THE MASK
355 Words
I've learned something new.
Something useful.
People don't actually care who you are.
They care about what you show them.
So today...
I tried something different.
I smiled.
Not because I wanted to.
Not because I felt like it.
But because I knew I was supposed to.
It worked.
The girl next to me smiled back immediately.
Like it was automatic.
Like she had been waiting for it.
"See, you can smile," she said.
I didn't answer.
I just kept it there for a few seconds longer...
Then let it fade.
It felt strange.
Not uncomfortable.
Just... unnatural.
Like wearing something that doesn't belong to you.
But I'm getting used to that feeling.
I've started noticing patterns.
If you smile, people relax.
If you nod, people keep talking.
If you laugh, people think you understand them.
It's simple.
Almost too simple.
All this time, I thought connecting with people was complicated.
It's not.
It's just performance.
And most people don't even realize they're doing it.
I practiced again later.
She was talking to me.
My friend.
I listened.
Nodded at the right moments.
Even gave a small laugh when she said something that sounded like a joke.
She paused.
Looked at me carefully.
"That's better," she said.
Better.
I wonder what she thinks that means.
If she knew the difference...
Would she still say that?
I doubt it.
But she looked happy.
And that's something I've noticed about her.
She doesn't pretend.
That makes her easy to read.
But also...
Harder to understand.
Why stay?
Why keep trying with someone who barely responds?
Most people would have left by now.
But she hasn't.
I don't know if that's strength...
Or something else.
Either way-
She's the only one I don't feel the need to pretend around.
Everyone else gets the mask.
And the strange part is...
The more I use it-
The easier it becomes.
The smile stays longer.
The reactions come faster.
The act feels smoother.
Like I'm learning a language.
One that everyone else has been speaking their whole lives.
And I'm just catching up.
Or maybe...
I'm learning it better than they
- Writer
