I lean my head against the wall beside her door and close my eyes. Soft sobs float from under the door and into my ears, forcing myself to experience the painful pinch in my heart. It was always like this. It was as if she had two different personalities. There was the happy-go-lucky persona she showed during the day. The cheerful woman that never failed to brighten people's lives. The stars in her eyes were what made my heart pound in my ears all the way down to my toes..

However..

The stars in her eyes disappear every time the moon replaces the sun. Ironic, isn't is? Stars are supposed to shine the brightest during the night, yet here I was. Leaning against the wall, eyes closed, as I listen to the very sound that always manages to shatter a little bit of my heart each night. In the confines of the four walls of her bedroom, she let her very own collapse. Gone was the cheerful lady I've grown up to know. In her place; a fragile, vulnerable child. Yet, what could I do? She doesn't let anyone see her like this..

And as the final sob escapes her lips, followed by slow, steady breathing, I let my own tears fall. Clutching onto my shirt, above the broken pieces of my aching heart, I slide down the wall, head between my bent knees and cry.

I cry.