Here's a poster that was in the exam room at Health Services in Astoria. Perhaps I should tattoo this on my arm so I won't forget.
I don't really have much else to say today. It's cold and wet and I didn't wear enough layers, so I'm tired and cranky. And after riding the bus and the MAX earlier, I feel like I should go home and take a bath in Emergen-C.
"Truth or Dare"She lay on the mattress, feeling scratchiness against her skin without the comfort of sheets. She tried not to think about what she'd just done. Tried not to think about where truth or dare had led so early that morning. She opened her eyes and turned her head towards the light coming in through the window, thinking that nothing about college was the way she had thought it would be. Friends lasted as long as their promises. Roommates never understood the pain. And somehow, the only thing she knew for sure was the comfort she found in a jukebox that played sad songs.She closed her eyes as the sun peeked into the room. She didn't want enlightenment just yet. Nor did she want to see the walls that surrounded her. She just wanted to be back in her own bed. She'd been offered a ride home earlier that night, but she said she'd just walk home in the morning. She made that decision. And she knew what would happen because of it. Hell, she knew what would happen before they even decided to come back here. Intuition is a beautiful thing, she thought as she curled up on her side. Too bad it doesn't help with the minutes after.She opened her eyes and stared at the pool of light on the mattress, confused that the warmth of the sun didn't quite reach her body. She sat up then, slowly shifting to her knees to kneel as if in prayer. She watched him get dressed in the middle of the quiet room. It was then that she really noticed the cold, holding her tightly like it wouldn't let her go quite as easily as he had just the moment before. She wrapped her arms around herself and he must have finally noticed. He looked at her and said, very practically,"You're probably bleeding a little bit."And that was that. She nodded and reached for one of his t-shirts, putting it on as he tried to wake up her best friend who'd been asleep next to them. Then she crawled along the floor picking up her clothes. When she found them all, she somehow walked towards the bathroom to get ready for class.
