chapitre un 🦟
Melanie struggles a lot with her mental health. She stays up all night, her thoughts slowly eating away at her mind every single day.
“I’m actually no one’s favorite person… wow,” she whispered to herself.
“What if I didn’t struggle with mental health—would people actually value me?” she wondered.
A tear slipped down her cheek as she fell asleep with her wired headphones still plugged in. She listened to Wifiskeleton, Radiohead, Jaydes, and TV Girl. And considering how most people listened to Drake or SZA, they didn’t really like her. The ones who did only saw her as a floater friend—someone temporary, someone replaceable.
She woke up the next morning already dreading school.
What if I get bullied again today? What if I get embarrassed again today? What if I think of—
She stopped herself. Shaking her head, she forced herself out of bed.
You might be wondering why she hasn’t told her parents yet. Fair question, reader. Long story short, her parents were emotionally immature—unable, or unwilling, to understand what she was going through.
She walked to school lost in thought, as usual, silently praying that nothing horrible would happen again. Something bad always seemed to happen, but she told herself it was worth trying anyway.
Standing at the school gate, she took in the scene around her: the noise, the laughter, the couples, the popular kids. Then she looked down at herself—her long-sleeved top with a baggy T-shirt layered over it, black baggy jeans, black Converse sneakers, and her blonde hair streaked with caramel highlights.
“Oh gosh,” she thought.
Her fingers moved to the ring she always wore, fidgeting with it to calm her anxiety. She wore it for moments exactly like this.
Taking a deep breath, she finally stepped into the school.
Almost immediately, she heard whispering—kids muttering things about her, giggling behind their hands. She kept walking, eyes forward, fingers still twisting the ring.
Speaking of the ring, it was a zinc alloy band with a rose quartz gem set in the center—similar to a red heart Pandora ring, just softer, gentler.
Eventually, she spotted her so-called friends. She walked toward them, hoping—like she did every day—that this would be the day they finally noticed her. That they would value her, see her as a real best friend, and not just a backup. Not just a floater.
