Dedication
For my little sister,
the only one who ever cheered loud enough when no one else did.
For every cutie who ever listened, read, or gave a damn.
And for the version of me who survived long enough to tell this story.


This story contains themes of: cheating, depression, eating disorders, racism, self-harm, suicide
All Rights Reserved ©
The Curse of Adulthood: Growing up feels like losing color.
Firsts That Shaped Me: Crush, kiss, heartbreak, experimentation.
Messy Truth: Lies, betrayals, cringe moments that won’t fade.
Nostalgia vs. Reality: Teenage years were chaotic but alive; adult life is dull but heavy.
Identity Through Chaos: The curse isn’t just adulthood—it’s carrying your teenage scars into it.
First-person POV (intimate, diary-like).
Candid, raw, unfiltered voice: swearing, humor, cringe self-awareness.
Nonlinear, but framed: present-day Target Tech → daydream flashbacks → returns to adulthood.
Romanticized realism: Teenage years feel bigger-than-life even when they’re embarrassing.
Narrator (You, fictionalized)
Present: burned out Target Tech employee, reflective, bitter but funny.
Past: messy, reckless, craves attention, makes mistakes out of obsession.
Dominic Freeburn (First Crush / First Curse)
17, dad bod, cocky, not a “good person.”
Represents reckless desire and poor decisions.
Lies about him → suspension, lost friends.
First kiss → awkward, gross, unforgettable.
Friends (Background, but crucial in flashbacks)
The ones who ditched you after the suspension.
Represent fleeting teenage loyalty and betrayal.
Adults (Teachers, APs, Managers, Customers)
AP = punishing authority in high school.
Target manager/customers = adulthood authority.
Both mirror each other: systems that never change.
Jasmine (Co-worker)
Present anchor. Offers sarcastic remarks at work.
Represents surviving adulthood with humor, even if it’s fake.
Adulthood was supposed to be freedom. Instead, it feels like a curse. Stuck in a dead-end job at Target Tech, the narrator drifts through fluorescent-lit days, haunted by memories of a teenage past that was loud, chaotic, and unbearably alive. The novel unfolds as a series of flashbacks sparked by the monotony of adulthood. Each memory pulls her deeper into the messy truth of growing up: first crushes that turned toxic, first kisses that were awkward and wrong, first experiments with sexuality that left her confused, first heartbreaks that shattered her world. At the center of it all is Dominic Freeburn — the boy who wasn’t worth it, but who left a mark that never healed. Her lies about him got her suspended, destroyed her friendships, and made her the outcast of her school. Yet he also became her first kiss, her first taste of passion and regret all tangled together. Dominic represents everything she can’t forget about her teenage years: the drama, the pain, the stupid decisions that felt like destiny. As the narrative swings between past and present, the curse of adulthood becomes clear. Bills, jobs, fake customer service smiles — they’ve replaced the fire of youth with something gray and suffocating. But through remembering the reckless highs and devastating lows of adolescence, she begins to realize that even the worst moments mattered. Because they made her who she is. Raw, unfiltered, and brutally honest, My Cursed Adult Life is a messy love letter to growing up too fast, crashing too hard, and still carrying the scars into adulthood. It’s about firsts that never really leave you, heartbreaks that echo years later, and the truth no one tells you: growing up isn’t freedom. It’s just another kind of cage.
For my little sister,
the only one who ever cheered loud enough when no one else did.
For every cutie who ever listened, read, or gave a damn.
And for the version of me who survived long enough to tell this story.
Let sleepyspooky know what you thought about this chapter!

jasperchiu: Okay... I’ve been following this since Chapter 1 and I genuinely feel like Hannah’s whole journey has gone from “I just want her to move on from Mike” to “GIRL PLEASE 😭”The thing I like most is that Hannah’s feelings don’t change overnight. She keeps trying to convince herself that she can go back ...
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I love books :): I loved this book I can relate to all of them so much also I would recommend this book to any teens 💖
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Chris: This story is one that you look forward to keep reading. I hope the boss and her get together for a real relationship. It is hard to stop reading, I look forward to more chapters.
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Shereen: the suspense is killing meI can't wait for Nathan to break down her walls completely , why she can't succumb to her emotions it's exhausting
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Brenda Young: This story was really different! I was really into it!! A really good read! Great job 👍🏼❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
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Leess: This was a very nice romance.Really enjoyed reading how Nate grew up and became worthy for the love of his life.
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Nenies2Cents: So here we are......all entangled in our own lives, part of our communities.....or not.Simply living in a net....a box......we were born into.With values and morals........or the lack there of 😋Having our perfect lives all pictured out right in front of us ....finding the love of your life.....he/s...
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Mary Wilde: This novel took a turn that I never expected. Of course it was a great novel. I think one way or another a lot of us are like the character Alana the way we judge ourselves and how some people have a great lives and some don’t. And we all have met a guys like DR maybe not a billionaire but try to b...
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