Dear Auntie,
My struggle began years ago, back when I was in grade six and schools were closed due to Covid. I had a best friend back then. When online classes started, that friend left me for a more popular group. What hurt wasn’t just the distance; it was how she began using my surname in a disrespectful way and her new friends followed. Soon, it spread through the whole school.

In grade seven, I won a trophy at a school event and, instead of cheering my name, the entire school chanted the same mispronunciation that had been used to mock me — loudly, in front of teachers and the principal. I remember standing there frozen, unable to say anything and something inside me quietly shut down.

From then onwards, I withdrew completely. I stopped making friends, stopped opening up and I carried everything alone. Over the years, that one experience grew into a fear I can’t seem to........

© Dawn (Magazines)