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00:00Have you ever stared at yourself in the mirror and literally didn't recognize the person staring
00:09back? Welcome to my life. A masterclass in fake it till you make it. Hi, my name is Tessa and I've
00:17been living a lie since I was six. That's when the Crawfords adopted me. Initially, it felt like a
00:23dream come true. A mansion the size of a small country, a garage full of cars and parents who
00:30paraded me around like their favorite charity project. And this is our daughter, Tessa. We
00:37rescued her from that dreadful orphanage. But as I got older, the constant stares and whispers
00:44started to get to me. I was tired of being the adopted one in a family of blue-eyed, perfect-looking
00:52people. Why don't you look like your parents? Are you like the help or something? So by the
00:58time I started at a new high school, I took matters into my own hands. Every morning, my
01:04routine was the same. Wake up in my perfect room, put on my perfect clothes, and finish
01:10with the most important part. Blue contact lenses to cover up my boring brown eyes. The
01:17Crawfords never asked me to hide who I was, but they never stopped me either. And honestly,
01:23it was easier this way. No more questions, no more explanations, just Tessa Crawford. The
01:30perfect daughter with the perfect blue eyes that matched her perfect parents. And that
01:35perfect image didn't stop there. Very soon, I was the queen bee of my school. Top of the
01:42social pyramid, an Instagram feed that looked like a fashion magazine, and grades that would
01:48make any parents proud. I had the whole package. Well, except for one seriously annoying problem.
01:55Ryan Bennett, King of the jocks, heir to Bennett Corp, and owner of the world's most punchable
02:04face, who'd been trying to make me his girlfriend since freshman year. Come on, Tessa. We're practically
02:11royalty at this school. Can you imagine the power couple we'd be? Our parents practically run this
02:18town together. Wow, Ryan. When you put it like that, I'd still rather date a cactus. But I always
02:25kept the rejection light and friendly. See, Ryan wasn't just annoying. He was the kind of guy who'd
02:32destroy your entire social life if you bruised his ego. And with our parents' businesses connected,
02:38I couldn't risk it. So I played nice, while mentally calculating how quickly I could escape
02:44every conversation. My perfectly crafted fake life was running smoothly, until he came along like a
02:51wrecking ball. Ethan Cole. New kid. Foster child. Always carrying a beat-up sketchbook. And wearing clothes
03:00splattered with so much paint, they looked like a Jackson Pollock original. The second he walked into
03:06class, I knew Ryan would make him his personal chew toy. Hey, Goodwill, did a rainbow throw up on you,
03:14or is that your idea of fashion? His squad of brainless hyenas erupted in laughter, while I sank
03:21lower in my seat in embarrassment. But Ethan, he just looked at Ryan with this amused expression,
03:29like Ryan was a toddler having a tantrum in a grocery store. Genuine creativity intimidates those with
03:35empty lives. Thanks for the psychological case study. What? Nobody talked to Ryan Bennett like
03:42that. Ever. Ryan's face turned blazing red. But before he could respond, the teacher walked in.
03:50I thought that would be the end of it. Man, could I be more wrong? Over the next week,
03:55Ryan and his goons accidentally spilled paint all over Ethan's English essay, shoved him into lockers when
04:02teachers weren't looking. And Ethan started an Instagram account dedicated to mocking his
04:07secondhand clothes, calling him a peasant painter. Through it all, Ethan kept a poker face, never giving
04:15them the satisfaction of seeing him crack. But I noticed the shadow under his eyes growing darker each
04:20day. Then came the art show event. Ethan had entered his painting into the district competition,
04:26a breathtaking piece that showed a small child reaching for the stars. I overheard him telling
04:33the art teacher it had taken him three months to create. When I arrived at school the next morning,
04:39there was a crowd gathered in the hallway. I pushed through to see Ethan standing in front of what
04:45remained of his painting. Now slashed to ribbons with crude words spray-painted across it while Ryan and
04:53his friends were snickering nearby. For just a split second, Ethan's mask slipped. I saw tears in
05:00his eyes as he gathered his destroyed canvas with trembling hands. No one else seemed to notice.
