Story time! Based on a true story that I had to deal with.

THIS IS ME TRYING TO KEEP MYSELF TOGETHER - BARELY. MY PARENTS AND TEACHERS EXPECT ME TO STICK TO SCHOOLWORK AND DOING THINGS, BUT I’VE BEEN ON BURNOUT MODE FOR AT LEAST A WEEK. I FOUND MYSELF BECOMING IRRITATED BY TEACHERS GIVING ME A GROUP TASK OR NORMAL SCHOOLWORK, AND I SAW THAT I COULDN’T FOCUS DURING EXAMS. AND EVERY TIME MY VOICE RAISES A BIT CUZ OF FRUSTRATION , THE WHOLE CONVERSATION SHUTS DOWN. AND IN THE AFTERMATH? I END UP RETHINKING MY LIFE CHOICES OUTTA GUILT. (KINDA LIKE THIS FOX); ONLY YESTERDAY, I HAD AN ARGUMENT WITH MY ENGLISH TEACHER ABOUT DOING CLASS WORK WHEN I HAD NO ENERGY TO DO SO BECAUSE I WANTED TO READ. (WE WERE IN THE LIBRARY) SO SHE REPORTED ME TO MY PARENTS EVEN THOUGH I TRIED TO EXPLAIN MYSELF (SHE SAID THAT I WAS YELLING IN DISRESPECT); AT HOME, I TRIED TO EXPLAIN MYSELF, BUT MOM WAS MAD AT ME FOR “RAISING MY VOICE”, “PLAYING THE VICTIM WHEN ITS ME WHO’S THE PROBLEM” AND “BEING DISRESPECTFUL”. SHE WOULDN’T EVEN LET ME EMAIL THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR WHEN I STARTED TO FEEL GUILTY, OR VENT TO MY PROJECT SUPERVISOR WHEN SHE CALLED MY MOM. SHE EVEN GOT MAD AT ME WHEN I TRIED TO VENT ON CHATGPT AND I FOUND OUT THAT I WAS YELLING OUT OF BURNOUT AND THAT NO ONE WAS LISTENING BECAUSE I WAS IRRITABLE BECAUSE OF IT. SO I DID THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK OF: WRITE A STORY FOR MY PROJECT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. IT’S ABOUT A GIRL MY AGE WHO LIVES A DOUBLE LIFE AS BOTH A STUDENT AND A SUPERHERO, STRUGGLING WITH BURNOUT BUT BEING DISMISSED BECAUSE OF PEOPLE’S EXPECTATIONS FOR WHEN SHE’S TALKING. SHE BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS ONE DAY AFTER FIGHTING A CRIMINAL AND RUNS AWAY TO A STORE RUN BY A NEIGHBOR, WHERE SHE FEELS SAFE. HER BOYFRIEND FINDS HER AND FINDS OUT WHAT HAPPENED. FURIOUS, HE TAKES MATTERS TO HIS OWN HANDS…BY CALLING OUT THE PRINCIPAL FOR FILING A COMPLAINT EVEN THOUGH THE GIRL HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG BUT BE HUMAN. HE POINTS OUT THAT HIS GIRLFRIEND HAD BEEN MISSING HOURS OF SLEEP AND PILING UP HER HOMEWORK OVER HER HERO REPORTS FOR THE POLICE, STAYING UP ALL NIGHT MULTIPLE TIMES JUST TO FINISH UP EVERYTHING ON TIME AND MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY. HE SAYS THIS IN A MANNER THAT SCARES PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR WITS BECAUSE HE’S NORMALLY A NICE GUY, BUT WHEN HE GETS PROTECTIVE AND DISCOVERS THAT SOMEONE HE LOVES IS FACING INJUSTICE? HE GOES ICE-COLD IN FURY. THIS MAKES EVERYONE QUESTION HOW BLURRY THE LINE BETWEEN EXPECTATIONS AND REALITY CAN BE. THEY DISCOVER THAT THE GIRL HAS BEEN GIVEN THE BURDEN AND WORKLOAD OF FIVE ADULTS AND BEGAN TO FEEL GUILTY FOR HOW THEY TREATED HER. MORAL OF THE STORY? JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS STRONG, DOESN’T MEAN THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO BE HUMAN AND STRUGGLE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. LET THEM BE HUMAN, SUPPORT THEM WHEN THEY NEED IT, DON’T MISINTERPRET IT AS MISBEHAVING. AND JUST BECAUSE A GIRL IS RAISING HER VOICE DOESN’T MEAN SHE’S NO LONGER HUMAN.