That One Friend

You were my one and only friend, In a world that judged, that would not bend. Others would laugh, would point and sneer, Not knowing the pain, not knowing the fear. They mocked my weight, my body, my face, But they didn’t see the hurt in its place. They didn’t know the battles I fought, The reasons I struggled, the battles I caught. When I first met you, I thought you were bright, A shining star, a guiding light. But as time passed, I saw the cracks, You weren’t all that—just lies and acts. I chose to stay at your house, night after night, Happy to starve, to shrink from sight. A can of meatballs for dinner some days, Because that’s all you had—at least I ate. School was my refuge, my place to breathe, An escape from home, a chance to be free. But even there, I was pushed aside, Invisible, broken, with nowhere to hide. But you, you were there, or so I thought, We laughed together, but those laughs were bought. I trusted you, with every piece of me, But now I see you weren't who you claimed to be. You laughed at my pain, not with me, Took my insecurities and made them a decree. When I needed a friend to lift me high, You watched me fall, didn’t ask why. You saw me hurt, yet took from my heart, Fed off my weakness, tore me apart. I thought you were different, that you understood, But you were just another hurt, misunderstood. You made me sleep on that cold, small bed, While you took the warmth and left me for dead. The friendship I thought we had, so true, Was just a game to you, nothing new. I needed someone who would stand by my side, Who wouldn’t laugh when I cried. But instead, you took advantage, time after time, As I searched for solace, hoping for a sign. You weren't my friend—not in the way I thought, Just someone who took what you never sought. You saw my struggles, but turned them to jest, A “friend” who never cared about what was best. Now I see clearly, though it took some time, The love I sought was never really mine. You fed on my weakness, my quiet despair, And I was just a fool, thinking you cared. But look at me now, a changed woman indeed, Stronger, wiser, no longer in need. The weight you mocked? Gone without trace, And now I shine with beauty and grace. All your insults, the things you would say, Were just your insecurities thrown my way. I carried your burdens, believed every lie, But now I stand tall, holding my sky. I don’t need your laugh, I don’t need your lie, I’m stronger now, no longer asking why. I walked through the storms, through the ridicule and hate, And I’ll leave behind that toxic weight. You were never the friend I needed to be, But I’ve learned to be my own company. And though the scars still linger, they don’t define, I’ve found my strength, and I’ll be just fine.