She tries to be perfect within society standards,

Everything she does is so precise.

She doesn’t speak her mind,

Even when there are names that are being said.

Lately she started to speak,

Even though all she gets snickers in return.

She saw something, something bad.

The back of the bus were a group of kids,

She thought they were nice kids.

But that was until she spoke,

She knew people would dislike for her words.

But, did she truly know the price of speaking?

A cloud of scented smoke filled the back of the bus,

Was it cherry… or watermelon?

She shriveled in a ball,

A battle started as heard some comments.

“When will it kick in?” “It’s not strong enough…”

Then she thought she wasn’t strong enough

Almost seventeen, she still had no voice

Then she found it when no was around,

She talked to her teacher,

intrigued he was.

Faces shift during the conversation,

Fear in her eyes but angry in his.

The searches started,

People questioned in anger,

She was now actor,

When asked what the searches were about

She was taken by surprise and replied

“Searches? What do you mean?”

Although her thoughts were wild and scattered

“Will everyone one be proud or hate me?

Knock on her door,

This was to reassure her.

But, that’s where the rumors started.

Three girls in her room,

One her friend the other two were kind...

Next day while touring college,

People memorized her last name.

She didn’t know anything

all she saw,

Were people avoiding her like the plague.

When the day was done,

Finally returning home.

The first step out of the bus,

Was a step into a new world.

Her phone rang like crazy,

“Friends” asked what she did.

Everything spread like wildfire.

Threats then started mainly on social media,

Since she doesn’t follow people she was out of the loop,

Then the numbers of people on her social media started to drop.

After the weekend when she has to return to school,

She dreaded the time she had to return to her AVID class.

Whispers of how she ruined the field trip,

Circled the campus.

Dirty looks, hateful glances

She trembled with each step.

She was told what she did was a great thing.

But her peers didn’t think the same thing.

One week, two week…

She kept her head held high.

Never did she give in,

She didn’t allow the darkness to swallow her.

She created a stronger bond with her family,

That created a stronger her.