Carved in Scars

by Elle Mitchell

“Can I be in your space, Ally?” I shrug. “Why?” “Because I like being in your orbit. And I want to know where you go.”

We all come into the world as blank canvases. And we leave it carved in scars

“I think you all know who I am. I’m Devon. And I missed a bunch of school because I was arrested for a crime I didn’t commit…all because that girl right there didn’t want people to know she was fucking me.”

Whatever it means, I like it—both because she’s a talented artist and because it’s her, and I’d let her carve anything she wanted into my skin.

“I’m not that fragile, Ally. People like us don’t break easily.”

There is no version of me happy that doesn’t include Devon West. Etched in ink or carved in scars. It’s us. Against the world.