I'm someone who hides behind a screen, behind words, and when I step out into the world, I'm the girl who walks with her head down and headphones on. I'm not avoiding the faces around me-I'm watching the world, seeing what so many others overlook. I see the shadows in the bright places, the cracks in what's supposed to be perfect. I notice the ugliness society tries so hard to ignore, the flaws in people that are masked by a few good deeds. I see darkness in the most beautiful smiles. It sounds miserable, I know. But that's reality. Still, I also see the beauty, the uniqueness in everyone, the epic little moments that go unnoticed by most.

I can't smile without feeling the weight of sadness. I can't laugh without hearing the echo of tears. I can't speak without sensing the silence that follows. And I can't love without knowing the pain that comes with it. The truth is, I'm afraid of living. I think about what it might feel like to stop...no more thoughts, no more pretending, no more fear of failure. But then, no more smiles, no more writing, no more glimpses of hope, no more reading words that touch my soul, and no more dreaming of the day when I'll smile for real...

I'm just like you, but different. We all are...different shapes, ages, colors, genders, beliefs, and orientations. But none of those things define us. What defines us is our mind-how we think, how we perceive the world, and how we choose to navigate it. It's not about how we look, or who we love, or what we believe in. It's about how we see ourselves and others.

I'm the girl who cries at cheesy movies but laughs at the most inappropriate moments. I avoid cameras because I don't like my reflection, but I love capturing the beauty around me. I'm the girl who cries herself to sleep but also smiles at the smallest things. I'm a hopeless romantic driven by feelings, yet I'm terrified of falling in love. I'm hypocritical, sometimes selfish, not self-centered but often caught up in my own world.

I'm depressed most of the time, but it's hard to accept that the people I care about might be too. Sometimes, I can't see the light, so I create my own sunshine. And when I have every reason to smile, all I want to do is cry. I'm a mess...a confusing, annoying, drama queen. I'm unfair, and I have a temper, but I'm also deeply sensitive and emotionally unbalanced. I'm scared to show the world who I really am. None of my friends know I write. Some of them think depression is just an excuse for attention, that people who consider suicide are weak. I'm afraid to admit my true feelings, so I stay quiet, even when I want to scream that they're wrong.

I don't understand society. I'm the girl who wants to break every rule in the book. But I'm the girl who doesn't get why people are so blind to real problems like hunger, homelessness, mental illness, and bullying. I can't comprehend how we let people suffer on the streets, right in front of our eyes.

I'm the girl who's confused about what she wants in life not because of anxiety or depression, but because she knows she may never get what she wants, or who she wants. Sometimes, things just aren't meant to be. I'm terrified of letting people in, because that only means I'll have to watch them leave.

I'm the girl who's tired of injustice, tired of a world that tries to shape and control you from the moment you're born. I'm the girl who doesn't want to live one more day like this, but I'm also the girl who isn't ready to quit. I want to change things, even if it's just one life at a time. Years from now, or however long it takes, I want to look back and feel like I made a difference. I want to sit by a beautiful beach, watching the sunset with someone who understands and accepts me for who I am. I want to smile in that moment and think...

This is me...