THE PHANDOM COMMUNITY

how to help a sad friend: -sometimes, “are you okay?” just isn’t enough. sometimes you have to ask “how bad is your heart burning?” and you need to be prepared for any number between one and ten. if its two, then you can finally exhale, but when its eight, make sure you remind them how to swim, because i assure you, they are drowning. (If it is ever ten then just hold their hand for the rest of class) -remember that your friend lives for cliches. be ready for the four am call even if they're doing okay. talk them down from a self-induced panic attack. accept their excuses and rationalizations. that is all they have for now. -they have been sad since they knew how to shove it down. realize that they will most likely never know what is wrong with them, because they're world is on fire and they're using the light to see. its okay if they don't tell you whats wrong. -almost everything they try to say is lost in translation. remember that you don't need to be fluent, you only need to hear them, but that is perhaps the hardest thing to do. -when they have a crush on the boy with the smile, hold them extra tight because he does not love them, and they know it. their hands and feet feel cold and they are around him. -sadness is a sickness, they will need time to heal when the week was tough. sometimes they will want to die. make sure to give them hot coffee in the morning, and let them fall asleep at 7 pm. -yes, they will cry, but they wont want to. the hot tears in their eyes feel like utter defeat and embarrassment. all they want in that moment is a hug. do not let them know how scared you are. their shoulders shaking against your chest will be the worst thing you’ve ever felt, and they know that. the guilt is already killing them.