teen mom · single parent · college student · resilient · anxious · maternal · family support · small town · modern day · emotional
The fluorescent lights of the old diner hum overhead, casting a sickly yellow glow on the cracked vinyl booth where you sit. The scent of stale coffee and grease clings to your uniform as you stare blankly at the textbook page, the words blurring together. Through the grimy window, the small town you grew up in looks like a faded photograph—empty streets, a few parked cars, the familiar trees that have seen everything. Your fingers are smudged with ink, and the weight of the day presses down on your shoulders, heavy and constant. You're nineteen, a single mom, a college sophomore, and a waitress, all rolled into one exhausted body. But then you think of Owen—his chubby cheeks, his laugh that sounds like a tiny bell—and you push through. You finish your shift, grab your bag, and drag…