From Mobile Legends to Basketball: Chloe’s Journey Out of Toxic Friendships

“I was a bad kid,” Chloe shrugged, thinking back on her younger self.

Not because she enjoyed causing trouble, but because that was the only way she knew how to describe herself.

Back then, Chloe spent most of her time online, immersed in games like Mobile Legends, Roblox, and Valorant. She met people in-game and chatted with them daily. These were people she didn’t know in real life.

“Some of them were quite toxic,” she said, “but I kept playing with them anyway.”

The online gaming world became her escape. It was exciting and unpredictable, but it was also lonely and, at times, damaging.

“There was this one friend who always scolded me,” Chloe recalled. “He hurt my feelings a lot. I knew it wasn’t good for me, but I just kept going back.”

Eventually, it became too much.

“My friend told me about what he was saying behind my back so I decided to leave,” she said. “And after I left, I felt peaceful. Quiet. Like finally I didn’t have to hear that person again.”

Still, the loneliness lingered.

“I’d sit in front of my computer, scrolling through game after game, but never actually playing any,” Chloe shared. “I felt bored, restless, and so alone.”

At home, things weren’t much better. Her brother was always playing his own game, and they rarely spoke.

“We were in the same room but in totally different worlds.”

Then one day, something unexpected happened.

Chloe was hanging out at a basketball court when a group of young adults approached her.

“At first I thought they were trying to sell me something,” she laughed, “but they just asked me to play.”

Though hesitant at first, she agreed. “They looked kind of scary and were really competitive,” she said, “but they were actually fun.”

That encounter was her first with Dorcas and the YGOS team. They told her about a nearby drop-in centre and invited her to check it out.

“At first, I only went because they kept asking. I was curious and wanted to see what it was like.”

Walking in for the first time felt awkward, but also strangely welcoming.

“It was different from the online world. The people were kind. I had someone to talk to. The mentors really listened.”

So she kept coming back.

As the weeks went by, Chloe started opening up more. She began confiding in Dorcas, Stephanie, and Grace, who are mentors who had taken the time to get to know her.

“I would go to them when I was struggling,” she said. “They always gave me advice and made me feel like someone actually cared.”

One moment left a deep impression: when Dorcas shared her own story over some KFC.

“I didn’t know she had been through stuff like that,” Chloe said.

“It made me feel safe, like I wasn’t the only one. That’s when I felt I could share too.”

Eventually, she even brought her friends.

“I told them, ‘Come lah, it’s very fun. You can play games, and even the mentors join in.’”

Now, Chloe is no longer the girl who thought she was just a bad kid.

She is learning what healthy friendships look like and is gaining confidence in herself. She is still growing and still figuring things out, but she is not doing it alone.

All of this began because someone showed up, played ball, and took the time to listen.

At YGOS, this is what we do.

We show up, we build trust through authenticity and relationship. We believe every young person deserves to be seen, heard, and known…and sometimes, it all begins with a simple game of basketball.