I work with her. She's only young and yet there is a massive barrier. She pushes away attempts at intimacy and it's a burden. She worries about her weight, her hair, her clothes and all silently. You watch her twist during Friday night drinks. You watch her flinch as people she doesn't know talk to her. You watch her make assumptions when men talk to her.
And yet, she is one of the most beautiful people I know. She may not make the cover of a magazine, but her smile lights up. Her laugh fills. And when she lays her head on my shoulder during a bad day I feel there's a little hope for her.
What scares me the most is she has exactly the same chip on her shoulder I had at her age, and mine festered and infected. And I don't know how to help ... | 
