# data[].attributes.body
They both wanted to become a cop someday.

They went to the same high school,

And the same college,

But she always got higher grades than him.

They went through the same training,

But she ended up at the top of their class.

They ended up at the same department,

In the same town,

But she was always ignored

And he was always praised.

She’s smarter than him,

Quicker than him,

More clever than him,

But he’s the one who gets the opportunities.

No matter how much better she is,

She’ll always be one step behind.

# data[].attributes.body
There’s laughter all around me.

Girls laugh and dance and sing,

While I just hang there in the middle,

Broken in order to shine,

There for the entertainment of others,

But secretly being crushed by the weight of the world.

I just want someone to look,

To notice.

To notice that the only reason I’m shining

Is because I’ve been broken into a million pieces,

Over and over and over again.

With the spotlight on me,

I’ll reflect just for them.

But I’ll continue to break

As they continue to not notice.

# data[].attributes.body
You show up for school in your usual sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

As you glance over at his desk,

You notice the girl he’s talking to.

How her long blonde hair flows down her back,

The way her tight skirt and tight shirt grip her perfect figure,

And how her bright teeth sparkle everytime she smiles.

You look back down at your comfortable outfit.

Maybe I should dress up for school.

Maybe I should wear more makeup.

Maybe I would look better as a blonde.

Maybe I should whiten my teeth.

Maybe then he’ll notice me.

Over the next week

You’ve dyed your hair,

Changed your clothes,

Bought more makeup,

Used a teeth whitener,

Just so that he would look at you.

You show up to school,

New and improved.

And you see him down the hall.

Finally,

You think.

He’ll finally be looking at me,

Instead of the other way around.

You walk past him,

Preparing for him to finally come talk to you.

You look in his direction,

But he’s too busy talking to her.

Just like always.

# data[].attributes.body
He’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember.

We were born at the same hospital.

Our moms became friends,

And so did we.

Seventeen years later, it’s still the same.

We still drive to school together,

We still go out for lunch together,

We still do homework together,

We still laugh together,

We still FaceTime every night.

He knows everything about me,

And I know everything about him.

But it’s been different.

I’ve started to notice

The way his blue eyes shimmer in the light,

The way he fixes his hair with his hand every ten minutes,

The way that he smiles at me,

Which could melt a million hearts.

But mostly,

I notice the way my heart flutters when I see him,

And how he could make me smile

Just by thinking about him.