This Is Me

When I was young, I had lost my parents. My mom passed when I was 6 and my dad passed when I was 7. At that time, my brother and I had moved in with my then 36-year-old cousin who happened to have 2 kids of her own. The first few years were good until I hit the age of 12 when my cousin had pulled me around the house by my hair. The hatred and dislike took off from there. She blamed me for everything and always assumed I was lying about everything because of the guys she's dated in the past always did that. She never gave me space nor even let me talk. Whenever I would get into trouble, she would always change the story of how I got in trouble to whoever she told. She didn't care about me and what I thought. I've stood up to her multiple times and she would always slap me across the face for doing so. She would always believe I was talking back to her when I never did. Her husband was the same way. He would always hit me whenever I would "talk back" but all I did was stick up for myself to them since they never listened to anyone before.

Well, once I turned 18 and started back at my old school, I started dating this guy I've known since I was 16. I started telling him everything that my cousin and her husband were doing and how they were treating me which was very poorly. So, I decided to get out of there as soon as I could because I didn't feel safe there anymore. I moved in with my boyfriend and his mom and I felt safe living with them because I wasn't being yelled at for breathing the wrong way. I eventually called out my cousin and her husband on Facebook and informed my family and friends on how I was treated in their house. Yet again, my cousin and her husband told me I was lying but I stuck to my story then and I still do, to this day. They were the worst parents to me and my brother. On numerous occasions, I stuck up for myself and my brother for how my dad's side of the family has treated both of us. They all refuse to accept responsibility for their actions, and I'll always continue to call them out on their behavior. I’ve stood up to my family multiple times because they treat certain people in the family differently than my brother and I and it’s not fair.

I'm now in college to get my associate’s degree in business administration and I'm the first one in my immediate family to go to college and I have a dream to be the first millionaire in my family. I let myself hide in the dark a lot because I was scared to show what I’m capable of because of my family. Hopefully now my family sees that I’m not going to back down and hide in the dark when they want me to. I’m going to continue to allow myself to shine. I now refuse to allow anyone to tell me how to be or even who to be. I’m my own human being and no one will tell me not to be that way. My dreams and the real me will continue to shine. I was always told that I can’t be a certain way because it always upset my family. Now that I’m an adult and live with my boyfriend, no one can tell me who to be because who I should be is my decision, not anyone else's.