Luna was an average girl. Luna was happy, she lived a simple life. She wasn't seeking the latest trends, she didn't want the most followers. She was just happy being her. Then, changes in career of her father caused their departure from humble Alabama to bustling New York City. The transition was rough, her new high school was full of clones and wannabes. Luna was a rose among thorns, and one thorn in particular wanted to drag Luna down with her...
It all started on her first day, first period, homeroom. Luna was antsy, with good reason. As she tried to drown out the nervous feeling, a faint voice said:
"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?"
She looked up swiftly, face red, palms sweaty, legs wobbly as she stood up from her seat. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes:
"My name is Luna, I'm 16, from Alabama. We moved here 2 days ago. My father works for a major electronics company."
She crept back into her seat, feeling a million eyes on her. Laying her head down, she heard someone say:
"You'll never make it in New York, you're just a nobody."
Luna looked up, humiliated, wondering who else had heard this. Just then, the teacher shouted
"Ok kids, get to your next period!"
Luna stood up quickly, bolting out of the door to join the current of students in the halls. The words echoed in the back of her mind, and she thought that maybe it was safer to follow the crowd...
A few hours later, Luna stood in the middle of the cafeteria, tray in hand as students and faculty passed by, paying her no mind. With her head low, she passed tables with loud, obnoxious students and sat alone at a table near the corner. A familiar muffled tone sounded from her pocket, and she pulled out her phone to read Dad's latest text:
Hey love bug! Hope your day's going well. I found a taco truck near the apartment, I'll pick you up after school so we can eat and talk 😀 love you!
She scrolled a little further and opened the attachment: a picture of them at their secret hideout, the memory was fresh in her mind after one week. She peered at her dad's cheesy smile, then at the genuine happiness in her smile. Dad told her that she looked like Mom in this picture. But Mom was long gone, and there were only faint memories of her in Luna's mind, mostly of her in her final hours. Luna closed the attachment and locked her phone. Just as she was putting it away, she heard a familiar voice:
"You need to go on a diet, girls here are skinny."
Luna quickly ducked, hiding as if the words wouldn't reach her if she cowered down. But as another school bell rang, the words lingered in her mind...
This torment went on for weeks, Luna felt helpless. It seemed as if no one cared, no one told the voice to stop. She spent her nights surfing through her feed, seeking ways to fit in and end the abuse. She isolated herself, she just wanted to be normal. Then one day, as she left homeroom, she walked into the women's restroom, quiet and empty. Luna hummed to herself as she washed her hands. As she began to zone out, the same voice whispered:
"No matter how hard you try, you'll never be good enough."
Luna took a deep breath, turned off the water and looked in the mirror. She stared at her verbal abuser in the eyes, and Luna watched her lips move as she said:
"I am enough."
