I feel so BAD like really really bad about what I did yesterday. I straight up lied to Mrs. Henderson and told her I had like the WORST stomach flu ever, like puking my guts out and everything, just so I didn’t have to go to bridge club. And it’s not even a big deal, right? It’s just bridge. But she sounded so disappointed, like genuinely sad, and now I feel like a total jerk. It all started when I was getting ready, you know, doing my makeup and everything, trying to look decent. And then I saw it. This... line. Right next to my eye. Not even a crow's foot, just this tiny, tiny little wrinkle. And it was NEW. Like I swear it wasn't there last week. I stared at it for like five whole minutes, pulling my skin, trying to make it disappear. And I just kept thinking, 'Oh my god, what if they SEE it?' Mrs. Henderson, Mrs. Rodriguez, even that new woman, what's her name, Barbara? They’re all so perfect, all so put together, with their nice hair and their scarves and their flawless skin. I know it sounds stupid, but I just pictured them all staring at me, whispering, 'Oh, look at dear Eleanor, she's really starting to show her age.' And I just... couldn't. So I panicked. I just completely panicked. I grabbed my phone and texted Mrs. Henderson, 'So sorry, can't make it today. Stomach bug. Really bad.' And then I faked a cough, like really loud, just in case she called. Which she did, of course. And I had to do the whole shaky voice thing, 'Oh, Mrs. Henderson, I'm just so dizzy and nauseous, it's AWFUL.' She kept saying, 'Oh, you poor dear, I hope you feel better,' and I just felt this cold wave of shame wash over me. Like, this is who I am now? A lying old lady who skips bridge because of a wrinkle? I spent the whole afternoon just sitting here, watching TV, feeling absolutely miserable. Not because of a stomach bug, obviously, but because I know they were probably playing cards, laughing, having a good time, and I was just here, alone, hiding. And it’s not even a deep wrinkle! It’s barely there! But it just felt like this HUGE flashing sign, like "HEY EVERYONE, ELEANOR IS FALLING APART." And I know it's silly. My friends, my REAL friends, my age, they probably wouldn't even care. They'd probably just joke about it. But with the bridge club ladies, it's different. It feels like this unspoken competition to always be the most graceful, the most put-together. And now I have to go next week and pretend like nothing happened. Or worse, what if one of them brings up how sick I was? 'Oh Eleanor, you look so much better this week!' And then I'll have to lie AGAIN. Ugh. This is so dumb. I’m such an idiot. I wish I could just rewind time and just go to bridge, wrinkle or no wrinkle. But now I'm stuck. And I just feel so… ashamed. Like this little line, this tiny thing, made me into someone I don't even recognize.