Fifteen years and counting fast, She plays the friend that always lasts— The one who answers every call, Who catches tears before they fall. She’s got a smile that hides the ache, A laugh she learned to carefully fake. They say, “You’re strong, you’ve got it all,” But never ask what broke her wall. She hears the stories, every pain, The heartbreaks spilled like summer rain. She nods, she soothes, she stays up late, While her own heart sits full of weight. No one sees the storm inside, How many times she’s sat and cried. Her voice, it quiets, shrinks, and fades— Like shadows slipping into shade. So she buries her own fears so deep, Tucks them away where secrets sleep. She says, “I’m fine,” with half a grin, And hides the war she fights within. Because if no one seems to care, She’ll pretend there’s nothing there. She’s the helper, not the hurt— She stuffs her pain beneath the dirt. And maybe one day someone will see, The silent ache inside the “she.” But ‘til that day, she’ll play her part— The girl who listens, breaks her heart.