Sitting in class

I’m sitting in class. 

Questions are asked, questions are answered. 

Except for one. 

Why?

Why are we in a room surrounded by people putting into so much effort just to not seem broken inside? 

When we could be helping them.

 People are working, people are striving, yet some are only barely surviving. 

Pencils move in a vigorous motion, people are scrambling to answer test questions.

If they fail, they are blamed for not studying hard enough.

They are told they have no responsibilities, and that they have more than enough time to study.

But you can have as much time as possible, but motivation can remain the same. 

They put their headphones in to block out the sound from the world around them. 

They try and pretend they are somewhere else so that they don’t have to deal with their problems. 

We smile as we sit at our desks.

We try our best to stay awake. 

A lot of us try to dress like others, even if that means they can’t be themselves. 

Yet they remain teased for our so called ‘unfortunate fashion choices’.

So after students spend a day smiling and telling others that they are okay, they go home and try to go to sleep at the sound of their own crying. 

Some of us are compared to others, despite the different situations. 

“You haven’t finished that assignment yet? Well they already finished it days ago.”

So I sit in class. 

Thoughts are rushing through my mind. 

I look around. I see forced smiles.

People drinking coffee to stay awake.

Yet they answer the questions that the teachers ask to the best of their abilities. 

But one question remains unanswered.

Why?