I could feel the powder on your skin
The absence of your soul
And the lack of life in your existence

You looked like a doll of wax
Posed and examined by strangers who barely cared
Placed in your casket by unforgiving hands

I shan't forget the juice stain across the front of your hat
The spot of blood on the back
Or even the clip you attached all those years ago

I'll return to you someday in the future
And when we touch, I won't allow your skin to seem fake for even a second

Every interaction was filled with irritation,
A simple reminder that you never loved me the same

So why did I bother to hold on to you
Why did you bother to sneak a glance my way

Why didn't you just say you never loved me back

I'm reminded of the pain everyday
The sounds of their sobbing running through my mind
The image of their tears flashing across my eyes

They seem to have bounced back well
Hiding the tears with a smile
Masking the pain with jokes and laughter
The hell of loss leaving no visible damage

I wonder if they remember the last conversation
The last sleepover
The last joke they shared
The last memory they took

I hope they don't have a lost promise
Or several last wishes broken by fate
A bond they could only wish was stronger
Or a conversation they wish lasted longer

I hope they get better with each passing day
Getting over the stab to the heart that came with just five words
Forgetting the hell they witnessed in that room
Forgetting the red, puffy eyes of all their friends

I believe they can get stronger
Forget the pain as time goes on
Remember the fun they had together
And never regret all the things they'd never done

Never once have I regretted our meeting
Or the words I said when you weren't listening
Every second with you has been a blessing

So why now, of all times, do I wish we never met
That you never got paired up with me
That you never said a single word
That you never stepped foot in that god forsaken classroom

You were always the reason for my happiness
The reason I made all of my great friends
And the reason having a crush made me feel good

Why did you have to be so friendly
You didn't need to come back once we drifted apart
You should've just ******* left and never came back

January fifth shouldn't make me feel numb
October fourteenth shouldn't have any meaning
Valentine's day shouldn't make me think of rejection

I'd **** people to bring you back
I'd put others through great loss so I could be happy
Just to talk to you one more time

Why did you have to enter my life
You just jumped right in and never dove out
I didn't ask to think of you every **** day

I never asked for you to break my ******* heart

The ghosts of tears fall on the casket of her heart
Pushed into the afterlife without a single warning
Disappearing into the night without a single goodbye

She's left to wonder why her heart continues to chase
Running itself to death over a single human being
Hungering for something that can never again be found

They view her painted smile like she's the Mona Lisa
Admiring the perfection that was so slowly poured into it,
So she hides the real emotion for the tears that fall in the dead of night
And the ink leaking into her skin with every doodle

She wonders why she turned out so wrong
The perfect family shouldn't ruin your life
A perfect life shouldn't make you defective

You sit boredly in your seat, scrolling your phone and taking notes when the texts start rolling in

Your name
Three dots

Worry sets in, your friend is downtown, she's probably safe with others
So why the sad texts

"I just threw up"
More worry
"I'm sobbing"
Slight panic

It must be something about her family
It has to be
He has to be fine

"You're scaring me"
You send, tears brimming in your eyes
He has to be okay
Everything is okay

"We need to hang out after school, promise"
But you can't promise
Not until you know what's happened
Not until you know he's okay

"He's gone"

Your body goes numb as a shock wave shoots through you
The tears start falling
You raise your hand to leave, the other covering your mouth

"I'm sorry"

You call out the teacher's name, everyone looks as you ask to go to the office
Everyone looks as you leave the room crying

You meet a teacher half way
The voice coming out of the walkie talkie is saying your name
The voice says they're looking for more of your friends next

You walk into the office and see them all there
None of them know what's about to happen
None of them know how much they're about to break down

You're led in to a room in the back as you ignore the violent buzzing of your phone
And as you see his family
The reality of this hell begins to set in

They tell you all he's gone
And everything inside everyone snaps
Everyone's sobbing
Everyone's shaking
His closest friend sits next to you
You two are crying the hardest

You begin to check your phone
And you're practically just a vessel as you respond
Tears streaming down your face
Emptiness in your heart

You can't stop sobbing
The memories all flash before your eyes
And you remember how happy he was when you last spoke

You remember the last few conversations you had with him while others begin writing their last messages

You remember the last thing you said to him was in a snapchat days ago
And the final thing you told him as he lay in the hospital, lung infection slowly destroying his body

You sob again at what it read, your last parting words

"Hey kiddo...get not sick..."

Opened: Friday, October 8