Literally found this song five minutes ago, and brought it here. it talks about how pride makes us empty, i think.
idk why, but i'm getting major INTJ vibes from this artist and i'm enjoying every second of it.
not promising not to post more songs by him ;P
but yeah... sigh, it's not an INFP artist, i know, i know... it just fits too well to ignore
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Red hair waved in the spring breeze. When it fanned out under the sun, it changed color, somehow dimming and brightening simultaneously. The red almost disappeared to make room for fire; blazing fire.
Ever since that day when Adrian's mother forced them all to help her pick dandelions, he saw her wild hair as it blazed in front of the sun.
Love must feel like that. Fiery orange. Because that's what he felt.
The fog of youth didn't let it show though. He only came to that realization after she left them on May 8th, exactly four years ago... today.
The sun dipped behind the mountains minutes ago, leaving Adrian disappointed that he missed the best part of the sunset. At least the orange still lingers beneath the pink. Although it's kinda purply; not as fiery.
Benny and his mother left ten minutes ago, leaving Adrian to his night shift all by himself.
Empty plates and cups fill his arms as he passes the window for a brief glimpse of the fleeting color. It fades all too soon into the blue and he's left with the faint image in his mind and tan vinyl seats to feast his eyes on.
There's only one differently colored lump in the otherwise mundane shades of tan and white; a green knitted sweater and strawberry blonde curls.
Her face looks different this time. No lipstick or eye makeup. Her waffle barely touched, she stares at it with parted lips. Dazed. That's the look. She looks dazed.
Her eyelids suddenly droop as she bobs towards her plate.
Adrian freezes as he watches her jerk upwards, stiffening to the point of cornstalk-straight.
What is wrong with her?
Like the mother hen Kimmy is, she rushes to the table with a glass of water.
"You alright, hon?" Her voice is softer than when she uses it on Adrian.
He rolls his eyes as he sweeps the corners of the room. "You okay, Adrian? Do you need anything, like a hug?" he whines just above a whisper, in a poor attempt to mimic her voice. "No, thanks Kimmy. You're always so nice. You don't have to worry about lil' old me..." He pauses as the girl rubs her head with her palm.
"I'm suddenly really tired. I don't know what's wrong," she responds. He can't help but listen since the crowd left when the open sign flipped and the 60's music was turned down ten notches. The diner is almost silent besides the rhythmic swipes of the broom and distant dishes clinking in the sink.
"What's this?" Kimmy mutters as she picks up a prescription bottle off the table. She squints at the little letters on the label, tilting them towards the florescent light bulbs. It doesn't seem to help because she sniffs and puts the bottle down in defeat.
"Oh, that's just my Ritalin. I take that everyday." The girl yawns and sets her head on her arms. "It's not working for some reason though..."
Adrian makes his way to the other side, with his broom. He peeks at the bottle in the corner of his eye, brushing the floor a little too lightly.
"Triazolam." He stops, taking the bottle into his hands. "These are sleeping pills."
"What?" Kimmy's hands fly to her hips, only to snatch the bottle from Adrian in another attempt to read the label. "Sleeping pills? Sweetie, how many did you take?"
The girl barely lifts her head, only to drop it on her arms again. "Uh... Two..."
Adrian comes behind Kimmy's shoulder, glancing over the label again. "The dosage is one..."
"Oh dear. Oh dear. How's she going to get home... We'll have to... But we can't just..." Kimmy rubs her forehead harshly, thoughts sputtering around, inside her half-sentences.
Pursing his lips, Adrian finds a name beneath the date of expiration.
Daffodil O'Brian.
What?
That's a real name?
He contains a snort, sliding the broom handle up and down in his grasp.
Daffodil?
Wow, now that's original.
"Ady." Kimmy re-alerts his attention. She turns to him, setting the bottle back down. "Shift is over early. You're taking this girl home."
"Huh? Wait-"
"No buts, no excuses. And your cat isn't considered family."
His mouth shuts around his lame excuse of needing to get home to his family.
"You're taking her home and that's final. We're not going to find this girl passed out on the street."
Any chance for escape diminishes right before his eyes. Tears drip on the backside of his eyelids.
This girl of all girls...
Karma's stupid revenge.
But what did he even do to deserve this?
Kimmy leaves the conversation to scold Levi for slacking, and Adrian finds himself with a sleeping head of blonde curls.
"Hey," he mumbles, watching her for any signs of movement. "Hey, lady." The end of his broom handle nudges her shoulder.
Still nothing.
With a sigh, he looks down at the un-swept area of the room. "Daffodil."
She stirs, lifting sleepy eyes up to meet his.
Ugh. Blue. Just as ugly as last time.
"Where do you live?" Adrian asks, annoyance clearly written on his face.
"Just a few blocks south of here. I'm sure I can make it on my own, though." With a grunt, she's on her feet, swaying towards the table she was just occupying. "I think I'll be okay. You don't have to walk me home."
Maybe she's right. She's standing, isn't she? Two solid legs and a brain that is awake enough to make decisions. That's all you need.
Yeah, she doesn't need someone to walk her home!
Adrian almost smiles, but one look at Kimmy changes his mind in an instant.
"I'd like to keep my job, thanks," he says grimly, leading her past the approving nod of his boss and out the door with their jackets. The girl doesn't object.
