I wonder what version of me exists in your mind.

The snarky valedictorian with every academic award,
The teacher’s pet that always shushed the class,
The art kid with the overfilled sketchbook,
The quiet one at the family cookout,
The teen with no table manners,
The sweet tooth that is constantly eating sweets,
The kid too old to be at the playground,
The person who cried everyday for no reason,
The crush that couldn’t love you back,
The best friend who you could cry around,
The best friend who was never around,
Or a stranger that you just think looked pretty cool, or weird.

Cold and distant,
Warm and caring.
The kindness I gave,
The mistakes I made.

I hope that in all the thousands of stories I’m in
I’m not the antagonist in your story,
And that you don’t hurt too much because of me.