Behind the Smile

I was bullied by the entire school. The only light in my life was the student council president — someone untouchable, someone I looked up to.

He stepped in for me again and again, gently telling me to stop being weak and letting people walk all over me.

Then one day, I was cornered again — punched and kicked by a crowd. I made up my mind. I pressed the button on the voice recorder, determined to finally fight back with evidence.

But through all the noise — the shouting, the hitting — a familiar voice cut through. A voice I had come to depend on more than anything.