05:06They were already moving on to the next piece of hallway gossip. But I couldn't look away.
05:12That afternoon, I did something completely insane. I wrote an actual, physical note, like we were
05:20living in the stone age and slipped it into his locker. You're stronger than they know. Just don't
05:27give up. Then I lurked behind a pillar like some deranged stalker, watching as he found it. When he
05:34smiled, this genuine surprised smile that transformed his entire face, I felt this weird flutter in my
05:43chest. But I didn't dare actually talk to him. Are you kidding? Me? Tessa Crawford? Voluntarily
05:50interacting with the paint-splattered foster kid? That would be social suicide! Still,
05:57I couldn't stop thinking about him. How could anyone be so comfortable just existing as themselves?
06:03One day after school, I spotted Ethan sneaking off with his paint supplies, and something possessed me
06:10to follow him. I felt like the world's worst spy, ducking behind trees and cars, praying nobody from
06:18school would see me. He led me to this abandoned playground. Rusted swings barely hanging on,
06:24a slide covered in graffiti, the whole post-apocalyptic vibe. But Ethan walked straight to a crumbling
06:32concrete wall and started painting the most incredible mural I'd ever seen. I crept closer to get a better
06:40look when, oh my god, I'd stepped on an empty soda can. I dove behind the slide and quickly climbed up,
06:48my heart threatening to explode out of my chest. And then, because the universe hates me,
06:54my phone started blaring my ringtone. Shut up! Oh my god, shut up!
07:00In my panic to silence it, the phone went flying out of my hands, skidding down the slide,
07:06and landing directly at Ethan's feet. Well, hello there, mysterious stalker's phone.
07:13Let's see who's calling. He picked it up, then answered with a smirk. Thank you for calling,
07:18stalkers are us. Your business is important to us. Please hold while I locate the owner of this phone.
07:24What? Who is this? Where's Tessa? Ah, Tessa. She just went to the bathroom. Can I take a message?
07:32Yes. Tell her that her parents are leaving for a charity gala in Paris in an hour,
07:37and we'll see her in a few days. Then, Mom just hung up, and I wanted to evaporate on the spot.
07:45I slowly emerged from my hiding spot, face burning hotter than the sun. I can explain. I was just,
07:53I was... Following me? Pretty sure that's defined as stalking in all 50 states.
07:59I wasn't stalking you. I was taking a shortcut, and then I saw you and got curious.
08:06A shortcut through an abandoned playground surrounded by a chain-link fence with no trespassing signs every
08:13five feet? Okay, fine. I followed you. Happy now? Just don't tell anyone at school, okay? I have a
08:21reputation. Instead of mocking me, Ethan just laughed, like he genuinely found the whole situation
08:28hilarious. Your secret's safe with me, princess. He gestured toward his mural, a stunning scene of
08:35people helping each other during a storm, sharing umbrellas and reaching out their hands to pull others
08:40to safety. Want to see what I'm working on? Up close? And that was the beginning of the end for
08:47the fake Tessa Crawford. Over the next few weeks, I started sneaking away to meet Ethan at that
08:53playground. At first, I told myself it was just artistic curiosity, and I liked watching him paint.
09:00But the truth was, I liked talking to him. Really talking. Not the fake small talk I did with my
09:07friends where we discussed nothing but Instagram likes and who was dating who. One night, sitting
09:12on those rusty swings, I finally told him the truth. I've been adopted since I was six. The Crawfords?
