Lexi

My best friend Lexi had acne
and not the unnoticeable kind either.
She was covered from head to shoulders
in tiny, dark circles that set off her
caramel complexion in the worst way.
Yet, she couldn't stop picking at
newly-sprouted, pimples,
thinking that it would, somehow,
help them heal faster.

She wore heavy bangs to cover
the erupting volcanoes
on her forehead.
But they did nothing to hide
the deep craters on her shiny nose
and spotted chin.

She didn't dare
even look at a tank top,
whenever we went shopping.
Instead of splurging
on a nice dress,
She'd spend every literal penny
on a new over-the-counter acne treatment
that never worked.
"I'll never give up, as long as I live,"
she'd always say.

Lexi had given up on dermatologists
and was convinced that they were all quacks.
She always talked about plastic surgery,
but she knew she'd never
do anything so drastic.
She used to tell me that she was afraid
she'd never get married,
even though she was only 16 years old,
at the time.

She always thought
she was supposed to look
like the celebrities on the cover
of Cosmopolitan or
the popular girls at school,
despite me constantly telling her
how beautiful she was...

Lexi was bullied because of her acne.
She used to disappear inside her locker
every time a "beautiful" girl walked past
us in the hallway.
The floor tiles guided her dirty Converses
through school, whenever she was by herself,
causing her to bump into flocks of
nasty jocks and cheerleaders.

Lexi hardly ever raised her hand in class,
careful not to draw attention to her blemishes,
even though she was smart enough to be a teacher, herself.
Whenever she heard a snicker, from anyone, even from me,
she thought it was for her.

A month ago, a girl forwarded a text about Lexi's acne
to the entire junior class, including me.
I wanted to confront that girl, so bad, but Lexi told me not to.
I listened.

Two weeks ago, Lexi's grades started dropping.
Last week, Lexi hugged me before she got off of the bus.
Last night, Lexi slit her wrists in her bathtub ...
Today, those same jocks and cheerleaders were bullying some else,
even as Lexi's death was being announced over the intercom.

Today, I take a stand.

*To all of the "invisible" teens: God sees you*