Social Anxiety

All you have to do is read the script.

That's it.

You wrote it last night.

It'll only take two minutes.

Should be easy.

But your classmates' eyes are boring into you.

And your face is already hot.

You feel naked under their gazes.

Your teacher smiles encouragingly,

Which only makes you feel worse.

You're so pathetic an adult has to feel sorry for you.

And everyone knows it.

Two kids in the back are giggling and whispering.

They aren't even looking at you,

But you know it's because

You forgot to put chapstick on this morning,

And now your lips are cracked and dry and ugly

You search the crowd,

But no one else has lips as ugly as yours.

You're the only one.

The class is patient and silent

But you know you're bugging them.

Bothering them.

They hate you.

And you know it.

Under each innocent gaze

Is a malicious snicker.

You clear your throat and read the first word.

It's met by an applause.

And now you want a black hole to open and swallow you.

They clapped when you spoke a singly, shaky word.

That means they know.

They know how pathetic you are.

They know you need validation after every word

To keep going.

And you start to cry.

In front of everyone.

They'll never forget this.

Every place you're not at

Will be filled with whispering stories

Of you crying because you couldn't read a page out loud.