Stretching out her shaking hand, Anna’s trembling finger finally clicked the record button. The red light blinked quietly, casting a faint glow in the dim room. She sighed deeply, her shoulders rising and falling under the weight she carried.

  “Hi,” she began, her voice soft but steady. “You might not know me. But I know you.”

  She paused, gathering strength.

  “My name is Anna. Maybe you remember me — as your classmate, or maybe just someone you ignored.”

  Her fingers tightened around the worn teddy bear resting in her lap. The fur was rough against her skin.

  “But you’ve been blind for far too long. I’m here to force you to open your eyes. To show you what I needed you to see — because for years, you never did.”

  Her shoulders finally relaxed, and she let out a soft sigh.

  “To all of you, I was the class idiot. It’s been that way since we were little kids. While you were learning to read and write, I just couldn’t. Even though I practiced every day at home, stayed after school for extra help, I never succeeded.”

  Her gaze locked directly into the camera.

  “Do you know how it feels? To be judged by everyone around you, failing at something everyone else seems to master?”

  “My body wouldn’t listen to me. My hand just didn’t do what I wanted it to do. And here’s the big shocker — I’m left-handed. Yet none of you — none of my teachers — ever noticed. You never asked if maybe there was more to it.”

  Her grip tightened on the teddy bear, eyes sharp with accusation.

  “My left-handedness was far from the only issue, but you didn’t even notice something so obvious. You didn’t see me. I was just the dumb kid who couldn’t even write, wasn’t I?”

  “And it never raised concern that I didn’t understand math or English? You knew I stayed after school to study, you knew I always did my homework. And yet I kept failing — and you never asked why.”

  “I worked harder than any of you. I spent hours on it. While you were playing games, I was studying. And still, I kept failing.”

  “All of you didn’t bother to pick on me. No, you didn’t even look in my direction — since I was so far below all of you, isn’t that right? And that’s when you, Felicia, approached me. You used my weakest moment.”

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  Seething rage filled Anna’s eyes, but her fingers loosened around the teddy bear.

  “You pretended to be my friend. I trusted you, because it seemed like you were the only one who saw me. I was so happy to finally have someone to talk to. I trusted you with all my heart.”

  “And that’s what you used against me. I confided in you, and in return, you gave me ‘solutions.’ You told me to take a cigarette — it would solve my problems. A drink could dull the pain. Felicia, what you did was disgusting. You poisoned me, my body and my soul. And you used that against me so well.”

  “Don’t think I don’t know. I know you made the recording. While I was showering, you recorded me — and spread it all over the school. I know everyone saw it. And yet you did nothing.”

  “Some of you came to me, asking for sex. Others just to stare. Did you enjoy it? Seeing my broken body exposed like that?”

  Anna let out a bitter sigh.

  “Now you will regret it forever.”

  “This isn’t a mistake. You are one of them. You didn’t see me. You didn’t hear me. And you, Felicia — even now, you continue to use me. Despite knowing what you did, I still trusted you. I saw you as my support, but you introduced me to men who promised to wash away my pain. Guess what, Felicia? They didn’t.”

  “They used me. In my own home. For their own pleasure. You led them there. You betrayed me. Hurt me more than anyone else. I thought you were the only one who saw me — but you were the blindest of all, blinded by your jealousy.”

  “I tried to fix my life, but no matter what I did, I failed my exams. You all know I couldn’t pass ninth grade. But what you might not know is that I got a job.”

  “That’s where I’ve been for the last three years. While you all moved on — making new friends, learning new things — I was left behind. Forgotten.”

  “I was in pain. I wanted to do my best. But you all ignored me. I screamed for help. Remember the day I came to school, arms covered in wounds, bleeding?”

  “What did you do? My mentor told me to cover my arms because I was disturbing the teachers. My classmates saw, but didn’t care. My scars didn’t matter. That’s when I learned: I don’t matter.”

  “I’ve given up. I’m in contact with healthcare now. But it’s too late. If you had seen me. If you had heard me. Things could have been different. That’s why I’m sending this to you.”

  “I want you to know: the 19-year-old Anna lost her life because of your mistakes. If only you had opened your eyes, I would still be here.”

  “This is goodbye.”

  Her finger pressed the button again. She let out a final breath — relief washing over her, her body finally loosening its grip on years of pain. That was the last recording.

  With trembling hands, she uploaded the file, sending it out to the world — to her teachers, classmates, everyone who had looked away for so long.

  She rose, clutching the battered teddy bear to her chest. Its fur was rough, worn thin by time and tears — much like her own soul. She held it close, a fragile reminder of a childhood stolen, stitched together by memories too heavy to bear.

  Walking to the window, Anna pushed it open. The cool evening breeze brushed against her face. From the eighth floor, the city stretched out below her, bathed in the sun’s final golden rays.

  For a moment, she stood there quietly, the world moving on beneath her. The setting sun painted the sky in fiery reds and soft purples — a beautiful ending.

  A sad smile touched her lips. After all she had endured, maybe it was time to let go.

  She stepped up onto the window frame, the breeze catching her hair as she gazed one last time at the city — at a world that had forgotten her.

  And then, she took that final step.