They ask if I'm okay when I am

When I'm just normal, my resting face looks angry or sad.

So people ask me "are you okay?" Exactly when I am.

So I smile. But it isn't natural. Forcing something that isn't natural hurts my jaw.

There's a name for this. Masking. A lot of autistic people do it to get through neurotypical spaces. We learn the scripts, the right amount of eye contact, when to laugh. We watch faces for signs we said something wrong.

My neutral face isn't cold or mean. It's just resting. But a resting face doesn't look like that to other people, so I perform.

I feel the pressure to do it every day.

My jaw still hurts.