The cafeteria, where popularity determined where you sat, became a daily battlefield. Lucas usually sat alone, his only comfort the food on his tray.
Desperate for help, he turned to the one teacher he trusted—Mr. Thompson. After school one day, he poured out his heart, confessing the daily torment, the jokes, the loneliness. He hoped for understanding, maybe a plan to make it stop.
But when Lucas finished, Mr. Thompson leaned back and sighed. “Bullying’s tough, Lucas. But kids pick on anything that makes someone stand out. Maybe if you focused on getting in shape, they wouldn’t bother you so much.”
The words crushed him. The one adult he had trusted to understand had dismissed him, blaming him instead. He walked out of that classroom lonelier than ever, finding comfort only in food, the one thing he could still control.