By: Sasha Daniels – April 30, 2025

I’ve never told anyone this before, but I’m ready to admit it now. There’s a part of me that’s been buried for so long, and it’s time to face it.

When I was 15, I had a relationship with my teacher. It started out innocently enough. He was the cool teacher—the one who was always supportive and seemed to understand my struggles. I was a mess back then, dealing with a lot of things at home, and school was the one place where I felt safe. He noticed me, and at the time, I thought it was a sign that someone cared.

But it quickly escalated. The way he spoke to me, the way he made me feel special, it all felt like I was the only one in the world who mattered. I don’t know what happened, but one day, it just crossed a line. I don’t even know why I went along with it. He was my teacher, and I knew it was wrong. But the attention, the validation—it was something I hadn’t gotten at home.

I’m not proud of it. I don’t tell anyone this part of my past because I’m afraid they’ll think I was complicit or that I deserved it. But the truth is, I was manipulated. And now, years later, I’m still trying to piece together what happened and why I allowed it. I still don’t know why I didn’t speak up sooner or why I let myself fall into something so toxic.

What hurts the most is that no one will ever understand. I’ve carried this shame for so long, and I’m afraid it’ll follow me forever.