m3rcy avatar

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I stood there against the wall, watching people go by. I was afraid to catch their gaze, in case I'd be rejected.

I took out my phone, putting on earphones and listening to music.

When people caught my eye, I quickly looked down to the ground, scared.

When I did look up again, they had left.

My heart bet in quick pulses, as the crowd of people was getting bigger... and I was feeling smaller.

I saw the popular teens talking, laughing with one another. I sighed heavily, a teardrop slipping down my cheek.

Why was it so hard...? Why?

3 comments add one below

  • avatar

    Neville Hunt over 4 years ago

    Fear of rejection in the teenage years can be really awful... and other more confident teens can be awful too. It’s easy to say “why care about the others?” but not so easy to action. You have communicated the angst really well, Aishling.
    (The mobile phone/headphones is a good way these days to communicate ‘who cares’, but it wasn’t around in my day 🙁)

  • avatar

    Neville Hunt over 4 years ago

    I was desperately shy in my early teens, but in order to shrug it off, I used to whistle pop tunes, which I felt gave me a nonchalant air (my equivalent of the mobile phone I guess). I reckon it must have worked... or I managed to overcome the shyness somehow, because I joined the party-going/party crashing ‘in-crowd’ of lads in mid to late teens. (I only got thrown out of one crashed party though - highly memorable... I had arrived ! 😊)

  • avatar

    Aishling over 4 years ago

    Thanks. Been there myself once or twice.

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