There is darkness

That is layered by a shield of smiles.

She stands tall and proud,

Deceivingly beside a best friend,

Who is too selfish and vain

To realize that something is wrong.

This friend has taken everything from her,

But is too consumed with

The dresses,

The makeup,

The people.

They hold each other like the world is in place,

Like they are two halves of a whole.

But there is a gap between satin dresses,

Separating the clash of red and purple.

She needs to prove herself:

The girl of shame concealed by a girl of confidence;

The airhead disguised by a girl with intelligence;

The girl of fear masked by a girl of hope:

Hope to succeed, hope to love, and hope to fail.

She cowers in fear that she will be suppressed

By her friend who is stronger,

Funnier, smarter,

More beautiful.

She is lost in this darkness,

Drowning in the depths of the ocean,

And gasping for air.

She has burned.

She has been burned,

And searches for aid in every direction,

That will never come.