“This year has been the toughest by far. I found myself struggling to live a dream. A dream that was shattered by reality. I stood on tenterhooks, waiting for the tide to turn. But it didn’t. It got worse. And I lost a lot of hope in the process. That was my mistake. Hope is all we have.”

She sat there talking listlessly to her therapist, pouring her heart out together with some tears.

“Why did you feel like you’ve lost hope? Go on. Don’t hold back.”

“I was an outsider. Alone. And always at fault. I wanted to find a way to feel better. I just wanted to be happy. But every time I tried, I failed. On the good days, I smiled wide. On the bad days, I smiled wider. I realised that hiding my emotions was my forte. Until the day I decided to leave. That day, I felt liberated. Every cell in my body rejoiced at the thought of freedom. The feeling was inexplicable. This was a school I had dreamt of going to since the 7th grade, and all of a sudden, it felt like a prison.”

“And then?”

“And then I decided to go back. I decided to give my life another chance of happiness.”

“By going back?”

“Yes, I went back to school. And I faced the bullies. Took some strawberries and cream along.”

“Why?”

“Who doesn’t like strawberries and cream?”

“How do you feel now?”

“Overwhelmed. I have gotten over my fears. And I’m about to graduate next month.”

“What happened to the bullies?”

“They’ve found a new target… and some respect for me. All I had to do was stand my ground. Hope is all I had. And of course, some sugar rush.”