Once upon a time in an unrealistic land there lived a kind young soul who only wanted to see the good in others, and help them at whatever the cost. Until one day it all came around to bite them in the butt, and that kind young soul turned dark. And they lived happily ever after anyway.

Cute story, right? Except it isn't just a story for most of you reading this; it's a reality. Now I'm not talking about those who have these moments, because everyone has them. I'm talking about all the people who were made a little harder because life threw them one bad card after another and they refused to fold; making them stronger and done taking things lying down. I'm talking about the people who have lived to see another day when no one else thought they'd ever make it, and came back ready to conquer. I'm talking about someone who was hurt, and refused to ever let another thing or person make them feel inferior.

You all know this person, you might even be this person, but do you honestly know them? Do you think it's all an act, to seem tough? To get attention? To feel better about themselves in a weird twisted way? In some cases, yes, to all three; but in most cases it's the only way they know to survive. See, that young kind soul I was talking about still lives within, and comes out from time to time. But it's locked away deep down where no one can do anymore damage, where it can't see the ugliness in life, because already seen too much.

Being this way is more than just a front, it honestly becomes a part of who you are; you learn to depend on this side to be strong when all the other parts don't know how to be. I know it all sounds corny, and many of you have probably rolled your eyes by now but just know it isn't easy. Putting up this guard is the hardest thing they do everyday because it means shutting out a part of you that wants to still believe people are capable of being good and won't hurt you. Taking the time to scrutinize everything anyone says to you in a second and respond accordingly is hard, and makes it difficult to just let yourself be around people. Vulnerability is the hardest thing for someone like this and it's because maybe once they were too vulnerable with the wrong person, ruining it for everyone now.

So don't be offended when they don't want to talk about them, or at least the emotional stuff because they don't feel like anyone deserves that pleasure anymore. Don't think they hate you just because they have an attitude that cuts like a knife ready to go the moment they feel threatened, it's a defense mechanism to stay safe. Don't hate them when they can't take being emotionally invested in anyone because truth is too many someone's said they'd be there, and they weren't.

And for someone who let themselves be continuously hurt over and over again, trying not to hurt others, this is harder on them I promise. They know what they say and do is hurtful sometimes, they know because they feel it just as deeply as you do. But they don't know how to take it back, because it means talking about the pain of getting hurt. It's twisted irony, but isn't that the beauty of it all? When others hurt us, we lash out and hurt another.

It's nothing personal, just the way things have to be for now.