"I was fifteen the first time I stood up for myself. I had looked up a few self-defense videos on YouTube, and thought I could take on Mom's newest asshole boyfriend the next time he hit me." My chuckle is flat and humorless. "He beat me so badly, I had to stay home from school for a month." I don't add that I had to ice and bandage myself because I was too scared to go to the nurse and get my mom in trouble. By the time I went back to school, I was so far behind that I ended up dropping out a few months later.
