the day after
your best friend
will go to her first class
wondering where you are
when she gets the news
her whole life will come crashing down
and she will suffocate in the emptiness
no more inside jokes
no more shared oranges
only the sticky residue of your absence
the day after
your favorite teacher
will stare at your empty seat
wishing he had done more
wishing that on the days when he saw a sliver of the darkness
he had spoken up
and found a way to get you the necessary help
wishing you were still there to pester him
every second of every day
even when you annoyed him
the day after
your biggest supporter
will skip school
to dye her hair from pink to black
because it reminded her too much
of every compliment you gave
she will notice
how the room feels much more hollow
without your laugh to fill it
the lyrics to her favorite songs meaningless
without you belting them from the passenger seat
the day after
your crush
will feel the weight
of every text she never sent
every conversation she never had
she will never know how important she was to you
how highly you thought of her
the millions of futures you imagined with her
and you will never know
if she felt the same
the day after
every moment you should have been in
every person you should have seen
every place where your light—
no matter how dim—
should have shined
will be emptier without you
the day after
the world will keep spinning
but not for everyone
because even on the days
when you felt alone
there were people who cared
people who wanted you here
people who can't imagine a world
without you in it
May 18
May 18, 2026 at 5:31 PM UTC
the day after
your best friend
will go to her first class
wondering where you are
when she gets the news
her whole life will come crashing down
and she will suffocate in the emptiness
no more inside jokes
no more shared oranges
only the sticky residue of your absence
the day after
your favorite teacher
will stare at your empty seat
wishing he had done more
wishing that on the days when he saw a sliver of the darkness
he had spoken up
and found a way to get you the necessary help
wishing you were still there to pester him
every second of every day
even when you annoyed him
the day after
your biggest supporter
will skip school
to dye her hair from pink to black
because it reminded her too much
of every compliment you gave
she will notice
how the room feels much more hollow
without your laugh to fill it
the lyrics to her favorite songs meaningless
without you belting them from the passenger seat
the day after
your crush
will feel the weight
of every text she never sent
every conversation she never had
she will never know how important she was to you
how highly you thought of her
the millions of futures you imagined with her
and you will never know
if she felt the same
the day after
every moment you should have been in
every person you should have seen
every place where your light—
no matter how dim—
should have shined
will be emptier without you
the day after
the world will keep spinning
but not for everyone
because even on the days
when you felt alone
there were people who cared
people who wanted you here
people who can't imagine a world
without you in it
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