(She)

You think you know people until you don't.

Because we all played at being perfect liars, pretending we weren't breaking inside.

Nine people who were broken when I met them, when I was licking my wounds myself.

I know there is a boy who looks down and hides his nose behind a book every day pretending to study. So on Fridays it gets out of control, and ceases to exist; the jokes will arrive on Saturday, the week will return to normal on Sunday.

"We can go to Gordon's today"

I know there is a girl who pretends to be silly, because she bites her lip in class so no one can see that she has all the correct answers written down before the teacher even asks. Then she jumps into his uniform and bounces with ambition to the top of the student chain.

"On Wednesdays we wear pink, you should write it down."

There is a boy who was not discovered. That locks himself in his room and composes so many beautiful letters that leave me trembling on the other side of the wall. And then he hit, hard, they have trained him for it.

"Get into your damn affairs"

And I know that she actually sees it but says nothing. How could she?; cough, smile, and pretend it's nothing serious. Until PE arrives and can't move.

"Okay, maybe it's just a cold. I have a doctor on Thursday."

I know that he, for example, lost many people and is afraid of losing her. And now he just shrugs his shoulders to pretend he doesn't care; because nothing else matters to him. There are concerns that frown at him, when he thinks no one is watching.

"Keep running until you run out of air!"

I can see how someone who smiles at everyone cries in the school bathroom, falls apart in the cafeteria at the end of their shift, and then returns to pour me another cup of coffee. He is sad, there is nobody.

"Did you hear Gaga's last song?"

For example, she hits hard, she is a good girl. She scoffs at someone and playfully hits on the arm; but something happens and explodes, it is scared. She is afraid to explode, to burn the people he loves.

"I'm tired of following behind you"

He looks at them, like me. But he has things to think about, bills to pay, and a school he is bound to attend. He is fantastic, resourceful, but he is so busy and anxious that time slips away.

"He sent another message, I didn't read it. You can do it for me"

And I can definitely see him, crouched like the first time we met. I don't know his secret, he doesn't say it, there isn't an iota of it in his life and I can't guess it. He is perfect, too much, enough to drive me away; but his eyes tremble, they always tremble.

"You are the one running away"