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While I was working myself to death for the
coding competition.
Jason and his mom were at war,
His mom tried to break him and Brittany up
by going after Brittany’s family.
Brittany’s parents split a long time ago, and
they never really came back.
Her grandpa raised her.
They dragged him to the school and
humiliated him.
He was a simple farmer who didn’t know
anything about what his granddaughter was
く
doing at school.
He learned she was about to get expelled,
and he got down on his knees in front of the
principal, begging for forgiveness.
He was afraid of the teachers, and also of
Jason’s mother.
Jason’s mom filmed it, then showed it to the
whole class.
She screamed at Brittany: “You can’t stop
seducing men. How cheap can you be?”
Brittany’s pride was crushed.
She couldn’t take it.
She screamed: “Seducing? Your son is
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obsessed with me!”
“Fine! You want to play that game? I’m done with Jason. I’m never falking to him again.”
“But if anything happens to Jason, don’t
come crying to me.”
“I’m dropping out. You’re bullying a girl with
no family and a helpless old man! You’re so
kind!”
Brittany blocked Jason on everything.
She threw her books in the trash.
She flipped off the teacher and Jason’s mom.
Then she left, head held high.
She was brave.
She was everything we wanted to be but were
too afraid to be.
She crossed all the lines.
That day, Brittany was a hero. Everyone
cheered as she walked out.
And when Jason found out what happened.
He stopped coming to school.
People would gossip about him.
“I saw Jason kneeling in the street for
Brittany. He was begging her to get back
together.”
D
“Jason said his mom was awful to Brittany’s
grandpa, and he had to make it right.”
“Jason was bleeding everywhere! He was so
pathetic.”
“But Brittany forgave him. They made out in
the street and went to a motel.”
The night of the coding competition.
I studied for my finals.
I memorized a thousand words, went home,
and walked by Jason’s house.
I heard screaming. Jason screaming, his mom
screaming.
An ambulance showed up, then rushed away.
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I saw the blood on Jason’s wrists, dripping all
over their perfect little yard.
Jason’s suicide attempt was all everyone
talked about.
Some people said Jason was brave.
Some said he was stupid.
But he came back to school. With Brittany.
Their love had conquered everything.
They held hands and sat together.
They were so cute, always laughing.
“My grades are terrible. I’ll probably only get
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C
<
into community college. Would you still go
with me?”
“Yes. Wherever you go, I go. I’ll never leave
you.”
“But you’re so smart. What if you get into a
great school? Maybe we shouldn’t be
together. Everyone says I’m holding you
back.”
“I can play dumb. As long as I can go to
school with you, nothing else matters. I
promise I’ll give you a great life.”
He was so young, so full of promises.
And everyone believed in their “true love“.
But I knew that no one could be responsible
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for someone else’s happiness.
You have to get it yourself.
