I have holes underneath my shoes. When it is raining, my socks would get extremely wet. I don’t complain about my shoes to my mom because she is battling a few things. I have to be strong for my mom because I’m the man of my house. But I’m tired because I constantly get bullied. These kids pick on me because of the holes in my shoes. A kid pushed me down and threw my shoes across the school.

My mom is struggling and I feel bad because this is my fault. If I wasn’t born, she wouldn’t be struggling. This is all my fault! I hang out at the park with a group of my homeboys. Sometimes these older teenagers come around to hang out with us too. I asked one of them how do they afford to have new shoes every week. He told me the game and now I’m on his team.

I know its wrong but my mom struggling. It’s the only way out.