Everyone knew what I was going through. I took the bus to school, and it was a pretty small one where we all chatted. The bus driver, an older lady in her sixties with white hair, heard me mention that I didn’t have money for my senior trip. She stopped the bus, went into the dean’s office, and said, “Here’s $80, let the girl go on the trip.” I had a science teacher named Ms. Bernard who knew we were homeless. Occasionally, she’d give me $20 to clean her classroom, just so I could do something nice for my birthday or treat myself to pizza. Our dean, Ms. V, also let me take home extra food from the cafeteria, even though that wasn’t allowed. If it weren’t for the amazing educators in my life, I might have gone off track like many kids with tough home lives. I was really craving attention. I love my mom, but she hasn’t always been the best mentally, especially after everything she’s faced. I was also getting bullied by some kids in my class without a break. I quickly figured out that people only noticed me for my schoolwork, not in any other way. In high school, my science teachers really made a difference, especially Dr. Khan, my marine biology teacher. That class was my favorite because I’ve always been into marine biology, and we often chatted about music too. That year was pretty chaotic for me since I had just switched schools, was taking care of my little brother, and our stepdad was abusive. That Christmas, Dr. Khan surprised me with two gifts. The first was cookies he said his wife made for me because he always talked about me. His wife baked for a living, so they were amazing cookies topped with sea salt. The second gift was a CD filled with all the songs we had discussed, mixed with videos of my favorite animals. I’m not a fan of dolphins; I adore whales and have a real thing for sharks. The CD had a Blink 182 song paired with a video of a hammerhead shark. On the card, he wrote, “Remember, you can always talk to me.”
Credit to the rightful owner~