09:22They've given me everything a girl could dream of. The house, the clothes, the opportunities. And I'm sure
09:28they love me in their own way. But what I've really wanted the most is their attention, you know? And they're
09:35usually too busy with their galas and business meetings to give me that. Sometimes I feel more
09:41like a charity project than their daughter. Is that why you hide your real eyes? I nearly toppled off
09:48the swing. How did you- The blue doesn't quite match your skin tone. Also, the way you're always
09:54rubbing your eyes when you think no one's looking. I don't think it's the most comfortable thing in the
09:58world. They do get uncomfortable after wearing them all day. So take them out. What? No!
10:05I- There's no one here but me, Tess. Something in his voice made me trust him. With shaking hands,
10:12I carefully removed the first one, then the other, blinking as my eyes adjusted. And then I finally
10:21looked up at him. For what it's worth, your real eyes are way more captivating. They've got these little
10:27gold flecks that catch the light. Just stunning. Then he leaned in and lightly kissed me. And I felt
10:35that for the first time, someone had really seen me. And Ethan just had this freaky superpower for
10:43noticing things everyone else missed. Like how Mrs. Daniels, the lunch lady, wore the same worn out
10:49shoes every day because she was sending her kid to college. Or how Mr. Rivera, the librarian,
10:54always had hospital forms peeking out of his bag because his daughter was sick. Together,
11:00we started leaving anonymous notes for people we knew were struggling. Just like I'd done for him
11:05that first day. You really think a little note makes any difference? When I got yours, it was the
11:10first time anyone at school had shown me a speck of kindness. So yeah, they matter. A lot. The more
11:18time I spent with Ethan, the harder it got to step back into my fake life. It was like having two
11:24separate identities that were getting impossible to keep apart. I don't get it, Tess. How can you
11:29stand those people? Especially Ryan. The guy's basically a walking cologne ad with the personality
11:35of a mosquito. You don't understand how it works. My dad's company and Ryan's dad's company are
11:41practically joined at the hip. And the rest of my friends, they're not that bad. Yeah? Think they'd
11:48accept me if they knew we were friends? They might. If you tried to fit in a little. Maybe tone down the
11:55whole... I gestured vaguely at his paint splattered everything. The whole me thing. Got it. It felt kind
12:03of terrible that I'd said it. But to my complete shock, Ethan actually tried. He started wearing
12:11cleaner clothes, tamed his wild hair, and even sat with us at lunch. I was touched because it meant
12:17he cared enough about me to do something that was obviously hard for him. But Ryan and my friends
12:23still found ways to exclude him, making comments disguised as jokes. So, Ethan, is it weird living
12:31with random people who get paid to pretend they care about you? Like having a babysitter who never
12:37leaves? Ryan! Actually, Ryan, I bet if your parents cared as much for you as my foster mom does about me,
12:44you might have had a better personality. But hey, at least you got that trust fund to keep you warm at
12:49night. The table went dead silent. Ryan's face darkened like a thundercloud. And I knew we were in
12:59serious trouble. And the next day, I found Ethan staring at the spring formal banner he'd spent
13:05weeks painting. It was destroyed, torn in places, dripping with soda, with crude drawings scribbled
13:13all over it. Just then, Ryan sauntered over, grinning like he'd just won a championship.
13:19Aw, what happened to your little finger painting? Such a shame. You did this. Again. I let it go
13:29the first time. But what makes you think you can keep treating people like this? Relax,
13:35charity case. It's just a prank. That's how we have fun. But I guess you wouldn't get it. It's one of
13:41those you're poor, you wouldn't understand kind of things. The look in Ethan's eyes? I'd never seen
13:47anything like it. It was anger mixed with resolution, like he'd finally made a decision
13:53he'd been putting off for too long. The next day, Ethan didn't show up at our spot. I texted him,
14:00called him, nothing. Days went by, and Ethan still didn't show up. Worry weighed on me, until I finally
14:09decided to visit his foster home and see if he was okay. I'm sorry, honey. Ethan left this afternoon.
14:16He said he needed a fresh start. Did he... did he say anything about me? He left you this.
