The secrets she keeps from the world wraps its arms around her body, rocking her to sleep. Its embrace is gentle enough to not cause the cuts on her side to hurt any more than it already does. It’s relaxing enough to ease her headache after hours of crying. It’s pleasant enough to battle off bad dreams after the day she’s had. It’s loving enough to fix her broken heartbeats.
Yet, during the day, her secrets are in danger of exposure. Whenever a familiar face gives her a tight hug, she winces, but tries to maintain her smile. When she’s surrounded by strangers, she sneaks a cigarette, bumming a cigarette off of people who’ll never know why. When she’s home alone, she turns up the music, and dances by herself. Late at night, she longs to call the one she loves, but knows he’ll never pick up if he didn’t have a reason. She’s never missed, and so late at night, she’s yet again single. The pain of it is unbearable, causing tears to fall uncontrollably. To shut out all the pain, she finds the sharpest object she can, jabbing it deep in her side. Seeing the blood slide down the side of her body, she sighs; exhaustion hits, and after cleaning up, her secrets hold her as she sleeps.