try arguing with a storm just try to make amends well my life is tornado and this disaster never ends

nothing ever goes right my life is a hurricane i’m outside with no umbrella and it’s more than just pouring rain

everything crumbles around me my life is an earthquake when things finally feel secure my world rapidly starts to shake

why is it that only now i’ve realized i need to drop you like an expired meal? how could i have been so blinded? now the wound you’ve made won’t heal

all these years you’ve controlled me i abided by your rules and regulations can’t believe that only now my eyes have been opened to this revelation

all my memories of us consist of you thriving while stomping on me no care of how i feel, that’s been evident all these years, i’ve never been free

a “friend” was i? ha, funny joke a wall could do the same job i do you talk and talk, expect me to sit there tune in everyday to the show starring you

pressured into not wearing what i want told i’m not allowed to have other friends i was your puppet, a prisoner to you but now i’ve had it, this is where it ends

Esme Davis never had to worry about being untalented.

She’d been asked before, “Is there anything you can’t do?” and not knowing the right way to respond to such a question, she would just laugh warmly.

Esme did realize that she was very well-rounded, and people could be jealous that things came so easily to her. With skills in sports, theatre, art and music, she definitely stood out, so she was always careful never to flaunt anything.

However, there was this one guy at her school...and no matter how hard she tried to keep it on the down-low, he noticed her anyway. And she had definitely noticed him.

It was a crisp fall afternoon, and the sky was blue with not a cloud to be seen. The leaves, no longer green, descended from the trees onto the ground, and crunched under the feet of the passerby. The sun shone onto the campus, allowing just enough warmth for the students to go outside with sweatshirts and not jackets.

It was lovely weather for an afternoon of love. Or so it would seem.

If you looked past the main building, all of the students, all of the brick paths, you’d find a tree in the greens where Esme was sitting at, but she wasn’t alone.

“...I’ve liked you for a long time” Eli Garcia was saying to her. He had just given her a beautiful painting of the two of them together. He looked at Esme deep in the eyes, his green ones sparkling.

She liked him too, she really did. However, she’d never had to pour out her feelings like this. She didn’t know how.

“...So?”

“So?”

“How do you feel about me?”

“Oh, right...” she picked up a leaf and twirled it in her hand. Eli’s face fell a bit.

Esme took a breath. Why was it so hard to say how she felt? She liked him too, she had for a long time. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮! 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬! 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘖𝘕 𝘌𝘴𝘮𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

She took in another deep breath.

The thing was, while Esme was thought to be good at everything-no one’s perfect. Esme had rarely encountered something she was bad at...but that day she finally found a flaw in the system. Expressing her emotions.

And she sure hoped it wouldn’t cost her in this moment.

ding! says my phone, urgently but i ignore it and keep on writing two more: ding! ding! it calls i sigh, this better be exciting

i open my phone and find three texts from my close friend, she’s sweet, but crazy her words are laced with concern and confusion she’s talking about....singing daises?

i roll my eyes, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘴 she goes “the craziest thing just happened“ “i was outside and the daises started singing” “if i didn’t record it i’d thought i’d had imagined”

“um wut😂” i type to her back “you’re playing with me here, right?” she replies “no i’m dead serious” “i’ll send you the audio” she writes

i lean back in my chair and wait a minute later ding! again i hear i tap the audio message she sends to my surprise, i hear singing - quite clear

angelic voices flood my ears wondrous, like nothing i’d heard before it made me feel like i was a cloud, floating then the audio stopped, left me yearning for more

i put my hand on my head, eyes wide “are you sure it’s coming from the flowers?” i guess that was probably a stupid question for the music had this unearthly power

she wasn’t answering right away so i scroll and read back what she sent i text to her “call or ft me” she says “brb ill call you in a sec”

again the message plays it’s miraculous tune and i feel at peace, there’s a great sense of calm when i finally open my eyes i see the message has ended...but the music...keeps going on

i stare blankly at my screen, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩? the same music i still hear loudly i turn slowly, scan my desk, and there they are my two succulents...singing proudly

an amazing first date he had it all planned out romantic, peaceful, perfect without a doubt

his expectations with this girl were at an all time high she was perfect, the only thing was was he the perfect guy?

