Behind A Smile

Prologue

To hide and set aside your feelings, your thoughts, your happiness, and you, yourself, is I think one of the hard thing that you will do; making others' happy by making them smile and laugh, providing them your full support to their individual endeavors, lending your ear when they would speak of you, providing them your presence when they've got problems or hardships in life, and many more than a friend should do.

One thing you can say that is hard, most especially if they'd not do the same when you're in their situation. Well, it's not that you're expecting something as a return for the care that you've showered them. It's all about how they would be sensitive enough of your feelings, whether they would show up or what when you've got problems too. Come on, people won't do that. Just don't.. expect.

And you? You will just be there for them. You will continue what you have started, even though it will hurt you more. You will not think of yourself because your happiness depends on them. Where in fact, you have your own concerns, your own problems, your own feelings, your own thoughts, you have yourself that needs to be taken care of. You've been hurt for a long time, but you're just sealing them with your precious smiles. You are sick of being sad, being broken, being weak, and being tired.

Just like Lorraine Zanaiah Cortez, a twenty-year-old who is a great pretender. No one notices her. No one notices the pain that she had been trying to seal with her genuine smiles. No one would hear her out, she considered herself as an invisible, so she decided to just keep all of her problems. She always overthinks, crying every night, and she is certainly emotionally depressed. And lastly, she's living in the depth of despair, sadness, hopelessness, and life's bullshits.

But how far can she go? How far can she keep all of them? How far can she managed to fake a smile? Will someone be able to finally notice her? Will there be someone who will finally notice the pain in her eyes? Will someone can finally see the heavy load that she's been carrying all this time? And will someone be able to finally know what really lies behind a smile?

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, and events are either the products of imagination of the author or used in a fictitious manner. Any other resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.