They don’t understand. They don’t feel that way when you break a little more each day, waiting for the end to come your way. They don’t understand how it feels to feel worthless, to hate yourself, to think everyone would be better off without you. They don’t understand. They don’t see the tears streaming down your face in the middle of the night or the voices in your head, telling you you’re too much and not enough in the worst possible way. They don’t understand what it’s like to take your fist and blacken your eye, to take a blade and slit your wrist, to wait to die but remain alive, and you don’t know why or what you’re waiting for. They don’t understand how it feels to want to die, say goodbye to everyone, and believe they would be happier if you were gone. They don’t understand just how low it gets behind the mask. They don’t understand that the happiness is an act, that it’s easier to pretend. They don’t understand who I am, what I want, how I feel, and that’s my fault. Because I don’t understand how to explain what I feel. All I know’s that it’s real. But I feel weak when I speak about shit like this; my feelings, emotions, any fucking struggle I have. So they don’t understand. They don’t feel that way. And I don’t say anything about anything. So we go on, pretending we’re okay, but we’re not, and we’re caught between a rock and a hard place— both choices are bad: be treated like damaged goods or suffer in silence. I choose the latter every time. So they don’t understand that they don’t understand.