he hoped the date would maybe cover up his incompetence he approached the evening with such charm and such confidence

but then reservations were canceled and the night went downhill the sky started pouring rain however, he was persistent, still

then he dropped his wallet in a puddle the taxi driver stranded them in the street he cried out in frustration his face turning red as a beet

she must think i’m an idiot, he thought as rain poured down from above how pathetic am i thinking this was a night of love

but then she grabbed his hand and stared deep into his eyes she then smiled and then giggled and he smiled too, to his surprise

the night had been a disaster but she didn’t care as long as he was with her she would go anywhere

it’s true he wasn’t perfect of course, because no person is but he was real and all she wanted was for he to be hers and she to be his

later they came back to the place after many happy years they grabbed some paint and wrote five words,

“we were in love here”

Dear Diary, Something happened yesterday. I don’t know where to start. I met this boy. Well, I didn’t really meet him first. It’s surreal but I guess I...saved him. I was driving on the bridge at about eleven last night, in the middle of one of the heaviest snowfalls I had ever seen. It had been a long day at work. It’s especially hard to function throughout your day when every time you look at someone’s face, you can understand everything their going through, but you can’t do anything about it. Because I’m terrible at talking to people. Like I’ve said before, anybody else in the world would’ve been better fit to have this emotion reading “gift” I have.

I just wanted to go home, hide in my blankets, and watch Netflix.

Anyway, I was driving down the road when something caught my eye. Only, it was a someone. A person, a child, was standing on the edge of the bridge staring down below at the icy waters.

Panic and adrenaline spiked through my veins. All I could think was don’t jump, kid. Don’t jump. Please. Oh no.

I veered my car over and slammed the brakes. I opened my door and the icy air met my face, shocking it.

Don’t jump.

I ran out of my car. “STOP!” I yelled. The child turned in the direction of my voice. I couldn’t see their face through all the snow.

I ran out to them. “I’m here now, don’t jump” I said. “I love you, I’m here to help you.” I wrapped my arms around their waist and lowered them back down to the concrete. The child didn’t resist, though I could feel his or her body wracking with hiccups and shaking with fear.

I thought, how the heck does a kid this young decide to do this? Now I realize, this kind of thing doesn’t have a limit on how old you have to be.

I turned the child around to face me.

It was a boy, with his nose bright red and tears frozen to his face. He sniffed and cried out.

This was the moment.

I would’ve tried consoling him, to read his emotion and situation so I could at least try to talk to him...but his emotion... it was different. I had never encountered what he was feeling, and for once, I couldn’t understand it.

Grey.

I didn’t understand.

The child’s emotions were numb and the only thing I got from his face...was grey.

Instead of trying to understand, and to use words to help, I pulled him into a hug.

And we stayed there, embracing, holding on to each other, as the snow fell from the night sky.

I would’ve stayed there all night with him.

A rapid beat slowly fell upon the peace. The sound of drops and the light noise of rain hitting leaves filled my ears. The sound would have been relaxing in any other circumstance. I watched as water cascaded down from the sky. Looks like Mother Nature was having a bad day as well. I slumped down against the trunk of the tree, the bark scratching up against my neck. My legs dangled limply from the branch, and I felt the pain strike through my calves as I tried moved them. I fell back again. I was too exhausted to move. I closed my eyes and let the water envelop me. The leaves offered little protection, and the rain continued to pound down against my faithful tree. The water soaked through my clothes, sticking to my body. My hair clung to my face and water continued to run down my cheeks like unforgiving tears. But I was already used to those. I turned, giving the left side of my back a break from the pressure, and slowly opened my eyes. What lay before me was not the familiar scene of leaves and branches. Staring back at me, were a pair of eyes. Hungry, malicious, and glowing blood-red. I threw back my head and let out an ear-piecing scream. The shriek rung throughout my ears and my heart leaped into my throat. Desperate for safety, I fell back, searching for another branch, searching for anything to get me to safety. Falling backward, I felt the branch disappear from under my legs. I let out a gasp and reached out but grabbed nothing but the crisp air. Panic ran throughout my bones and the falling sensation enfolded my every being. The rain’s steady flow hammered against my head. Time seemed to slow, and there I was; body sprawled out in the air, arms still reaching out, mouth open to scream but my breath stolen, and the jungle before me turned upside down. Thoughts flooded through my mind all at once. Why did you run away? I thought it was worth it. Why did you do this? I can’t go back to the place they said was my home. Were the red eyes in the tree scarier than the monsters in my mind? Is this better than being with the monsters back at “home”? What happens next?

There I was falling, a familiar subject. With all the thoughts flooding through my head I barely got a chance to see the muddy ground down below. But I was about to.

I had fallen.