Tyler Rogers was nobody. He left no marks on history, earned no achievements or awards. He struggled to connect with people, forming few friendships in his life. And yet, his story deserves to be told. Today, you will hear his life story.
October 30, 2004, was supposed to be a special day for Jessie Rogers. For most women, the birth of a child brings excitement and joy. But for Jessie — a perpetual divorcée who lived for pleasure and freedom — that day was anything but happy. After three hours of painful labor, she gave birth to a boy whose father she didn’t know and whom she never truly wanted. Tyler was born healthy but never received a mother’s warmth. The doctors noticed Jessie’s cold indifference, yet she decided to keep the child — not out of love, but to prove to her parents that she could be responsible.
Tyler’s childhood was far from idyllic. Poverty, petty theft, and bullying became his daily reality. He was a shy boy with no friends, often sitting alone in a corner holding his beloved teddy bear, Teddy. Other children called him weird and stupid. He rarely spoke in class and went unnoticed by teachers — a ghost among the living. But inside, Tyler thought deeply. He was good at basic math and showed an early artistic talent. His fragile world, however, was about to shatter.
At the age of seven, something happened that would leave a permanent scar on his life. In a drunken rage, Jessie — his mother and only caregiver — smashed a beer bottle over his head. The sound of her child’s scream brought her back to reality. Overcome with guilt, she rushed Tyler to the hospital, staying by his side until he recovered. He survived, but he never forgave her. The wound left a deep scar across his face and condemned him to cruel mockery from his classmates.
Tyler started school at seven. He was a bright child who loved to draw and daydream during lessons, yet still performed well in tests. His favorite subjects were art and mathematics.
But peace never came. The bullying that started in childhood only worsened. The scar on his face earned him the nickname “the ugly freak.” Whenever he tried to defend himself, he was punished while his bullies went free. That injustice shaped him more than he realized — he grew to hate the world’s hypocrisy but couldn’t escape it.
Always bullied, never truly loved, Tyler began to find escape in art. He filled notebooks with macabre drawings, often depicting his tormentors and indifferent teachers. Art became his silent revenge — a way to bleed his pain onto paper.
Over time, Tyler changed. The shy, fragile boy grew into someone colder and angrier, yet even more withdrawn. His grades dropped — not from lack of understanding, but because his passion for drawing consumed him completely.
Elementary school eventually ended, but peace did not come with it. At fourteen, Tyler entered a mediocre high school with a math and physics focus — the perfect place to disappear and focus on art. It was during this time that he first tried cigarettes, quickly falling into addiction. Smoke and blank paper became his escape — a ritual of calm and control. He also began exploring literature, which soon joined art as his way to process emotions.
For the first time, Tyler found something he’d always been missing — a friend. Alex became his closest companion. The two understood each other effortlessly. They talked, laughed, and shared everything. Alex accepted Tyler completely — flaws and all. They were like brothers, inseparable and loyal. Thanks to Alex, school finally stopped feeling like a nightmare. The bullying faded, and Tyler learned what it felt like to matter to someone.
At home, however, nothing changed. Jessie still spent her nights drinking and chasing pleasure. They lived off welfare and money from her boyfriends. Tyler despised her lifestyle and avoided conversation, spending his time either alone or with Alex — often wandering through the forest that had become his refuge and sanctuary.
When Tyler turned eighteen, fate struck again. For the first and last time, he fell in love. Her name was Rachel — a blonde girl with blue eyes. At first, she seemed to return his feelings; they flirted, went on dates, and made him believe he finally found happiness. But one day, Tyler went to show Alex his latest painting — and found him kissing Rachel. In one instant, Tyler lost both his love and his best friend. His world collapsed in seconds. That day, something inside him broke. He learned to live with pain, but he lost the ability to trust.
WORK IN PROGRESS