It's Easy to Smile

It’s easy to smile. You simply put one corner of your mouth up, then the other. Smiling can make any conversation more exciting, or take someone out of a really awkward situation.

I myself have perfected this technique. I smile when supposed to and laugh during tension. And the one thing smiling is really useful for is hiding emotions, ones that you don’t want anyone else to see. Emotions like hurt, anger, pain—anything of the sort can be hidden with a smile. At least in my case.

Now I’m not much of a good liar. At least that’s what I want everyone to think. I’m actually pretty good at it, I just smile and make everyone else think everything’s happy-go-lucky.

But I only learned to perfect this skill when my life came crashing down in the year before ninth grade, when everything changed.