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Coming of Age Sad Romance

A/N: This story does revolve around the topic of depression. So please, stay safe. This is more of a poem format, and I just had an idea and wanted to write it out in a way that best suited me.



I’m watching the raindrops


pound against the window


No sun insight


Covered by gray stormy clouds


It’s dark


It’s cold


A flash of light


followed by a boom


Hope for a second


Cling onto that light


But as soon as it comes


it’s gone




The sea is violent and bleak


just like my mind


The waves are my thoughts


rolling around in turmoil


Turning into tsunamis


crashing and pounding against my skull


I’ll tell them that it’s all right


That I’m fine


But every time a wave hits me


My coastline crumbles and falls into the sea


Into the churning dark abyss


that I’m precariously dangling above


And it happens


over 


and over


and over


Again


and again


I’m losing my mind


And all that I’ll say


is that I’m okay


That I’m fine


But it’s all a lie


It’s starting to seem


that everything I say


is a lie nowadays




The coastline is battered


Torn apart


The black


sickly


dark waves


Eating away at me


I can feel myself 


Being chipped away at from the inside


Turning into an empty vessel


and I pretend not to mind


Pretend not to notice


I just keep pretending


that everything’s fine


Keep telling everyone that I’m okay

But deep inside me


I can just barely feel


the panic bubbling in my chest


Spiraling in the wind


Like a bird


Spreading its wings


Taking flight


Because I can see what’s happening to me


I can’t feel anymore


Everything I say lacks emotion


And I can’t feel anymore


I’m hollowed out from the inside


And I’m shattered


But I can’t show it


Because I knew this would happen




Nobody seems to notice


They accept my lies


Without a second thought


And just go on with their lives


Leaving me behind


And it’s so dark


And I’m so cold


I’m so lost


I’m so alone


I’m so empty


And nobody seems to notice


Nobody seems to care


So why should I?




Every day I’m putting on a mask


Hiding behind it


Because I don’t even know 


who I am anymore


I can’t remember who I am


Who I was


And all I see


Is a nobody


Somebody who doesn’t belong


I see my skinny frame


My ribs that jut out


The dark bags under my eyes


That leaves me wondering


Will I ever be enough?


