Golden Child
I’m not the person everyone thinks I am. You see, I was always the perfect girl. I got good grades, participated in sports, and even managed to become valedictorian for my graduating class. But underneath I’m hiding a huge secret. Now, for the first time in my life, I’m failing in school.
Nobody knows. I’m falling so behind and it’s getting harder and harder to catch up. I can’t reach out to my counselors or teachers because I’m ashamed…I’ve always been the smart, diligent one, and I would hate for them to stop thinking of me that way.
I’ve always been the “golden child”, but I’ve been put so high up on a pedestal that it’s just assumed I will always stay there. My parents can’t see that I’m drowning; they just assume that I will always be fine.
“You are always so responsible,” they’d tell me. No, I’m not. “I know I can always count on you.” No, you can’t. I’m still a teenager. I need guidance in life but they are too busy with my sister’s issues to see mine. They drag me in and make me her third parent.
Her issues are much more immediate than mine, and I hate that she gets all of the attention, but I can’t resent her for that. She is the best thing in my life. I just hate that I feel so alone in my struggles. My friends would never understand. They think my life is perfect.
They say, “Oh my God, I love your dad. He is so funny,” or “Haha, your sister is so cute,” or “Wow, your mom is so cool.” No. My family is falling apart at the seams. The fights are daily at this point.
I feel so alone, and what’s worse is that everyone else is moving on with their lives. I don’t know where to go, so I’m just faking it ’til I make it. I keep a smile on my face to let them all think I’m okay…but I’m really not.