The shoes were a size too small. Her bare heels stuck out at the back.

The fragile silk stained easily. The shirt was her size but refused to fit.

One eye blue-lined, the other bare. A smile that was never quite right.

The picture had to be taken many times over.

When it was finally done, you'd never have known it was the same she.

Who would know it was the same girl who stood in the crowd, arms crossed nervously tight, and hesitated before the red of the crossing light?

Here is her picture. Funny poses and dimpled mannerisms. Easy among friends and the first to call out "cheese" with unconscious abandon.

Maybe practice does make perfect.