Alone, not lonely.

“Remember when you used to eat alone in recess”, she said mockingly,

Remember when all of you decided to be bad classmates to me?

Not even once I felt included in your class, nor in the other section when I changed paths.

9th A or 9th B seems to be the same to me, full of people that don’t give theirselves a chance to meet me.

And you know what’s funny?

I actually started believing that something was wrong with me.

Maybe I was too quiet. Too awkward. Maybe I deserved to be alone.

But then, over time, I realized it was never about who I was. It was about the narrow walls you all built around yourselves, the ones that kept me out. You never gave me a chance to show who I really am.

And as time went on, I found something unexpected in the silence: my own voice.

I started listening to myself more, understanding what I wanted, what I enjoyed, and who I truly was—away from all of you.

I learned that I didn't need your approval or your friendship to define my worth. The person I was becoming was stronger, more resilient than the one who desperately tried to fit in.

Now, when I look back, I see a girl who wasn’t weak for sitting alone. She was strong for surviving every day in a place that made her feel small.

You all taught me something without even knowing it: that I don’t need to be included by people who don’t value me. I just need to belong to myself.

So, thank you for pushing me away. Thank you for making me realize that the only acceptance I truly needed was my own.