"Mask" by Jessica M. Jordan

Beauty.. What does that mean? What are they looking for in my that they don't find?

I think I'm a good person. I think I'm a nice person. My morals are strong and unwavering. I am headstrong, outgoing, fun to be around.

*sigh* Is it my face? People tell you that the outside doesn't matter. They lie. They are the main ones looking for pretty faces. People can be so cruel. Sometimes they don't even realize it.

Just because I'm a strong person doesn't mean I can't be hurt. I'm not ashamed of my appearance. I'm proud of what I am. OTHER people have the problem with how I look. There are people that look much better than I do. There are people who look much better than the people who look much better than me. I guess I'm just obsessing. Maybe I should stop worrying about what people think. I can't do that. They're watching. If I screw up, I'll loose everything I've worked for. The friends I've gained have become my friend because they realize who is BEHIND the face I wear.

That brings up another point. We all wear this mask just for a minute space and time. This mask isn't permanent. Don't despair. If the mask you wear now doesn't meet your standards, the next one will probably be more to your liking.

Maybe I'll take this one off.. I'll get another one. They'll all like me more. I'll have more friends. I'll get the better job. It's just a mask.. Everyone is just wearing a mask. It isn't really me. I'm beautiful inside..

Really..

I think....

I hope..

********************************

One of her teachers worried where she was, she was supposed to turn in an important project that day. The teacher called her parents. Her parents thought she had left for school..

They walked up the stairs to the girl's room. They found her lying in the bathroom. There was a pool of blood on the floor. In her right hand she held a crude kitchen knife.. In her left, she was still clinging to the part of her face she had managed to slice off. Her skin was hanging from her face. She had tried to slice her face off..

After all, it's just a mask..