They want me to marry a man old enough to be my dad

i was 18 when my family tried pushing a guy on me — 49, divorced, said he 'knew how to handle women.' sound familiar? i said no for months and it got nasty. they kept saying i was ungrateful, that i’d regret it. what saved me was getting a part-time job at a coffee shop. not much, but it gave me a lifeline. i started saving cash, built a little emergency fund. you’re 17 — you don’t have to do anything forever. just buy time. text a trusted teacher or school counselor this week. not about the marriage, just say you’re stressed, ask if you can talk. they might notice something off. and if you’re close to any older cousin or aunt who gets it — even one — start talking to them more. my cousin let me crash at her place when i said enough and i’ll never forget that. you’re not being dramatic. that age gap? the head pats? that’s not love, it’s control. and your cousin being ‘fine’? nah. you see the truth. trust that. and if you need to, call a teen help line — they won’t tell anyone, they just listen. you got this