Love was looking sloppy these days. She was lazy but spontaneous, and she wore that outgrown shirt that you shove to the back of your closet because it has too much nostalgia to give away. I think she forgot how to tie her laces because she trips a lot lately. She is always smiling. That bright dazzling smile with perfect teeth. Even when she is sad she is still good. Love looks like your childhood best friend who made you laugh. She’s close to your brothers, and she isn’t too good at making decisions. She hugs you even when you don’t want her to, and I know she’s trying but I want her to stop. She’s charming and bubbly but awkward and messy and she’s unkempt. Her palms are sweaty, and she lives in the deepest parts of you because we tend to push her away. Love is sloppy. She is wearing the outfit that you wore the first time you saw him. She has on the bracelet that your youngest brother gave to you the night you were sad and heels that make her way too tall. She is playing with you. Love keeps getting in the way she wants to be seen but she’s clouding your vision.

—By Violet W., 16, London