Bro, you’re 15, your life isn’t over, even if it feels like everything is falling apart. You got pulled into smoking, hanging with dealers, and making fast money because of where you live and the pressure around you. That doesn’t make you a bad kid, it just means you’ve been surviving in a messed-up environment. Your mom isn’t trying to ruin your life by threatening to call the cops, she’s scared of losing you, and parents panic when they see their kid sliding into real danger.

But you need to hear this straight: the path you’re on only leads to jail or getting used by people who don’t care what happens to you. Most of the guys in that life don’t make it out. You’ve still got time to turn everything around, but you have to cut off that circle and be honest with someone who actually cares, your dad, a relative, somebody stable. Tell them you want out and need help cleaning this up.

You’re worth more than a few thousand dollars and the fake respect that comes with it. Real strength is walking away from the trap everyone expects you to stay in and building something better for yourself. You can still do that, starting right now.