The School Years I Never Talk About

People always say, “School days are the best days of your life.”

I wish that had been true for me.

For me, school wasn't just classrooms, uniforms, lunch breaks, and friends. It was constantly wondering whether I was good enough, worrying about what people thought of me, and learning to stay quiet even when something hurt.

There were days when I would come home and pretend everything was normal because explaining what happened felt harder than pretending it didn't matter.

I remember laughing with everyone sometimes, while secretly counting the minutes until I could go home.

The strange thing about school is that everyone remembers the fun moments—the annual days, birthdays, silly jokes, and group photos. But nobody talks about the moments that quietly change you.

I left school eventually, but some experiences don't leave just because you do.

Maybe that's why I sometimes miss the childhood I had imagined, rather than the school life I actually lived.

And perhaps healing isn't about forgetting those years.

Maybe it's about finally realizing that what happened back then doesn't get to decide who I become now.