From Darkness to Light: She Taught Me to Love Myself.

1: The Unseen Weight

I stared blankly at my bedroom ceiling, trying to remember the last time I felt normal. What was normal anyway? The thought circled in my head, but I didn't have the energy to care. My alarm blared on the nightstand, and I smacked it off without even looking. 7:00 a.m. came too soon, like it always did.

Everything was a struggle these days. Getting out of bed. Getting dressed. Even breathing felt like effort sometimes. Every movement felt like wading through thick fog—heavy, exhausting, and endless. I had become so used to the heaviness that I didn't know how to live without it.

School was just another place to put on a mask. I had to pretend I was okay because, honestly, no one cared enough to ask. I wasn't the popular girl. I wasn't the funny one. I was just... there, blending into the background while everyone else moved on with their lives.

I finally dragged myself out of bed, standing in front of the mirror for a second. My reflection looked as tired as I felt—sunken eyes, tangled hair, clothes that didn't even match. I used to try harder, but lately, what was the point? No one was paying attention anyway.

I pulled on the first set of clothes I found and headed out the door, shoulders slumped, hoping to survive another day.

At School

Westbrook High was a whirlwind of students, but I was invisible. Everyone had their place, their friends, their group. Mine was silence. As I walked to my locker, I kept my head down, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention. But, of course, I wasn't lucky enough for that.

"Hey, Ari, where'd you get that outfit? A dumpster?"

The voice was like a knife through my skin, cutting deep. I didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. Niki Nihachu. She was beautiful in the way that made everyone else feel less so, with her sharp blue eyes and confident smirk. But behind that beauty was cruelty, and I always seemed to be the target.

I swallowed hard and kept quiet, fumbling with the lock on my locker. Maybe if I didn't respond, she'd go away. But Niki never went away.

She stepped closer, her voice dripping with mockery. "What? Too good to talk to me now, Ari?"

I kept my eyes fixed on my locker door, but she grabbed the back of my hoodie, pulling me just enough to knock me off balance. "Oops," she said with a fake laugh. "My bad."

Her friends laughed along with her, like they always did. A part of me wanted to scream, to tell her to stop, but the louder part of me just wanted to disappear. The bell rang, and with a final shove, Niki and her friends sauntered off, leaving me alone in the hallway.

I exhaled slowly, trying to keep myself together. It was just another day of surviving. Just another day of being invisible until I wasn't.

Unexpected Kindness

I stayed quiet for the rest of the day, as I always did. It was easier that way. Teachers didn't call on me, classmates didn't acknowledge me. I was the shadow on the wall, and that was fine by me.

By the time the final bell rang, I was drained. I left the classroom quickly, hoping to get home before Niki or anyone else decided to make me their next target. But as I reached the steps outside the school, a voice stopped me.

"Ari, wait up!"

I turned around, surprised. It wasn't Niki this time. It was someone else, someone unexpected. Liv Reynolds. Niki's best friend.

I froze, unsure what to expect. Liv was always right beside Niki when she mocked me, laughing along with her. Why was she suddenly talking to me?

"I, uh, wanted to check on you," Liv said, her voice awkward and uncertain. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "What Niki did earlier... that wasn't cool."

I blinked at her, confused. "Why do you care?" My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I was too tired to hide the frustration.

Liv frowned slightly but didn't leave. "I don't know... I just— I know what it's like, okay?"

I stared at her, unsure what she was trying to say. Was this some kind of joke? Liv was part of the problem, wasn't she?

"I don't need your pity," I muttered, turning to leave.

"I'm not pitying you, Ari," Liv said quickly. "I'm trying to help."

Help? That word sounded foreign coming from her. I didn't need help. Or maybe I did, but not from someone like Liv Reynolds. I hurried away, leaving her standing on the school steps. But her words stayed with me the rest of the night.

A Flicker of Something Different

The next day, I tried to avoid Liv. Whatever that weird interaction was, I didn't want any part of it. But to my surprise, she didn't sit with Niki and the others at lunch. Instead, she came right over to me.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked, already setting down her tray.

I stared at her. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" she asked, casually taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Sitting here. You're friends with Niki. Why aren't you with her?"

Liv shrugged. "Niki can be... a lot sometimes. And just because we're friends doesn't mean I agree with everything she does."

I didn't know what to say. It wasn't like I had experience with friendships or navigating the weird dynamics that came with them.

"Look," Liv said after a moment, "I know you probably don't trust me, but I'm not like Niki. I don't want to hurt you. I just... I think you deserve better."

I blinked at her, speechless. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. I didn't know how to respond, but for the first time in a long while, I felt a tiny flicker of hope.

Maybe, just maybe, things didn't always have to be like this.