I'll Tell It All in 6, 100, and 500 Words | Teen Ink

I'll Tell It All in 6, 100, and 500 Words

December 22, 2014
By WisdomShepherd BRONZE, Amherst, Massachusetts
WisdomShepherd BRONZE, Amherst, Massachusetts
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
It's probably not an issue.


She realized her mistake after jumping.

The air was cold as she stood standing there. Whispers of snow and ice clung to her arm, goosebumps dotting the freckles and pink lines near the wrists. A pink silk blouse and jeggings weren’t adequate, but these things didn’t matter. She stood on the railing, ballet flats unstable, and took in an icy breath. She heard a voice approaching, running: him. She turned, and stepped out, as he screamed “Wait!” into the night. Falling, the rapids were white, and as she fell, she looked up, and cried out in terror at the realization of what she had just done.

Jeffrey didn’t jump that night. Jessica did.
She had woken up that day, ready to tell them. It was their last Christmas before she left for college, and the snow dotted the landscape, shivers spreading through the morning, dusting the town. She went to the bathroom, pulled out the razor, and began to shave; her armpits, her legs, her face. She cleaned up nicely, she thought. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail at the base of her neck, and took her sister’s curler from underneath her sink. She left the bathroom a new woman.
Out of the dresser in the corner of the room, Jessica pulled out the padding and clothes that she had found at the thrift store. It’s a gift for my sister, she had told the clerk. They had eyed her oddly, and shrugged it on as she paid. She put on the bra, the foam cups, the pink blouse, the jeggings. At the end, she still didn’t look like herself, but it was better than nothing.
“Jeffrey, are you coming down soon?” Her mom called from downstairs. “Yeah, one second,” she said, putting on some mascara. She took a look in the mirror, taking in a deep breath. She looked beautiful. She was beautiful. And soon, everyone would see.
Jessica walked down the stairs. She turned the corner, to see Grandpa Eric and Grandma Jean sitting at the coffee table. Grandma Jean saw her and smiled, but her eyes were sad. Grandpa Eric took one incredulous glance and guffawed. “What a joker you are, Jeffrey!” He cried out. Her dad looked from around the counter, and she saw a flash of anger fly through his eyes. “Very funny, Jeff.”
Jessica frowned. “Dad, we’ve talked about this.” Her mom, turning the corner, saw her husband standing, fist gripping the champagne glass in hand. He put it down, forcefully, and stepped back. “Damn straight we have.” Jessica sighed. “Please, Dad...”  His eyes were icy against his skin. “My son’s not a fucking fag.”
Jessica stood shaking as the atmosphere grew tense. Grandma Jean turned around to her dad and started yelling at him, “What the hell type of parent talks to their kids like that?” and Grandpa Eric was eying Jessica in a new light, a look of confusion on his face. “Please, let’s not fight about this anymore,” whispered her mom, and her dad grabbed the bottle of champagne from the counter and threw it in a blind fury at Jessica. There was silence in the kitchen. It was getting dark outside.
The broken glass on the wall and the bubbles dotting the pastels were the thing that ended it. Before Jessica was aware of what she was doing, the stream of black liquid crossed in front of her eyes, and then she was in the car, driving along the highway. Convenience store, drug store, the bridge. She stood on the railing, and stepped off. Her last sight was her father’s face against the night.



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This article has 6 comments.


witchwallow said...
on Jan. 13 2015 at 6:01 pm
witchwallow, Los Gatos, California
0 articles 0 photos 37 comments
Very relatable in our current society. I enjoued it.

on Jan. 13 2015 at 4:22 pm
RedHadan BRONZE, New York, New York
3 articles 0 photos 53 comments

Favorite Quote:
Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find her way by moonlight, and her punishment is that she sees the dawn before the rest of the world.

I got confused on what the dad was mad about but that was probably just me. lol. This story, from what I could understand was touching and held great meaning. Keep writing!

on Jan. 13 2015 at 12:49 pm
rosevomit BRONZE, Cornish, Utah
4 articles 0 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Marijuana is bad." -Adults

this is f'ing awesome.

Mollyblueit said...
on Jan. 13 2015 at 9:36 am
Mollyblueit, Little Rock, Arkansas
0 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom.”
― Edgar Allan Poe

I love this!!! This story is beautiful and scary, the scariest part being this actually happens! I hope one people wont even bat an eye at LGBT people.

on Jan. 13 2015 at 8:05 am
WisdomShepherd BRONZE, Amherst, Massachusetts
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
It's probably not an issue.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

on Jan. 13 2015 at 5:29 am
FallenAngel170198 GOLD, Bundaberg, Other
13 articles 0 photos 47 comments
I love this so much. So touching. The storyline is perfect and it is so realistic.