She thought
I was fine
I hid it well
I don’t know why
Every little thing that tortured me
Was suppressed by false cheeriness
Just to convince her that my parents were overreacting again
That I was fine
That those scabs I showed them were nothing
Just a result of boredom
But what did they know
As they sat in those chairs
Facing me
In front of her
Nothing
And by telling her
I’d feel like I was telling them
So I never talked
Sure words spilled from my mouth
As quickly and loudly as ever
But I never told her anything
Besides what I had done that day
A practice session
For the false cheeriness that I thrived on
A smile for her, a smile for them
Tears for my pillow
As my smile faded
Replaced by my inner frown