At lunch, I make sure no one is following me
With a camera
Or just by themselves.
I see her standing by the rose bush
Staring off in the distance.
I walk towards her slowly
Counting my steps.
"Hey," she says once she's noticed my appearance.
"Hey," I respond, not sure how to start.
"I want you to know I didn't have that photo taken on purpose," she says.
"Okay," I respond.
"And I'm not sure why the boy took that photo.
Maybe he thought he was being funny,
Or maybe he was trying to be mean,
Or maybe he's just a homophobic jerk," she adds.
"Okay," I say again.
"And I didn't take the photo," she says.
"I didn't think you did," I tell her.
She visibly softens a little.
"Well when you started ignoring me, I didn't know what to think," she says.
I see a glimmer of sadness in her eye.
And then I remember
That while I've been being teased
Being shouted at
Having privacy exploited
She's been going through that too.