14:23She handed me a folded piece of paper. Inside was a sketch of me, not with blue eyes, but with my real
14:31brown ones, filled with warmth and life. Underneath he'd written, Don't let fear choose for you. You're more
14:40than what they expect you to be. Live your truth, and don't change for the world. Make the world change
14:46for you. Ethan didn't take the revenge route after all. He just left. Maybe rich bullies were never his
14:54world to begin with. I cried the whole way home, finally seeing the truth. I had used Ethan's strength,
15:03while never showing any of my own. That night, I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time.
15:11Then slowly, I took out my blue contacts. My real eyes, brown with little gold flecks,
15:19stared back at me. The next morning, I went to school as my real self. No contacts, no fake smile. Just...
15:28me. I started leaving notes like Ethan and I used to, slipping them to people who seemed to be
15:35struggling. You're not alone. You're stronger than you think. Your voice matters. To my shock,
15:42someone found one of my notes and posted it on the school's social media page. The next day,
15:48I spotted similar notes appearing on random lockers. By the end of the week, they were everywhere.
15:55Taped to bathroom mirrors, tucked into textbooks, even written in chalk on the sidewalks. The movement
16:03kept growing. People started leaving little care packages with the notes. The drama club put on
16:08performances about kindness. Even some teachers joined in, writing encouraging messages on the board
16:14instead of just assignments. Within a month, the entire school atmosphere had shifted from cold and
16:22competitive to warm and supportive. People actually looked up from their phones, held doors open,
16:29sat with kids who used to eat alone. A local news station even came to do a story about the kindness
16:35movement sweeping through our school. What sparked this wave of positivity among students?
16:41I don't know who started it, but it's changed everything. People actually look out for each other now.
16:46Ah, this is pathetic. Who actually cares about all this touchy-feely garbage? All this kindness
16:55nonsense is just what losers tell themselves to feel better about being nobodies. Like that homeless
17:02artist freak who ran away. Right, Tessa?
17:05The cafeteria went dead silent. Everyone turned to look at me. No, Ryan. You're wrong. And you're a bully.
17:16A few kind words can literally save someone who's drowning inside. If you can't understand that,
17:22then I feel sorry for you because your life must be incredibly empty. Ryan's jaw literally dropped.
17:31For the first time in his life, the king of comebacks had nothing to say. People actually
17:37applauded. These were the kids from every corner of the cafeteria, including the ones who'd been
17:44invisible to me for years. I never told anyone I started the notes, and I never saw Ethan again.
17:51Sometimes I wondered where he was, if he was still painting his truth on walls somewhere.
17:57Six months later, I was riding the subway downtown, when I saw it. A new mural on the wall of the
18:04station. A girl with familiar brown eyes releasing butterflies from her hands. And in the corner,
18:11a tiny signature, EC. Ethan was out there somewhere, still making the world more beautiful. And thanks to
18:20him, so was I. Sometimes, the people who break your carefully constructed world are the ones who set
18:27you free. I had just walked a few blocks down, when suddenly, I stopped short in my tracks at a familiar
18:34sight. A boy with must-up hair and enough paint on his overalls to make them look like a Jackson Pollock
18:41original. Then, his head turned in my direction, and our eyes met. And his smile made my heart flutter,
18:50just like the first time. Ethan was still out there, changing the world one wall at a time.
18:57And maybe that's what we're all supposed to do. Leave something behind that makes life a little
19:04kinder. So, if you're listening to this, here's my challenge. Find one person who you think needs a
19:11little hope. Someone who might feel invisible. And write them a letter. Slip it into their locker,
19:17their notebook, wherever they'll find it. Do it tomorrow. No one has to know it was you. Just let
19:24them know that they matter. Because kindness doesn't need a name. It just needs someone brave enough to start it.
19:34It just needs someone brave enough to start it.
19:39Then, to have a conversation that keeps going on and never let them know it.
19:51Until next time, please.
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