I set the photo back on the desk. That kid is still in there somewhere, tucked behind mortgage payments and morning coffee. They were the architect of everything I am now. They did the hard work of surviving the loneliness and the hormones and the bad haircuts so I could stand here today. We don’t talk much anymore, but looking at the photo, I realize I finally found the exit sign they were looking for. It didn't lead to another world—it just led to being okay with this one.
Looking at that kid now, I want to reach through the pixels and the paper. I want to tell them that the "somewhere else" they’re looking for isn’t a city or a job—it’s a state of being comfortable in their own skin. I want to tell them that the things they’re currently embarrassed by—the weird hobbies, the niche music, the way they laugh too loudly—are actually the only parts of them that will matter in ten years. teen you pic
The glossy surface of the 4x6 print is slightly tacky, a relic of a drugstore photo lab that hasn’t existed in a decade. I’m staring at a version of myself that feels like a fictional character—a kid with too much hair gel, a thrifted band tee that didn't fit, and eyes that were constantly searching for an exit sign. I set the photo back on the desk