toxic.
(n.) very harmful or unpleasant in a pervasive or insidious way.
when jules left town, rue was left with a feeling of emptiness.
but when an old friend comes back to town after being in boarding school for a year, rue is left with either a fe...
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MICHAELA WOKE UP before rue. making her way downstairs she was joined by jamie who had just walked into the shop.
"you wanna tell me the whole story?" jamie asked as he and michaela both sat behind the counter. "you got time?" she laughed. "i don't open for another hour, it's only nine." he smiled at the 17 year old.
"well it all started when i returned from boarding school — she began to tell jamie about her and arvin, confessing to maddy about her addiction, meeting jules and then deciding to run away for a new life — and then we got on a train and now i'm here, asking you to take us in." michaela sighed.
"have you heard from your mom?" jamie asked her, he wasn't one to judge, but he knew that her mother wasn't one to care a whole bunch. "no, a few texts from maddy but i haven't replied yet." she shrugged.
"i'd never turn you down mic, you know that." he said. "and for that, i'm grateful." she smiled at him.
_____
RUE WOKE UP to the sound of chatter emitting from downstairs. quickly putting on an outfit. she walked down the spiral staircase.
the shop wasn't too busy, it had a few costumers coming in and out every now and then. some people sat on comfy chairs with their noses in books of all kind. the smell of coffee and the cackling of the fire made the store have a home like feel to it.
on the counter, sat michaela. reading a book of her own and helping out a costumer who wanted to pay for a book or even ask her a question.
for the first time in rue's whole life. she finally had hope that she could turn her life and herself around, in the right direction.
she really believed this was the life she was meant to live, and she wouldn't want to live it with anyone other than michaela.
"hey." rue smiled as she walked over to where michaela was sat. "hey, i bought you a coffee." michaela said to rue handing the cup towards her.
rue smiled as a thanks and sat beside her girlfriend sipping her coffee.
looking around, seeing michaela in deep concentration in her book. costumers conversing in chat while looking for the perfect book to read.
rue was content.
she didn't need drugs to numb the pain anymore. rue felt no pain, sitting here with michaela. watching strangers talk to other strangers as if they have been friends for years.
rue use to think drugs are what kill you. she couldn't be further from the truth, love can end in two ways. it can end in an eternal state of happiness, both partners feeling euphoric.
or it can end in misery and pain, the second outcome is what kills you. and rue began to believe, she was lucky enough to have the first outcome with michaela.
her michaela.
sometimes michaela didn't even feel real. she felt as if michaela was too good for her. simply a figure of her imagination trying to numb the pain.
rue began to overthink these thoughts, feeling as if michaela wasn't even there at all. turning her head towards michaela she was faced with an empty seat. michaela wasn't sat there anymore.
as rue began to look around the shop in search for her, she noticed the happy strangers start to disappear. the smell of coffee and the sound of the fire cackling wasn't there anymore.
the dimly lit lamps began to vanish, the beautiful oak book cases began to crumble, talking the beautiful books with it. the spiral stair case began spinning and vanishing into dust.
the once cozy book store was now replaced with a large space. bright white filled the void. it was only rue, until she heard faint footsteps behind her.
"michaela!" rue breathed out, until she noticed michaela was almost transparent. "where am i?" she asked the girl a couple steps infront of her.
"where do you think you are?" michaela asked her with a smile still plastered on her face. "was this real? or was this all just happening in my head?" rue asked.
"ofcourse it's happening in your head rue, but why should that mean it's not real? happiness can be found even in the darkest of times. happy outcomes can come to unhappy people. it is our choice to believe what makes us happy or not." michaela told her.
michaela's figure started to become more transparent until rue couldn't see her anymore, as if she was never their in the first place. she was merely a figure of her imagination.
