Marcus had always considered himself clever with words. He could craft the perfect insult, the subtle put-down that would leave his target speechless. At school, his quick tongue made him popular with some and feared by others. He never thought much about the consequences until the day he saw Elena sitting alone at lunch, tears streaming down her face.
"What's wrong with her?" Marcus asked his friend Darius, nodding toward Elena.
"You don't know? Someone's been spreading rumors about her family online. She's been getting messages all week." Darius shook his head. "People can be cruel."
Marcus felt his stomach tighten. He remembered a comment he'd made last week, a joke about Elena's secondhand clothes. He'd posted it thinking it was harmless, just words on a screen. But now those words had multiplied, twisted, and grown into something much larger.
That night, Marcus couldn't sleep. He kept seeing Elena's face, the way she'd hunched over her lunch tray as if trying to disappear. He thought about all the clever remarks he'd made over the years, wondering how many had left invisible wounds he'd never seen.
The next morning, Marcus did something that surprised even himself. He sat down across from Elena in the cafeteria. "I'm sorry," he said simply. "I said something stupid, and I think it made things worse for you. That wasn't okay."
Elena looked up, her expression guarded. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I finally realized that words aren't just words. They're seeds. And I've been planting the wrong kind." Marcus paused. "I can't take back what I said, but I can try to do better. Starting now."
Elena didn't smile, but something in her eyes softened. It was a small moment, but Marcus understood that some damage takes time to heal. All he could do was begin.