Anna walked into her house and was immediately met with a wave of tension. She could hear her parents arguing in the living room, their voices low and angry. She knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid them, so she made her way to the living room.
As soon as she entered the room, her parents fell silent and turned to face her. Anna took a deep breath, trying to brace herself for whatever was coming next.
"Anna," her mother started, her voice cold and hard. "We need to talk."
Anna's heart sank. She knew that tone too well
Her father spoke up then. "We got a call from your school, Anna," he said. "They told us that you got into a fight today."
Anna tried to tell them that it wasn't her fault, that the other kids had started it. But her parents weren't interested in her side of the story. They just kept berating her, telling her that she was a disappointment and that she needed to be better.
As they spoke, Anna felt a lump forming in her throat. The more they scolded her, the harder it became to hold back her tears. And then, finally, she couldn't
Tears spilled down Anna's cheeks as she tried to hold back her sobs. She knew that showing vulnerability was just going to make it worse, but she couldn't help it. All of the emotions and frustration she'd been holding back just came pouring out.
Her parents watched as she broke down, but they didn't try to comfort her. Instead, they continued to criticize and blame her for the fight. Once they'd exhausted their lecture, they dismissed Anna with a curt admonition to "behave better next time."
Anna stumbled to her room, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She felt so alone and powerless.
