In the wake of Roses

Letting Go

After the hospital, Rose decided it was time to change her life for the better. That meant letting go of fake friends and anyone who brought harm into her life. The hard part was figuring out who the real ones were.

One of the people she knew she had to let go of was Travis—her drug dealer boyfriend. She didn't care for him much, but being with him kept her from feeling bored and made it easy to get high. That convenience had kept her around longer than she'd like to admit.

Travis visited her not long after she got home from the hospital. That's when Rose decided to end things. But it didn't go as planned.

What Rose didn't know was that Travis had been obsessed with her. He never showed it before, but once she cut him off, something changed. He started showing up at her house uninvited—showering her with flowers, gifts, and, most importantly, more drugs. It felt less like love and more like control.

That was the moment Rose knew: she had to take her life back.

Even though she didn't consider herself addicted, she checked herself into rehab. She was tired of feeling alone. She needed connection. She needed understanding. She wanted to be around people who had faced the same demons—people who wouldn't judge her.

The first few weeks were brutal. The silence, the routines, the questions. But eventually, Rose found the courage to speak.

She stood at the podium, heart pounding, and took a deep breath.

"My name is Rose, I'm seventeen," she began, her voice slightly shaking.

"Welcome, Rose," the group replied.

"I don't think I'm an addict... not yet, at least. But if I kept going the way I was, I could've been. I let myself get pushed into trying things that changed my world forever. The scary part is... I liked it. And that scares me more than anything. Anyway... that's all for now."

She quietly took a seat, eyes scanning the room.

"Thank you for sharing," the coach said warmly.

Rose had expected judgment. Instead, she got acceptance—and it was exactly what she needed.

In time, she enrolled back in school, picked up a part-time job, and started piecing her life back together. Things were finally starting to look up.

But there was one problem she couldn't seem to shake.

Travis.

He kept showing up. Texts. Calls. Visits. Always with a smile, pretending to be just a friend. And despite everything, Rose let him stick around—telling herself it was easier that way. At least for now.