In years past, I would have shattered.

I would have collapsed into a puddle of humiliating tears, crossed my bare arms over my chest to hide my shame, and sprinted blindly into the surrounding woods to disappear. But as the laughter washed over my bare skin, something inside me changed.

The humiliation burned away by an emotion foreign to me. It left behind a cold, clear rage. My racing heart suddenly slowed, settling into a steady, deliberate beat.

My silence has never once protected me, I realized, staring fiercely at the cowardly figures of my parents. It has only made them stronger.

I did not shed a single tear. I did not cover my chest. Instead, I pulled my shoulders back, letting every scar show directly into the blinding sunlight.

I stepped with purpose past the bewildered security guards, who instantly released me, intimidated by the sudden shift in my demeanor. I walked with a cold calm, marching directly toward the elevated DJ booth.