still showed up

I went to church. Sat in pews with my hands folded, whispering prayers I wasn't sure reached anywhere, but hoping they did. I was a good student. Honor roll kid with tired eyes, acing tests with a brain that barely slept. No one knew the war I was in. They saw straight A's, not sleepless nights. They saw bowed heads, not bruised hearts. I memorized Bible verses and algebra like both might save me. And maybe, they did. Because even when I was breaking, I still showed up. Still tried. Still believed- in something.