked. No one ever asked me to. I never got invited into conversations or told to move up or come closer. I was just.... there. Quiet . Unnoticed. Alone. My stomach growled. Lunchtime. I didn't bring anything again. I slowly stood up to head toward the door, not looking at anyone, just minding my business. That's when it happened. A sharp tug at my ankle. I stumbled forward and hit the ground hard, scraping my knee on the cold tile. Laughter erupted. Loud. Harsh. Echoing.

The girls who sat in front of me looked back, fake concern stretched across their smirking faces. "Oops" one of the said, twirling her hair like she didn't mean it. I didn't cry. I didn't even flinch. I just looked up ,blankly, like my soul wasn't even in my body. It wasn't. It had learned to hide somewhere else by now. I got up, brushed off my uniform skirt, and kept walking. The hallway was half empty, but I wasn't lucky enough to go unnoticed. A group of boys stepped in front of me. I didn't even see the coming. They pushed me against the lockers. One grabbed my bag. Another tugged my hair. One whispered things in my ear that made my skin crawl. I didn't scream. I didn't push back. I just waited for it to be over, starting past them at a crack in the wall like it was more important than what they were doing.

When they were done humiliating me, they laughed and walked away like it was a game. I finally made it to the cafeteria. The line was long. My money barely bought me anything, but I didn't care. I was just hungry. I sat down with my tray, ready tp finally have something that didn't taste like sadness. But peace never stayed long. A group of girls surrounded me. one of them knocked over my juice. Another smeared something from her tray onto my food. Mashed potatoes, ketchup, something disgusting. One grabbed my hair. Another shoved my shoulder. "Eat it" one said, grinning like it was the funniest thing ever. "You eat garbage anyway, right?" I did because if I didn't, they'd keep going, When I told the teachers, they looked at me with tired eyes, like i was being dramatic. Like I didn't matter. Maybe the other kids had money. Maybe their parents donated to the school. Or maybe they just didn't care. I stopped reporting things after that. No one helped me. No one ever did.

The scene fades. The memories blur. Now it's morning. I'm standing in front the mirror in my room. Older. Still overweight. Still self-conscious. Still broken in places no one sees. Today is the first day of high school. And I already feel like I've lost.