reddit storytimes

Подробнее о видео

The smartest girl in our high school suddenly started failing every single class during junior year. We're talking about someone who had never gotten anything below an A+ in her entire life, was already accepted to Harvard early admission, and tutored half the school in calculus.

Sarah went from valedictorian track to barely showing up. When she did come to school, she looked exhausted, wore the same clothes multiple days in a row, and would fall asleep in class. Teachers tried talking to her, but she'd just mumble something about being tired and walk away.

The rumors started immediately. Some people said she was on drugs. Others whispered that she was pregnant and trying to hide it. The mean girls spread stories about her having a secret boyfriend who was a bad influence. A few people even suggested she was having a mental breakdown from the pressure.

But there was one rumor that seemed too crazy to believe. Jessica, who lived on Sarah's street, swore she saw Sarah leaving for school at 5 AM every morning, then coming home around 11 PM. She claimed Sarah was working somewhere, but nobody could figure out where a 17-year-old would work those kinds of hours.

Sarah's best friend Emma tried to get answers, but Sarah completely shut her out. She stopped sitting with their friend group at lunch, stopped responding to texts, and even changed her locker combination so Emma couldn't leave her notes. It was like she became a completely different person overnight.

The teachers were baffled. Her English teacher, Mrs. Rodriguez, pulled her aside multiple times because Sarah had been her star student for two years. Sarah would just stare at the floor and promise to "try harder," but nothing changed. Her grades kept plummeting.

By second semester, Sarah had lost so much weight that people started whispering she was seriously sick. She had dark circles under her eyes that makeup couldn't hide, and her hands were always covered in small cuts and burns that she claimed were from "being clumsy."

The Harvard acceptance got rescinded in March. Sarah didn't even seem to care when the guidance counselor called her in to discuss it. She just nodded and said she "had other plans anyway." That's when the rumors got really wild - people said she was planning to drop out entirely.

Then something weird happened in May. Sarah's mom, who worked as a nurse at the local hospital, suddenly quit her job. Within two weeks, their house went up for sale, and Sarah stopped coming to school altogether. She missed the last month of junior year and obviously didn't come back for senior year.

People assumed they moved away, but Jessica swore she still saw lights on in their house at weird hours. The whole thing became this unsolved mystery that our class talked about for years. Most people figured we'd never know what really happened to the girl who had everything going for her.

Fast forward eight years. I'm scrolling through Facebook when I see a news article shared by someone from high school. "Local Restaurant Owner Donates $50,000 Scholarship to Help Students Pursue Culinary Dreams." The photo shows Sarah, now 25, standing in front of a successful restaurant she owns downtown.

The article explained everything. When Sarah was 16, her dad had a massive heart attack and couldn't work anymore. Her mom's nursing salary wasn't enough to cover their mortgage, medical bills, and basic expenses. Sarah had been working 16-hour shifts at a commercial kitchen downtown, lying about her age to get hired.

She'd leave for her kitchen job at 4:30 AM, work until 3 PM, then go to school for the last few periods. After school, she'd go back to work until 11 PM. She was literally working two full-time shifts while trying to maintain her grades, but her body couldn't handle it.

The cuts and burns on her hands were from working in a professional kitchen. The weight loss was from being too exhausted to eat properly. She was falling asleep in class because she was getting maybe three hours of sleep per night.

Sarah had to choose between her Harvard dreams and keeping her family from losing their house. She chose her family. The restaurant job eventually led to her learning the business, and by 22, she had saved enough to open her own place.