I Am No Longer a Little Girl

I'm standing under the harsh fluorescent lights

Your hungry eyes travel my still developing body

I set my candy bar on the counter,

Pulling a five from my pocket

You don't move, your eyes glued to me

I'm wearing a t-shirt, the one from summer camp

And running shorts, over my swimsuit 

You're making my skin crawl and my stomach hurt

I clear my throat and push the kit kat closer

You rip your eyes away and ring me up

The air conditioner is a dull buzz in the background,

But nothing can distract my mind from the way you're dissecting me

I hand you the money, and time seems to slow as you count my change

You give me the bills, and your hand lingers, touching mine

I yank my hand back, so quickly it seems to startle you

I turn around and walk for the door

Before I go, you tell "Lighten up sweets"

I was 12 when you instilled fear in my veins 

12 when you made me feel like a piece of meat in shark infested waters

12 when you made me realized I was not a girl, but an object

Not a living, breathing human being,

Just a prize to be won

Author's Note

I wrote this quickly during a class, I'm still trying to figure out punctuation and wording, but let me know what you think!