People crowd around me,

As though I am a pop star. 

I smile at strangers, 

laugh at jokes,

But really, I am crying.

Rain beats down hard upon the windows of our dark classroom,

And I press my hand against the cold glass.

My friends whisper secrets into my ear

Life at home.

What boys they like.

Friends at school.

But I tell no one mine.

My friends talk about all their siblings and parents,

And new friends they've made.

They talk about the dinner last night,

The places they've traveled,

Yet no one asks about my life.

I never met my father

And fight with my brother.

I didn't eat dinner last night,

And cannot afford to travel.

Still, I smile and laugh,

So everyone around me assumes I am content.

But my world is crumbling around me.

I run out of the classroom, 

Down the hallway. 

I tear through the school until I reach the meadow.

The ground is soft and squishy beneath my feet,

And the sky cries with me. 

My favorite part about the rain is that it hides your tears with its own.