I’m left to wonder


Stuck in the storm


Inside my head


That just won’t end




I’m so desperate


So imperfect


And I want so badly


to be perfect


to be flawless


To be the person 


that everyone wants to see


But I’m not 


I’m useless


My mind is rocky and barren


Crumbling


Self-destructing


Empty


And I hate it


I hate it all


So I run 


Run to the ocean


The waves are cold and rough


Like the knife in my pocket


So I sit on the edge of the rock


Just above the waves


I draw the knife


I hold it up


And I cut


Blood drips from my arm 


onto the brown rock


A wave batters me but I don’t flinch


Because I’m used to it 


I look down at the rock


And the blood is gone


Into the depths of the ocean


Like it was never there


So I keep cutting


and cutting


And more blood 


Drips onto the rock


Over


and


Over


Tainting it


So that no matter how many times


The ocean washes over it


It’ll always be there


Irreplaceable


Stained


and beautiful


In a dark way


I roll down my sleeves and head home




Nobody glances at me


Nobody looks twice 


at my baggy hoodie


Someone yells at me


To go wash the plates


And I do it


Obediently


Because I don’t know what to do anymore


I don’t know what to expect anymore


I don’t know what I want to be anymore


Because I just don’t know anything anymore


And I’ll never give it a second thought 


Because that’s the way it’s always been




Summer break is over


And I find myself not feeling any dread 


or excitement


Like I used to feel


But I’m fine


I tell myself


Over and over again


That I’m fine


that this is normal


So I put on my dark hoodie


to cover-up 


the red swollen cuts on my arm


And I walk


I don’t look three times before crossing the road


I don’t wave and greet everyone I see


I don’t walk on the sidewalk


like a careful person


Because I’m someone that I don’t know anymore




I get beat up


By the group of girls


that always beat me up


And for once 


I don’t fight back


Because I’m done fighting back


Because I don’t know how to


They finally leave me 


And I peel myself off the floor


Not feeling any pain


I’m just numb


and cold


Just like always


So I stagger to the bathroom


And slump against the stall


And just lie there


Feeling nothing




I hear the sound 


of somebody


Coming in the bathroom


Their shoes


Echo against the tile


But I just sit in the stall


The door opens


My knees are hugged against my chest


as I stare 


At the wall


Not caring who it is


The footsteps stop outside the stall


And someone gently pushes the door open


He has tan skin 


and blonde hair


He seems perfect


In every way


The complete opposite 


Of me


And I wonder 


What he wants


with a loser like me


He crouched down beside me


And leaned on the wall


I can’t say I was surprised


Because I don’t know how to feel surprised anymore


But we just sit there


Drinking in the silence


But this time


It isn’t as empty


I’m not as empty


And I can feel a spark


Of emotion


It isn’t much


But to me 


It’s my whole world


I get up to leave 


And he follows me 


We don’t talk


We just head to class




The days fly by


And life gets easier


I may have my bad days


When the seas are dark and wild


And the sun is gone


And I head back to that rock with the knife


But I also have my good days


When the seas are sparkling blue


And the sun shines brightly above me


But one day


it gets to the point


where not even the rock and the ocean can do anything for me


I can feel the spark inside of me 


stutter and flicker


And so I start to wonder


Why am I still here?


Why am I still alive?


Would anyone notice if I left?


So I walk out to the rock


And stare into the depths 


of the inky black water


for the hundredth time


And wonder 


What it would be like


To jump into them


And just fall asleep


before I fall apart


So I relax


Thinking about the blackness


I look down at the sea 


once again


And I sling my legs


over the edge of the rock


And I get ready to jump


When someone hauls me backward


Away from the edge


I scramble to get out of their grip


The rain plasters my dark black hair to my forehead


But whoever it is has an iron grip 


And they lead me away


from the rock


The knife left out on the edge


The blade stained with blood


When we make it to the beach


Away from the rocks


They let go of me


And I spin around to see who it is


And it's the boy 


from school


His blonde hair


plastered to his forehead


and what shocks me the most 


are the tears in his eyes


They spill over his cheeks


And he asks me one question


Three words


That make me freeze


"Are you okay?"


And I go silent


And I think


Am I okay?


Was what I was going to do okay?


"No," I reply. "No- I-I'm not okay."


He nods 


tears still running down his cheek 


and we walk down the beach together


I look back


and I see


the ocean consuming the knife


the knife with too much blood on it


and I'm glad


and disgusted with myself


With what I've been doing


What I've become


So I look away from the rock


And focus on where I'm headed




He leads me to a lighthouse


It's battered


The white and black stripes of paint


are peeling away


But the lighthouse still stands


It stands straight and tall


A survivor against all the storms 


the waves and the wind


And for a second


I want to be just like the lighthouse


But I shake that thought off


And climb after the boy




The stairs seem to be endless


they keep spiraling


on and on


until we finally reach the top


We sit down on a wooden bench


And look out the window at the rain


"I had an older sister," he says. "She was beautiful. Perfect in every way. We used to play up here all the time when I was younger." 


He looks at a crayon drawing lying on the ground.


"She started acting weird. Stopped coming to play with me. She was always wearing hoodies."


He closes his eyes, tears running freely.


"One day, I found blood inside her sweater sleeves. I ran to the lighthouse."


He opens his eyes.


"She climbed to the top and broke the glass. I ran after her, but I- I wasn't fast enough."


I don't have to ask what she was doing


Because I almost did it


Oh God- I almost did it-


It hits me like a freight train


The weight of realizing


That I tried to kill myself


And that ever since summer break started


I haven't shed a single tear


Not let one emotion


leak out


And for that 


I finally cry


I sob because I haven't cried in months


I haven't let anything out


I haven't told anyone anything


And what has that done for me?


I cry because someone asked me a question


About how I was feeling


And I could finally give


An honest answer


So he turns over to face me 


He's crying too


We're both crying


He cups my cheek 


With his hand


And he kisses me


And I kiss him back


I'm overwhelmed 


I'm surprised


I'm happy


I'm sad


I'm warm


I'm excited


I'm free


I'm at peace


And I love it all.

May 04, 2021 16:12

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3 comments

Kanika G
10:39 May 05, 2021

This was amazing! A very creative illustration of raw emotion. I like how you've narrated the story in a poem format. Very well done!

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Cassandra Levone
11:13 May 05, 2021

Thank you so much for your feedback!! It means a lot!!

Reply

Kanika G
11:23 May 05, 2021

It was a pleasure to read it! :)

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