𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐫.𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. "𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐫.𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮..."

I always felt like I was carrying something on my back-bills, family, expectations that weighed more than my own body. Being a first-gen student wasn't a dream, it was a debt and graduate school was currently kicking my ass. I kept my head down, locs falling in my face as I scribbled notes, just trying to stay invisible. But when Professor Kyrie Knight leaned against my desk, his eyes steady on mine, I felt seen in a way that scared me. My name's Cameron Cross, and maybe I was meant to carry this weight-but for the first time, I wondered if I had to carry it alone.