Sylvie had always been something of a fast driver—_no_, a driver with purpose. But that was par of the course in the Big Apple. You either bobbed and weaved or plowed your way through rush-hour traffic to escape the inevitable gridlock.

Today, however, different. Today, Sylvie drove with a razor-sharp fastidiousness. Almost mechanical in how she navigated from lane to lane, smooth as silk in cha...

His chin wobbled.

“I was just trying to be what you wanted.”

A single candle on the table in front of him illuminated a large painting hanging on the wall. The eyes of the painting stared back at him. Unmoving.

Prince Charming VI swallowed painfully and let out a sigh. Then he blinked down at the crown that lay, weighty, in his hands. The cold metal of the crown was not warming fast enough to h...

TW: abuse, swearing

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Erin hid under her bed, stifling sobs. She heard his footsteps nearing, his hands shuffling on the walls.

“Where ya hiding Erin?” He sniffed. “Git OUT!”

Erin whimpered and heard him chuckle. His boots came in her room.

“Got ya!” He looked under the wrong bed. It was her chance.

Erin slid out from the bed and snuck to the door. Halfway there, he started running for...

I was trying to be what you wanted

But nothing ever quite does it

I work myself to my bone

But still my love is unrequainted

I milked myself of blood and tears

But still you didn’t seem to care

I was trying to be what you wanted

Now I’m somebody nobody wants...

“I was just trying to be what you wanted!” She screamed, crying.

“The person you needed to be.. wasn’t who you became. You became selfish, conceded, hateful, vengeful. What I wanted was peace. What you became was strife. Chaos. You were insatiable! That’s not what I wanted! I…”. My voice cracked as I held back the tears, “I wanted… I NEEDED someone I could rely on!”

“Did I not protect you...

Growing up was constantly

Swimming

With no gills

In a pool of ice water

Always moving

Pursuing

The label of

Your perfect daughter

You love me, you applaud me

You know that I’m smart

But what happens when

Miss perfect

Stops playing her part?

Will you still adore me

If about me

You can no longer brag?

If I start speaking my mind?

Waving a more colorful flag?

If I center my values

Instead of padding ...

i honestly hate this one so feel free to ignore it

she said i was too short for the picture

too tall for my boyfriend.

he says i eat too much

but when i cut back, my parents force more food in my mouth.

mom says that she loves me no matter the grade

and switches up at the sight of a 75%.

why does nothing i do end well for me?

i was just trying to be what they wanted.....

Do you want me to be a cheerleader? Is that the only way you’ll be interested in me? Is that the only thing you care about? Well, I’m sorry that it’s not going to happen. I’m me, and that’s good enough for me.

I wish you were more like you used to be before cheer became your life. Don’t you remember that you were interested in stories? You used to write amazing stories about animals that seemed s...

**_Loriene_**

“I was just trying to be what you wanted—“

My mother slaps me across my face, sharp, a slice through the air and upon my cheek. The stinging starts after a few seconds, but I can’t seem to move my head, move any part of my body, really.

“How _dare_ you embarrass me! HOW DARE YOU!” My mother grabs my face between her hand, nails pressing against the softer parts of it.

“Mother,” I...

I was just trying to be whatever you wanted.

That was how it started, and somehow, it was still where I found myself. Caught in a loop, a constant battle between who I was and who I was supposed to be—at least in your eyes. And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why that mattered so much. But it did. More than I wanted to admit.

When we first met, you seemed so certain of everything. You ...