The Mask

To the world, Olivia Bennett had it all—brains, beauty, and that shining first-rank trophy everyone envied. She walked through school halls like a quiet queen. No drama. No mess. Just perfect grades and perfect silence. But no one knew how hard it was to breathe behind that mask. No one saw the tears she wiped away before stepping into class. No one noticed the way her hands shook during every test or the sleepless nights filled with pressure, panic, and pretense. She wasn't living. She was surviving. And she was tired. Tired of being the girl everyone admired but no one truly understood. It was challenging to hide the pressure and fear that had planted a seed inside her.She was truly tired by pretending to be a topper,by studying,by sacrificing her sleep, starving to death. Next day she entered the school with a tired and sleepy face, with a fake smile plastered on her face.She dropped down on the front bench in the class.She was always very sick of sitting on first bench she envied those backbenchers who never cared about anything.They just enjoy without having to strees about any exams, society, parents, teachers,or image in front of the society. She wished to at least have one day where she could be like them and just ignore the very existence of anyone else.But she couldn't ever let loose because of the high expectations that her teachers, parents, classmates,and society had for her.As soon as she sat on the bench, her eyes glued to her notebook, scribbling down every word the teacher said. She was used to the rhythm: study, score, repeat. But today, something felt different. The whispers, the giggles, the snickers—everything was a little louder than usual. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the backbenchers glanced at her, their mocking smiles barely concealed. "Hey, Olivia!" one of the boys called out, loud enough for the whole class to hear. "Got another hundred percent in the test? Or did you finally get a zero for a change?" The class erupted in laughter, and Olivia's face flushed, her stomach twisting. She knew the backbenchers didn't like her. They resented her for her perfect grades, for being the teacher's pet. They called her a show-off, a nerd, the "teacher's favorite." But today, their words felt sharper, crueler. She kept her head down, pretending to focus on her notes, but their taunts continued. "Do you really think you're better than us?" another voice sneered from the back. "Maybe if you spent less time studying and more time with people, you'd actually have some friends." Olivia clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She wanted to stand up and scream back, to tell them how their words made her feel, but all she did was look at her notes, wishing the day would end. As the bell rang, she rushed out of the classroom, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't just the topper anymore. She was the target of all the backbenchers now. She went to the washroom immediately after the bell rang.She cried her heart out bursting into tears, she said, "Why am I like this?Why am I so easy to be bullied? Do I make them think that I am so easy to bully?" The answer was pretty clear and deep down even she knew it but was scared to admit it to herself because she knew full well that the only reason they were after her neck 24/7 was because she let them bully her, allowed them to crush her self- respect every single time without ever fighting.She decided that now enough is enough.She looked in the mirror and made a resolve to herself "Now I will not allow them to bully me anymore.From now onwards not even once will I allow them to crush my self-respect. N ow I will be the strong Olivia Bennett, one who defies all prejudices. I will stand for my self-respect. For my own respect I will now never allow anyone....."She quickly wiped away her tears and confidently strotted out of the washroom and then....