I just… I can’t believe I did it. Again. Like, my own birthday dinner, you know? And everyone was there, all my friends, and it was so much fun. We went to that Italian place downtown, the one with the string lights and the really good gnocchi. And my mom even let me wear that new dress, the floral one, which felt like a big deal because she usually saves it for “special occasions” and I guess my 17th birthday is special, right? We were all laughing, and Chloe kept making jokes about Liam from math class, and Sarah was taking like a million photos, which she always does. And I was fine, really. I was. We took this one group shot, all of us squished together at the table, me in the middle. Everyone looked so happy, so… pretty. We looked like we were having the BEST time. And we *were* having the best time, truly. But then Sarah sent it to the group chat, and I saw it. The photo. And my stomach just dropped, you know? Like, it wasn't even bad at first. Just a quick glance. But then I zoomed in. And there it was. My nose. It just looked so… BIG. Huge. Especially compared to Chloe’s little button nose, and Maria’s, like, perfectly sculpted one. The lighting, too, from those string lights above us, it just hit me all wrong, I guess. Made it look so much more prominent. So… noticeable. And I just stared at it. For like, five minutes, maybe more. While everyone else was like, "Omg! So cute!" and "BEST NIGHT EVER!" and all that. And I just kept thinking about how everyone else would see it. How they'd zoom in. How they'd notice. Even though no one ever says anything, you know? But you just *know* they’re seeing it. I bet they're all like, wow, her nose. I tried to tell myself it was fine. That it was just a photo. That it was my own brain being stupid. I even typed out a reply, something like, "Love this!" but then I just stared at the picture again. And it just got bigger in my head. Like it was the only thing anyone could see. All the fun we had, all the laughing, the gnocchi, the dress – gone. Just that one thing. And then I did it. I couldn't help myself. I just… deleted it. From the group chat. I typed "Oops, wrong photo lol" and then uploaded a different one, one where my face was kinda turned away, or where I was laughing really hard so my nose kinda crinkled and looked smaller. A safer one. No one said anything. Of course they didn't. They probably didn't even notice. Or if they did, they were too polite. But I noticed. And now I can’t stop thinking about it. About how I ruined my own birthday photo because of… because of THIS. This thing that I can’t change. And it just makes me feel so… ugh. So stupid and shallow and like, why do I care so much? Why can’t I just be happy in my own skin? I just keep thinking about it. Like, even at work, you know? When we have those big presentations, and I see myself on the big screen, or in the team photos for the intranet. I’m always doing that weird half-smile, or standing behind someone, or angling my head just so. It’s like this little routine I have, this little internal checklist. Don't let them see it. Don't let it be the first thing they see. And it’s exhausting. It’s absolutely exhausting. And I just wanted one night to not think about it. Just one night. But nope. Even on my birthday. I just… I can’t escape it.