THEY LAUGHED AS I FELL IN THE MUD, CALLING ME "MUD MONSTER," BUT THEIR DAD DIDN'T SAY A WORD—HE TOOK OFF HIS OWN JACKET AND FORCED THEM TO BECOME MY BRIDGE. The water was freezing. Not just cold, bone-chilling, seeping into my worn-out sneakers and the threadbare socks beneath. I could feel the muddy water squishing between my toes, each step a painful reminder of how far down I was. How far I always am. The laughter of those boys, echoing off the brick walls of the school, stung more than the c