Noelle’s Cuts

[NOELLE]
His name was Vincent
Vincent tucked me into bed each night
And every night we'd read
Sleeping Beauty was my favorite
So we'd read it on repeat
When the story met it's ending
And the prince woke up the princess with a kiss
Vincent would kiss me right here

Night after night the prince arrived
To say good night with just a kiss
Not just a kiss upon her head
Vincent would kiss her on the lips
Every night the kiss would land a little stronger
Every night the kiss would last a little longer
He would whisper I was beautiful

He said that if I said a word
He'd make sure story time would end
But all the stories helped me make-believe
A place where I could blend into the background
And then the kissing slowly turned into touching
And then the touching felt like way too much

I wish that I still had my stories
'Cause it's good for girls to learn
There's no such thing as happy endings
Keep on pretending you're okay

[NOELLE, spoken]
Anyway...

[NOELLE]
One small kiss
'Cause he loves her
And he loves her 'cause she's beautiful

So, one day I grabbed some scissors
And I held them to my face
My reflection in the mirror wasn't me
I was replaced
By a girl who's sense of innocence
Wasn't hers to keep

So‚ I made a cut below my eye
And deep into my cheek
Over time my face was covered
With every time I was afraid
Every time I heard his footsteps and I prayed
I could disappear....

So‚ I waited for prince charming
A little bird‚ a broken wing
While my cuts
A gorgeous bloody shade of purple
Start to sting

He began to read the story
It's the stories that I miss
Then he looked at me and left
Without a kiss

One small kiss
And ya trust him
You think it must be okay

[NOELLE, spoken]
Anyway...

[NOELLE]
I may have won that battle
But the war is never ending
Every scar was made to save me
They're a lesson I am lending to myself
They're on display

So I guess what I am saying is
I'm used to it by now
Not being kissed
Not being kissed
Not being kissed