And just when he thought he was going to move on, he hit middle school. Or middle school hit him, rather. The bullying, teasing, change of routine, and then add puberty to the mix for a depressing three years. He’d endured enough by ninth grade to process his past trauma to the best of his ability, and finally accumulated a small circle of friends. A few teachers helped him along the way his freshman year, though. He often wondered if they knew about his life in West Virginia and went out of their way to see him succeed.
