Goodbyes

"I won't give up on you".

I did have someone say this to me once.

It was eighth grade and I was failing miserably out of every class I was in. My teachers though I was hopeless and soon I started to believe it to. I decided to seek out help from a complete stranger, an academic support teacher. She barely had any students ever see her, and I was the worst case she'd ever had.

Within a week I was in her room every morning spilling my guts, unloading all the stress that'd been getting to me for months. She listened intently and never said a word, but would gently guide me back to working with a soft understanding.

One day when I'd really had it, I was crying, and she said that to me.

"I won't give up on you."

It god damn changed my life. Here she was telling me something I'd needed to hear for ages, for years, and she was the one to say it. I felt suddenly ready, ready to pick myself up and kick ass. I wanted to improve, to get better, to-

"I'm taking you out of this school. Public school is the only choice you've got. At least you'll have a chance." The worst car ride home I'd ever had.

And I never even got to say goodbye to the woman that changed my life-- and might have even saved it.

Now I'm just waiting for someone to say it again, and mean it.