This might upset some people. Don't read if it will...contains absue,alcohol abuse,suicide and prostitution.

Dear Eddie,
I don't know how to begin to tell you this. It's about my past. I need you to know this information before anyone else tells you or you find out yourself. This is extremely hard for me to write what I'm about to tell you. I don't want you to feel any sympathy for me,I don't deserve it or want it. I hope you forgive me.
When I was younger my dad was abusive towards my mother. I don't know to what degree. But I knew. My mother couldn't take it anymore and she became an alcoholic,to numb the pain and suffering. My dad got angrier and this would cause my mum to drink more. One night she drunk too much and killed herself. I was fifteen at the time and my sister was nine.
My sister was always the child my dad wanted. He wouldn't hurt a hair on her head. His excuses were that she was prettier and smarter and that I was a disappointment to the family. Mel would be the one who would have all the presents and love that I never recieved from my parents. Including my mother. Mel was their favourite and that's how it stayed.
When my mother died my dad became angrier and took it out on me. He was too strong to even contemplate fighting against and he blackmailed me into not going to the police. Then I got a part time job,working in a shop. I had to put off going home for as long as I could. But that only made him angrier. For two years I went to school with a black eye or a cut lip. I was pretty good at covering it up with makeup.
When I turned seventeen,there was one night that my dad hurt me and it wasn't just physical abuse. I went to school the next day as I normally would but the bruises that I recieved on my face were to significant to hide. I would wince in pain every so often,that's when questions were asked. I couldn't answer them so I ran. I ran home and collected a few things and I ran again. I left with no warning or explanation. It become a habit of mine but I'm not running this time. I had saved up enough money to stay in a hostel for a week but that was it. I hated school. I hated my family and I hated my life.
After the week in the hostel ended I lived on the streets. The bruises had started to clear up but were still visible. One night a man came up to me and said I was pretty. He took me back to his and I had a shower and a decent nights sleep. The next day after I had breakfast he offered me a job. I was offered a thousand pounds a week. To a seventeen year old girl who doesn't have any money,a home or family, it seemed like a good deal. So, I became a prostitute.
I took everything that came with the job. The beatings,verbal abuse and the risk. I was saving up and this was the only way I could do it. When I just turned nineteen I gave up. I had to get out go 'the game'. I went to the police and twenty two of us got arrested withinb twenty four hours. They blamed me,but I was just glad to be out of there. I spent three months in jail until my court case came up. It was sure a hell a lot better than the hell hole I lived in. They let me off because I was the one to tell the,they sent me to live with my uncle.
When I arrived he greeted me with a hug. I don't know why I didn't go there first of all. Maybe because I felt ashamed and embarrassed, I don't know. But what I do know is that I felt loved again. One night me and my uncle were sitting at the dining table,he wanted to know everything so I explained,like I'm doing to you now. Then he asked me what my ambitions were and I said I wanted to become a teacher. I wanted and still want to show children that you can change yourself for the better and help them if they were ever in a situation like I was. That's why I'm so dedicated to my job. My uncle smiled at me and said he would help me and the he told me to get some sleep.
My uncle stayed up that night trying to figure out how he could help me achieve my dreams. By the time I came down the next morning he had written out a plan. The plan was that I'd change my name, go to university and take the PGCE. He'd even pick out names that would suit me. As you've probably guessed we chose Rachel Mason. So the same day I changed it from Amanda Fenshaw to Rachel Mason. I graduated from university specialised in History,Geography,Drama and English. I'm still cr*p at maths.
Just after I got my degree my dad died. I didn't know how I felt about. Even after what he did to my family,I still loved him;he was still my dad. That's when I first saw my sister again because she was too young to sort out the funeral. It's a bit odd really that I still love him but everyone deserves a second chance. I live by that.
I slowly got promotions and that's when I became head teacher at Waterloo Road and met you. I'll never forget that day. You didn't want me there and your opinion didn't change for a couple of weeks after that. But I liked the challenge of getting you on board with my ideas,it took a while just because you're stubborn like me.
I'm writing this letter to you about my past because I know it'll come out and I want to see what the reaction would be by the people I'm closest to in the school. There is another reason but,I can't say. I understand if you can't look at me,mention me, think about me or ever see me again,but I thought you deserved to know because you're my best freinds. I guess there's a part of me that's hoping that you'd understand but there's a part of me knowing you won't and will probably despise me from now on. I really hope this doesn't make our professionalism in work suffer, but if that's it for our friendship then,I understand. Please try not to judge me. Please forgive me.
Love Rach.x