Weeks later, everything changed during an ordinary team meeting. Curtis — the ringleader of the prank — made a cutting remark about another coworker’s shoes. His voice dripped with the same arrogance I had once overlooked.
Without thinking, the words flew out of my mouth.
“Curtis, don’t you ever get tired of being the office punchline? Or is that just who you are now?”
Curtis mumbled, “Just joking,” but the power dynamic had shifted. The spell was broken.
That was when I realized something important: people like him thrive on silence. They count on it. And when you refuse to stay silent, you take away their power.
Taking Back My Story
From that day on, I decided I would no longer shrink.
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