Elizabeth

"Please take care of my human," 

the old cat whispers to the kitten. 

"They are scarred and broken. 

Until my return, 

take care of my human." 

The kitten is listening attentively,

Girlhood is texting your crush because it's late at night and you don't know any better. 

Girlhood is staring way too hard at the prettiest girl in class. 

“Why didn’t you ask for help?”

When I didn’t write for weeks

I was asking for help

When I stopped smiling

When I stopped laughing

When happiness became fake

  I am in the eighth grade at a junior high school in Texas. Please, if even for a brief moment, let my voice be heard.