We love you,
We hate you.
We hate to love you,
We love to hate you.

Our smiles fight to hold back our tears,
While on the inside we ache to be held and understood.

We come off as standoffish and selfish,
But we are aiming to please,
Fighting to understand our own thoughts and actions.

One wrong look or whisper will set us off.
We resemble time bombs,
Ready to blow at any given moment.
No warning, no reason.

We are live wires,
Hurtling into a new world,
Trading basketball shorts for miniskirts,
Playmates for boyfriends,
Cooties for kisses.

Our friends are our allies,
Our parents are our wardens.
Boundaries feel like walls,
Caving into our independence;
Breaking our bridge of adolescence,
Whether we are standing on it or not.

We love to laugh,
We hate to cry.
We hate to make you cry,
We love to make you laugh.

Love us.
Hate us.
Accept us.