By Olivia Green

April 27, 2025

I can’t believe I’m even writing this. But I have to let it out—maybe someone else has been through this, or at least, I hope I’m not the only one feeling like this.

So, here’s the thing. I’m still a minor, and I really didn’t think it would be that big of a deal when I started sending some random pictures for virtual rewards in a game. I know, I know. The whole idea seems sketchy now, but at the time, I wasn’t thinking about it that deeply. It wasn’t even a big deal—just a couple of photos of my feet, something so minor, right? I was getting coins, skins, or whatever else was available in the game. Easy, quick.

But then it got… worse.

This guy messaged me one day, acting like he was another kid my age. He was friendly, talked about the game, and somehow worked his way into asking for a “special” picture. He promised me $160 worth of game coins in exchange for just one photo of my feet. That sounded amazing. And I was dumb enough to fall for it. I thought it was harmless—after all, my face wouldn’t be in it, just my feet, right? Just one small thing. Who would even notice?

But now I can’t stop thinking about it.

The worst part? In the photo, you can see parts of my room. My bathroom. It’s not just my feet—they’re there in the frame with everything in the background. And now I’m terrified someone I know will find it. What if a friend or even a family member comes across it? What if my teachers or someone I trust sees it and thinks I’m… what? A freak? A weirdo? What would they even think of me?

Now I can’t get rid of the image in my mind. The thought of anyone seeing those pictures fills me with so much shame. It wasn’t even supposed to be a big deal, but now, I can’t stop worrying about how exposed I feel.

I’ve been thinking of ways to erase every trace of this. Repainting my room. Getting rid of the pants I wore in that stupid photo. But what if that’s not enough? What if I’m stuck with this forever? What if people figure out who I am based on something as ridiculous as a foot picture?

I can’t believe I even went this far. I just want to pretend like it never happened. But it did. And I can’t undo it.

So here I am, feeling like my mistake is following me, even if nobody else has noticed yet. I guess all I can do now is hope nobody finds it… and that I don’t end up hating myself even more for letting this happen.