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Draft 1

08/18/25, 7:45 PM

I like to be the boss of everything in my life.

Ever since I was a child, I had to raise seven siblings on my own. My parents were always working, gone more than home. Naturally,  I became the responsible one: the fixer, the planner.

When I’m in charge, everything runs smoother. Not everyone is built for responsibility. I am.

It’s not about power. It’s about avoiding disaster. I can’t let things fall apart because someone dropped the ball.

[Deleted at 8:10 PM]

Draft 2

08/18/25, 8:35 PM

People like to compare me to a dictator.

I see myself as a leader. The one who keeps the boat afloat while everyone drills holes in the hull.

I raised my siblings. They came to me, not because they had to, but because I could solve things. That’s what I do: solve, prevent, plan.

I don’t like people struggling the way I did. Carrying everything alone, pretending it didn’t hurt.

Maybe I overdo it, but someone has to. It makes me feel better knowing someone somewhere might be okay because I stepped up.

That doesn’t mean I want to control people. I just want what’s best.

[Deleted at 8:50 PM]

Draft 3

08/18/25, 9:30 PM

I want to be the hero.

Not the one who wears a cape for show. The one who takes a hit so no one else has to. The one who’s needed.

But sometimes I wonder if I truly know how to be useful. If anyone would care about me if I wasn’t always fixing everything.

The world gives me praise when I’m helping it out. But it never came when I needed someone.

[Deleted at 9:33 PM]

Draft 4

08/18/25, 11:12 PM

People call me “the strict one” or “the king without a heart.”

But they don’t see the whole picture. They don’t know what it took to become dependable.

When I care, I organize. I build schedules. I bring structure to chaos. That’s how I show love.

But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want someone to care about me without needing me to fix anything.

Just once, I want to be seen without the checklist.

[Last opened at 11:20 PM]

[Final draft not submitted]

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Christopher Grady is a LGBT black teenager from the United States, residing in Virginia. He is an emerging writer who is passionate about exploring themes relating to realistic struggles and problems. In addition to fiction, he was recognized for his nonfiction writing in the Jennifer McClellan Inaugural Black History Month Essay Contest, where his essay was entered into the Congressional Record.