fifteen and foolish,
she thought she found love
in a twig of a boy
with eyes the color of dirt.

he called her his best friend
said he loved her [as a friend]
when she offered him her heart in December.
she wished he would say these things aloud.
but it is too easy and simple to make honeyed promises
behind the screen of a phone.

two weeks later the new boy caresses her closest friend,
tucking black hair dyed purple
(she wished it wasn’t her favorite color)
behind blushing ears. the trench between them
ensures she will never be embraced
by those thin arms or
skinny promises again.