I went to a school dance tonight.
Looked forward to it all year.
It was supposed to be “special.”
I spent hours doing my makeup
While my mom curled my hair,
Telling me how beautiful I looked.
And for once,
I believed her.
I was confident.
But that was all lost
The moment I walked into that building.
I saw girls in short dresses,
The kind that seemed to make them glow.
Compared to them,
I wasn’t beautiful anymore.
So I went to the bathroom,
Sat on the cold tile floor,
And cried.
Then I clicked on my mom’s contact.
“Hey, can you come pick me up?
I’m ready to leave.”
She was there in less than five minutes.
Tonight I left that school
With more hairspray in my hair
Than hope in my chest.
I just wanted to feel pretty.