Ariana Pelton

There Were Good Times

Mom, To say I kept secrets would be a bit of an exaggeration. I omitted things I knew you didn’t care about. If I told you I cried on the bus everyday of junior year you would’ve told me I was being hysterical. Or if I had told you I felt like my life was going nowhere I would've gotten the generic parent speech. Or worse, a comparison to how trivial my problems were compared to yours. When I graduated high school you eagerly flipped through my overpriced yearbook, and you were disappointed with my picture. I hadn’t put a senior quote or done any of the electives because I hated school and I just wasn’t that kind of person. At the time you called me a loser. I never told you that when I'm at my worst your voice comes and pierces my rational thoughts with that word. You hadn't meant it as severely as I took it.