I gotta get this off my chest before I actually throw up. It’s midnight, my gig for that stupid app ended early cuz some dude cancelled and I’m just… sitting here. In my living room. Which is actually my friend’s tiny living room. Again. The internet is kinda slow but it’s still fast enough for this. So I just opened this forum, thought maybe if I type it out, it’ll feel less like… like my head is gonna explode. I’m SO ashamed. I’m 16, almost 17, and I’m supposed to be like, figuring stuff out, right? Being cool? But no. I’m not. My secret? Okay, here it goes. It’s REALLY bad. I know this sounds crazy but I’m hooked on this totally DUMB reality show. Like, about rich people trying to find love, but it’s all fake and everyone is so pretty and stupid. It’s called “Love Island” or something. And I watch it. ALL THE TIME. Not just like, one episode. I binge it. I started like, a week ago, after my last gig for the week got canceled and I felt like crap. I told my friend I was super busy, like doing my “freelance” stuff. LOL. Freelance. It’s just like, random jobs that barely pay anything. But I tell everyone it’s my ‘career’. Ugh. Anyway, I just wanted to forget everything for a bit. And now I can’t stop. I think I’ve watched like, five seasons? Maybe more? I lose track. It’s just… it’s so trashy. Everything about it. And I know it’s fake. I KNOW it. But sometimes I just get sucked in. And then I hate myself for it. I feel like such a LOSER. My friend thinks I’m always hustling, trying to get ahead, saving up. She’d be MORTIFIED if she knew I spent my precious (non-existent) free time watching this garbage. My parents? Forget about it. They already think I’m kinda… lost. If they knew I was staying up all night, on THEIR dime (even though I pay for my own phone and stuff, mostly), watching this, instead of looking for real work, they’d freak. I already said I was looking for a new coding gig. I’m not. I’m literally watching people cry over dumb stuff on a fake beach. I can’t tell anyone. It’s just too embarrassing. I should be doing something IMPORTANT. I know I should. But I just… can’t stop.