I knew she would be here. By "she", I meant myself. I would always hide when I felt random bursts of sadness. When I felt overwhelmed by emotions I could barely control. And in this moment, my younger self was sitting on the lid of the toilet, legs brought close to her chest, silent tears escaping so that her family wouldn't hear her. I felt the pain again as the sight brought up dark memories.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUYC8sAlqP
I turned my visibility on and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her, looking at her. Her red, swollen eyes turned wide as she took in the site of her future self. We didn't look much different from each other, truth be told.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXWuk9TfqF
She grabbed some toilet paper and wiped her nose, still watching me.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHj62GF3x6
"Hey," I started. She blinked in confusion.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJPzyAxgxB
"Uh--um. Hey?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEznbwInGIo
"What's got you down?" I threw in a small smile.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w46dXv9S3
She looked down at her knees after disposing of the paper. "I--I don't know. I just felt really sad. My heart hurts. And I just began crying."--her eyes grew wet again--"I don't know what's wrong with me. God, I'm such a cry baby."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hp1yQhdA3
"Hey," I stood up and closed the space between us, muffling her already quiet sobs as I held her against me. "I knew the feeling. And it's rough as hell. But," I held her up and she wiped her eyes, "You are not a cry baby. You're just simply going through things and a lot of people feel and have felt the same way." I put our foreheads together. "And you aren't alone. In your darkest moments, don't forget that your family loves you. Don't forget about your friends and don't lose your spirit." I looked into her young eyes again. "This darkness will seem to last for and eternity but it will go away. I won't spoil the ending for you, but it'll all be worth the wait." I winked at her.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlLYGTWAAM
"I'll be able to wink in the future?" She asked, face brightening.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tslE7YFej
"You'll be doing a lot of things in the future." I promised. "Now,"--I held out my hand to her--"I want you to fight."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TNBrvhUTq
