My Light in the Dark
By Emma, 17, Wisconsin
Maybe I overreact
Maybe I’m just sensitive
But ever since the third,
Nothing’s the same.
I am left behind,
Ignored
Pushed aside like I’m a stranger.
And not for the first time,
I wonder if I belong.
I sit in silence,
While they laugh-
And in the mornings, when it’s just us two,
I’m just a distraction
because she’s not there too.
But every time they ask,
I say I’m fine.
I act fine,
I force a smile to be fine.
But underneath it all,
It’s just an act.
Surrounded by people,
I still feel alone.
But then there’s Him.
He sees me,
Makes me feel like I matter.
He makes me laugh-
and I come home lighter, brighter, whole.
While they trade secrets and leave me out,
He includes me.
And for once,
I’m finally not invisible.
My best friend and I recently invited a girl into our friendship, but I started to get left out of jokes, and they started using nicknames we used to use and making up new ones for each other. But then I met this guy and we started talking, making me feel like I wasn’t just the third wheel.
