In that kindergarten snapshot of all of them standing
Beaming innocent gaping smiles to the camera
She stands a head above everyone else
Her hair is long, and somewhat untamed
Sneakers protruding from beneath her uniform skirt
Cherry glasses askew on her five year old face
Smiling
In that dance recital picture of her and her dance class posing
Proudly for the camera, lipstick somewhat smeared
She stands a bit off-center, a little heavier than everyone else
Her hair is tied tightly back in a bun, laden with shellac
Her fifth position slightly crooked beneath the tutu
Azure glasses askew on her eight year old face
Wincing
In that eighth grade graduation photo of her alone smiling
Nervously for the photographer, unsure of herself
She stands straight, face speckled with the revenge of puberty
Her hair long and still quite untamed
Sneakers protruding from her dark graduation dress
Glasses rejected in favor of clear contacts in her thirteen year old
eyes
Sighing
In that prom picture of her and her current-at-the-time boyfriend
Glowing for the hurried camera, a flicker of fleeting innocence
She stands an inch above him in her flats
Her hair is tame and loose, flowing down her back
Bending her knees slightly so he would look taller
One contact slightly irritating her sixteen year old eye
Faking
In that high school graduation photo with her younger best friend
Holding her tightly for the camera, unwilling to let the past go
She stands a few inches shorter than her in her heels
Her hair is wild and unwieldy, dancing out from her mortar
Sandals protruding from her gown, standing up as straight as she can
Tears in her eighteen year old eyes making her contacts useless anyway
Hurting
In that random snapshot her roommate took of them
Tongue sticking out at the camera, hiding her shyness and fear
She stands a head taller than her roommate
Her hair is pulled away from her face in a waist-length braid
Bare feet frozen beneath her still-slightly-heavier frame
Misty glasses askew on her lazy nineteen year old face
Fumbling