A melancholy breeze greets his face as he takes the sidewalk leading away from his apartment. Every step is another step away from home. It doesn't feel as bad as he expected.
"You're gonna have to remember where you live, alright? I'm just..." Adrian slows, turning around to see Daffodil leaning her forehead on a light post.
He walks back to her, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I get that you're tired, but you can't fall asleep, unless you want me to leave you here." This isn't the time for creative words, but that sounds mean, even coming from his mouth.
The girl sniffs, glaring at the ground as she gets off of the pole. "Sorry." Her voice is soft but somehow bitter at the same time.
Adrian bites his lip in regret. Best not to say anything now. The damage is already done.
He watches her catch up to him with drooped eyelids. Every step towards him is a greater struggle than the last.
Guilt and pity swirl in the pit of his stomach. Walking again, he squints at the blue of the sky, counting the sparse puffs of clouds, hanging near the horizon.
The girl follows at a slower pace, making it hard to ignore the crazy amount of distance they gain; half a block from the diner. Wow. Progress.
"Why the heck would you take sleeping pills?" he grumbles, one knee hitting the cement; his back faces her.
"What are you doing?" Clear confusion slices through her tired voice.
"Just get on."
In amazing obedience, she practically falls on top of him. Her arms find their proper place around his neck and her head snuggles between them.
"Sorry for making you do this. Today has been the worst." she mumbles after Adrian catches his balance and begins to walk again. "My mind has been somewhere else all day."
Good to know. "Yeah, but didn't you read the bottle? I mean, keeping multiple bottles in your purse should prompt a question of what you're taking. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. This is the dumbest thing I've seen all week. Who even keeps sleeping meds in their purse?" He hardly believes the words coming out of his mouth; so angry and harsh, but he can't stop them. They just don't stay in his head like usual. What's happening?
"I know. You're right. I'm so stupid." Cars cruise down the street beside them, the pebbly noise of tires and asphalt connecting fills the air. But a distinct noise perks his ears from just behind him. Sniffles. They sound against his neck. He tenses as hot tears soak through the layers of his jacket and shirt.
"Hey, you don't have to cry about it... Jeez, you're worse than me." he chides. That stupid empathetic urge to cry with her hits and he takes a giant breath in. That, and an empty sensation pulls down on his heart.
"I just... my dad's anniversary of death is today."
Something squirms inside his chest; a feeling he had been repressing since he woke up today.
He swallows hard.
No. He can't feel that. He already did that.
"What happened?" Adrian asks, kicking loose rocks off the edge of the concrete.
She takes a few long breaths. "Car accident." Her arms tighten around him and she puts her head between his shoulder blades. "Sorry, I usually don't cry. It was six years ago for goodness' sake!" she sniffs through a fractured laugh. "And now I'm telling a total stranger my life-story. These sleeping pills are no joke."
"Yeah." His voice cracks. He looks down as his chin quivers and eyes melt into sparkles. "Same day though."
"Huh?" Daffodil yawns, drowsiness getting the better of her hands as they almost let go. She begins to slide off his back, but he hefts her up again, tightening his hold on her legs.
"Nothing."
Daffodil gives a deep sigh, sleep overtaking her limbs far too quickly. Adrian feels her breaths evenly fanning his neck.
She's asleep.
"Hey, how much further?" he ask the dead air, knowing she doesn't hear him.
She gives no response, small snores sounding behind him.
His fingers pinch the spot behind her knee hard and she yelps.
"Where do you live?" he grumbles.
"It's the next right... First house on the left."
Just as she says, a brown house surrounded by weeds comes into view. He kicks up the chain-link fence latch and pushes it open on its squeaky hinges.
"Here's good." Daffodil slides off his back landing on two unstable legs. They somehow carry her around him and up the cinder-block steps leading to the door. "Thanks for pinching me instead of dropping me."
He smirks against his will. "Yeah, I really wanted to drop you though." Kinda true.
The girl chuckles through her half-closed eyes before closing the door. A lamp goes on in the window and he turns to go back through the fence, making sure to drop the latch on the gate.
Maybe Kimmy will pay him for over-time.
==============May-18-21==============
pub, Oct-31-21
Daffy isn't my brightest character but then again, are any of my characters actually smart?
nah, not mine bro
i found out the difference between, short story, novelette, and a novel.
there's actually a bunch of kinds (according to some random sight i found on google):
Flash Fiction: <1,000 words
Short story: 1,000-7,499 words
Novelette: 7,500-19,999 words
Novella: 20,000-49,999 words
Novel: 50,000-119,999 words
Epic: 120,000-300,000 words
so, this book (life is funny like that) and The Averages are apparently considered novellas, and to think, The Hooded Thief almost made it to the size of an Epic... 😦
Yes, you're eyes do not deceive you; this is being updated at 5:20 am. on a sunday. What in the actual heck'n world, is wrong with me??
honestly, idk why i'm not sleepy but it's kinda the vibe not gonna lie... strangely enjoying this
I will tell you something i morbidly fear since starting college;
becoming a morning person.
DUN DUN DUN!
oh my gosh, i can barely imagine it without shuttering
*lol as i write this at 5:25 am on a sunday*
I wish i could rant more on life's woes but there is currently nothing going on in my 2000's dell laptop brain at the moment. it's still on screensaver mode, the logo bouncing around the dark abyss.
what a great paragraph... dang this early morning business is doing something for me
oh, happy halloween, guys! 🎃