One Dress. One Year. by Bethany Winz

Author:Bethany Winz [Winz, Bethany with Susanna Foth Aughtmon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL012110, REL012070, Bethany Winz (1995- ), Human trafficking—Prevention—Blogs, Human trafficking--Religious aspects--Christianity, Teenage girls—Political activity—United States, Christian teenagers—Political activity—United States, Self-realization—Religious aspects—Christianity
ISBN: 9781493401611
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2016-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

Day 101

The World Wide Web

The sun filters through my blinds, casting striped shadows on my bed. I love homeschooling. Who else gets to sleep until 8:30 a.m. on a weekday? Doing schoolwork in my pajamas is another bonus. Yawning, I drag myself out of bed and wander out to the living room. After settling on the couch, I open my laptop to check my email and Facebook before I get started on homework. I probably spend too much time on social media. I blame it on The Dress Project, but really, I just like to see what people are posting. A picture on Facebook catches my eye, so I scroll back up to get a better look. The photo is of me and Mom at the ice-cream shop last night. My forehead crinkles, and I stare at the screen.

A girl I don’t know posted the photo. It’s only in my newsfeed because several of my friends commented on it. Why did she post a picture of me? I read the caption underneath. It’s a cruel comment about how I look. Her words are like a knife to my stomach. I lean back, speechless, and feel my face get hot.

“Uh, Mom?” I pick up my computer and walk over to her desk. “Look at this.”

She looks up from her computer screen.

“Wait. That’s us.” Her eyebrows raise as she studies the photo. She looks as confused as I feel. “But who posted it?”

My heart is pounding in my chest. I swallow the lump in my throat. “It was the girl who was working at the ice-cream store last night. It only showed up in my newsfeed because some of my friends commented on it and told her to remove the picture.”

Mom looks at my screen again, reading the caption and all the comments. “I’m so sorry,” she says, looking up at me. “I’m going to make a call.” She reaches across her desk for the phone. A million emotions race around inside me. I’m angry and embarrassed. More than that, though, I just feel sad. How could she be so cruel? Do I really look so different that a stranger would post a picture of me on Facebook?

Dropping back onto the couch, I try to wrap my head around what’s happening. I pull up my email and send Tori a note about it. I switch to my other open tab. It’s a brand new song by Tenth Avenue North that the band posted this morning. I’ve heard a preview of it, so I already know it’s about forgiveness. The timing almost makes me laugh despite everything I’m feeling. I hit play and try to let the song work its way into my heart. I can hear Mom in her bedroom talking on the phone. Her voice is tense, just like every one of my muscles. I close my laptop and set it on the coffee table. Well, I don’t think I’m getting much homework done today.

“I’m getting in the shower.” I say it out loud, to no one, really, as I walk down the hall.

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