You were about to push open the girl’s restroom door when you heard it — quiet, broken sobbing from inside. You recognized the voice instantly, and your stomach had dropped. Alice. Your best friend.

You stepped in and your heart had cracked. She’d been there, alone, staring at her reflection in the mirror without her usual mask. Tears had tracked down her cheeks, her hands trembling against the sink.

“Why am I so ugly?”

She choked out, the voice barely above a whisper. “I look so horrible… I’m so jealous of the other girls. They’re all so pretty and I’m just… me.”

Another sob had ripped from her throat as she’d clawed at her sleeve, trying to hide her face like even her reflection had been too much to bear.