Zaria

hideaway

Zaria's Pov

"Are you alright?"she whispered into my curls. My breath hitched.
My mouth was so numb. I could only nod.
She smiled and kissed my forehead.

"They don't know." She started.
"They're dumb you're the most beautiful person in the world, Zaria." she said.
She was the only person who called me by my name there.

She would hold my hand and wipe away my tears.
They all hated her for sticking up for me.
They didn't call her by her name either.

But I would slowly whisper her name over and over like honey dripping on my lips.
Her mama made her wear boy clothes and her dad called her son.
but she was still a girl, just a different one.

She'd steal kisses until her lips were red.
"they don't know about you either." I'd whisper.
"you're a girl, a perfectly amazing girl." I said.

she'd smile and teardrops that shined like diamonds in the sunlight would roll down her face.
"they are so so wrong Zaria." she choked out, shaking her head.
so so wrong.

we'd hurry from the hideaway.
wiping our eyes, fixing our smiles.
the other kids just couldn't see how beautiful Lily was and I was just being me.