I’d like to retrace my steps to that moment where it all went wrong. The moment where I watched
as my life crumbled before my eyes. The last moment when happiness was not just a distant dream. The
moment is gone. Buried deep beneath the past, that moment is forever tarnished with despair. I’d like to
hope for tomorrow and say it will all be okay but I can’t. The sun will rise and I will fall, deeper and
deeper into what’s left of me. I’d like to fall asleep knowing someone’s there for me but I can’t. I’d like to
think that someone would be you but I know better. I’d like you not to throw this away before you read
the first page but I can’t blame you if you do. I’d like to think there’s more to life than whispers in these
halls but I should know better. I’d hope you’re reading this before these whispers become you. Just listen
closely and I’m sure you’ll hear them. Snatch, rip, and run. Tearing me apart.

A kid’s gotta’ have hope says the voices in my head as I stare up towards the ceiling of the
gymnasium. The room is cold and dark and dimly lit, yet the lack of lighting does little to hide me from
the hyenas as I run. They watch, waiting for me to slip and fall. They watch, licking their lips for the
opportunity to sink their teeth into my flesh. They watch, eager to feast upon greatness for one time in
their lives. What fools. I will never fall. I already have fallen.