Guarded

by Allie Smith

How naïve is it to believe in someone?

If I don’t pay attention, even for a

second, someone will get the best of

me. They are able to take advantage of

that weakness I showed.

Is that why I always am looking even

when it hurts? Because the feeling that

comes from trusting a person but being

betrayed is far worse than pushing

people away that I love. The isolation

that is the result from this is an easier

pill to swallow than something that

wasn’t my own choice. The pain that

comes from showing this weakness is

not just from the action of the lies

themselves, rather from the

embarrassment that I was lured into a

false sense of security where I

demolished my own defenses and let

the pain in with a smile and a glimmer

of hope that it could maybe turn out

different this time.

It’s not just the lies, it’s the fact that I let

myself believe in someone in the first

place.

Find this article and more in our issue one print release!