32. Daphne

Chapter 32

Daphne

I sleepily wander into the living room, the afternoon light streaming into my apartment. Cameron must already be up, because the mountain of boxes and packages that littered my place last night has mysteriously vanished. On my kitchen counter, there’s a huge white box with the signature Petal & Plate logo imprinted on the top.

I love having Cameron Hastings in my bed and treating my place as if it were his own.

He’s like my own personal radiator at night, letting me tuck my cold feet in between his thighs. I’ve never felt unsafe in my apartment, but knowing that he was beside me let me drift off easier without my usual cryfest blaring on the television.

With my almond croissant in hand, I slink onto my couch and take three deep breaths before redownloading each of my social apps.

You got this, Daphne.

Before I check the hundreds of notifications, I filter out every negative word ever thrown my way— weird, stupid, ugly, attention, Lyndhurst . Luckily, Juni and my moms helped me make the list, shielding me from having to dig through the onslaught of online nonsense.

Authors must feel like this when they handle book reviews—gearing up in shiny armor to collect praise and dodge critiques. It must be tiring watching your work get tossed around in the unpredictable arena of public opinion.

I quickly scan through my email, and a subject line catches my attention.

The Stone Times: Cyberbullying Piece Quote Request

I click into it and read. The Stone Times wants me to open up about cyberbullying and how it affected the peaceful place I created online. My heart strums with worry and…excitement. This could be my chance to take the narrative back into my own hands and speak out on the true effects of bullying.

I hesitate. Am I really going to risk having my words spun by the media again? I saw what the tabloids did to Cameron, but I have a chance to handle things differently. For him, speaking out was impossible, and I understand that. But I want to use the opportunity to raise awareness.

With resolve, I type out a reply, agreeing to a written interview where I’ll be able to control my own words, and hit send. Then I prepare a post, uploading a selfie of me knitting at my favorite green bench on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk at sunset, and type out:

H ey, my ducks! Guess who’s back in London after some precious family time?

The past few weeks have been wild, with some serious hate splashing onto my page. But guess what? We’re not handing the bullies the victory flag.

Coming home to an avalanche of your packages and letters made my heart swell bigger than a giant ball of yarn. It reminded me of those childhood days when bullying taught me to stand taller.

Here’s the thing: not everyone will be your number one fan, so you might as well adore yourself and scatter kindness like confetti.

Now, hold onto your knitting needles!

The tickets for our Wooly Duck Knitting Retreat are here! We’re celebrating our fifth anniversary on March 6th at Petal & Plate in London! Tickets are limited to 50 people, so grab yours before they’re gone! Link in bio.

Our Thursday livestreams are back. This week, we’ll be crafting a Stop Bullying Beanie. The pattern can be found on my website, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to The Kindness Coalition, which supports anti-bullying services, education, and support for families and kids.

Let’s see how many donations our amazing community can rack up. Get your knit on and spread the love.

Love you all to bits!

#woolyducks #KnittingCommunity #BeYourself #StrongerTogether #AntiBullying

Once I hit post, I’m swept up in a deluge of elation. Yes . I’m doing it. Barely ten minutes later, an update pings—every single ticket is gone, snapped up like hot cakes. My phone hums in my hand.

Bea Matos

just saw your post. congrats on your knitting retreat announcement! xx

Daphne

Can’t wait to see you there.

Bea Matos

you are the best daph

coffee catch up after the new year?

Daphne

Yes, please.

Bea Matos

yay kisses!!!!

I made the right choice coming back to London. I have friends here—a group I would’ve never found if I hadn’t taken a leap of faith. Sure, the future is foggy, but the idea of carving out my own little corner of this city feels just right.

Everything’s falling into place.