The Tough Kid

The toughest kid, the one who always acts like everything is fine, can break down at a moments notice. One tiny thing can shake the inner world of the strongest mind and bring it crashing down. They mitally collapse and the person you thought you knew changes before your eyes. And still, they put on a brave face, that of a mask, and act like nothing is wrong. But the brave mask they put on is thin and eventually breaks, shattering into a million pieces. It taks time, lots of time, to put it back together again. And when every piece has been put back into place, the mask of bravery looks different, more fragile somehow. And even though the difference is small, you can still see it. But to those who never knew the mask broke, or never even knew there was a mask in the first place, the change never happened. Life goes on without turning its head. But there was a mask and it did break and the change did happen. I saw it, and will never look at him the same way again.