i (18f) was valedictorian of my high school class, and last week was our graduation. i was originally going to give the usual speech — talk about our memories, thank the teachers, quote something cheesy, cry a little, end with a hopeful message. but something in me snapped the night before, and i rewrote the whole thing at 2am.

why? because i realized i didn’t want to lie. my high school experience was nothing like the glossy version everyone pretends happened. people were cruel. the popular kids treated others like they were props. students cheated and mocked anyone who actually cared about learning. teachers ignored bullying unless it was too loud to pretend not to hear. i spent four years pretending i didn’t notice.

so i changed my speech. still kept the opening nice. but halfway through, i pivoted. i said, “this isn’t a celebration of growth, it’s a funeral for the person i had to become to survive this place.” i called out our obsession with fake success, the cliques, the way we laughed when people cried and stayed silent when others begged for help. i didn’t name names, but i didn’t have to.

it was quiet when i finished. no claps. just a few stunned faces and the principal whispering something into his mic that didn’t work. my mom cried — not out of pride, but out of embarrassment. afterward, two girls hugged me and said “thank you for saying it.” the rest avoided me like i had a disease.

now i’m getting texts from classmates saying i ruined the ceremony and embarrassed the school. my guidance counselor called me “disrespectful.” but i don’t feel bad. i didn’t lie. i didn’t curse. i just told the truth. the kind nobody wants to hear.

still, i wonder... AITAH?