Afterword
Peer pressure doesn’t disappear just because we graduate, get married, get jobs… become grown-ups.
In fact, it intensifies.
How often do you feel yourself being pushed toward your limit—and then past it as well?
Sofia’s story shows just that slippery slope of adulthood. One wrong step and we’re in danger of falling down, down, down.
The fear is constantly there. Of doing the right thing. Of being good enough. Of being looked upon favorably.
Especially for women.
Mommy-shaming, body-shaming, everything-shaming… It’s an unfortunate reality that follows us through life, all the way to the grave.
But you don’t have to fall, just because you stumble. The easiest way to regain your footing? Reach out.
Reach toward a friend.
Toward God.
Toward somebody who loves you without any expectations.
We’re stronger together. Weaker together, too. That’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with goodness. Not just as a kid saying “no” to drugs, or holding onto your virginity pledge, or refusing to cheat on the big test.
It’s even more important that we retain our true selves into adulthood.
Let those around you lift you up rather than push you down.
Look in the mirror and be proud of who you see staring back at you.
That woman should be a beloved friend, not a stranger, and definitely not an enemy.
It’s never too late to correct your course, to have that all important “come to Jesus” moment, to better yourself, forgive, change.
Because a part of us never really grows up. We all have that scared, wounded child inside, hoping she is good enough, that others will like her.
Well, in case you needed someone to say it, you are good enough. Just as you are. Be the person you already are. Never give that up.
I hope Sofia’s story showed how sometimes our best intentions can get away from us, but that there is always a way back, too.
Never stop being you. Never stop striving for what you love, and never stop believing in the very real power you have to make a positive difference in this world.
Acknowledgments
Everyone in our life serves a purpose, even if we don’t see it at the time. This book is to all those who hurt me and ultimately helped shape the strong woman I’ve become.
To the kids who wouldn’t play with me because I was weird and different. To the books who were my friends instead, especially the characters within the Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley Twins, and Little House on the Prairie. To the boyfriends who dumped me, the ex-husband who shattered my self-esteem, the bio dad who didn’t think I was worth sticking around for.
But also, to those who saw value in me, who lifted me up when others pushed me down. To my mom, who risked a lot in the early days to keep me safe. To the father who fell in love with first my mom, then me, adopting us both and making us a family. To my siblings, who are weird and obviously not as cool as I am but who, despite the rivalry, still love me as I love them.
To the friends who have come and gone, but especially to those who have stayed. To Mallory, Megan, Jasmine, Angi, Ines, and Becky, who are crucial as both friends and supporters of my writing.
To Mr. Storm, who taught me what it meant to love—and perhaps more importantly how to be loved, even when we don’t feel we deserve it.
To my four-year-old daughter, who tells me, “You can do it, if you just try your best” apropos to nothing. Who makes me smile, laugh, and know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I am blessed.
To my six dogs, because I am just a touch crazy, but that’s okay because I get lots and lots of puppy cuddles. And I guess to the cat, too.
To my readers. None of this is possible without you!
Everyone who has passed through my life has shaped the person—and the author—I’ve become, and this book is theirs. It’s yours. It’s ours together.
Thank you.
Also by Melissa Storm
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About the Author
Melissa Storm is a mother first, and everything else second. Writing is her way of showing her daughter just how beautiful life can be, when you pay attention to the everyday wonders that surround us. So, of course, Melissa's USA Today bestselling fiction is highly personal and often based on true stories.
Melissa loves books so much, she m
arried fellow author Falcon Storm. Between the two of them, there are always plenty of imaginative, awe-inspiring stories to share. Melissa and Falcon also run a number of book-related businesses together, including LitRing, Novel Publicity, Your Author Engine, and the Author Site. When she's not reading, writing, or child-rearing, Melissa spends time relaxing at home in the company of her five dogs and a rescue cat named Schrödinger. She never misses an episode of The Bachelor, because priorities.
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