Freshman Year

At the beginning of high school, I was screwed over by the court. Despite my mother not completing the assigned treatments and classes, she was allowed to have me and my sister every other weekend, half of all breaks,  half of all holidays, and every other two weeks over the summer. My attitude changed dramatically over the course of the school year, from being a eager-to-please, ready-to-work to a passive aggressive, emotional teen. One of my teachers was gone during most of the year and when she returned, she immediately noticed how I had changed. My other teachers, when asked to think about how I was at the beginning of school to near the end, confirmed her thoughts. When I looked back, I cried. I felt like being forced by the court to see my mother more, which was exactly what they were doing. They had never even seen me, but they felt like they could force me to be changed by a woman who had no right to be called my mother. I was constantly battered verbally, emotionally, and psychologically, but no one helped me get away. My father claimed I deserved to have a voice, but he turned against me, to become my mother's friend, to force me to see her. The court refused to help, but it had already turn their back on me.