I Know What Rhymes With Orange

Chapter 1 | Saffron Madness

I Know What Rhymes With Orange

Chapter 1

Saffron Madness

I’m not normal. I’m human and all, but I’m talking mentally. My mentality is one that would frighten those scary monsters that we used to imagine would hide under our bed at night when we were little. Or in your closets for some. Anyway, I’m crazy. Well that’s what everyone else says, I say I’m perfectly normal and stable. People say I’m wacky, wild, outlandish, bizarre, mad, odd, zany, daft… and much, much more.

“Hey, Silviana listen to this. It reminds me of you,” Rooney called out to me from her spot on my bed. She’s laying on her belly, with her legs in the air, ankles crossed. She began to read the words that were contained in the book she held,

“‘TRUE! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story.’”

Looking up at me from her book her face showed the expression of expectedness. “So?” She says questioningly.

“So?” I repeat in the same tone.

Rolling her eyes before rolling off my bed she shuffles towards the computer chair that I’m sitting in, at the desk at the far right corner of my room. When in front of me she grabbed hold of both sides of my face tightly, making my cheeks squish together almost resembling a fish and said, “Do you not see any similarities from you and the narrator of “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe?”

I blinked.

She sighed, and her face deflated. Shaking her head she let go of my face, “I’d love to know what goes on in that head of yours.”

“If only she knew,” Sam’s voice came from the doorway of my bathroom. “You really should clean up your mind. It’s getting crowded in there, you know I’m claustrophobic!”

I ignored him like I always do and have when people are around, and returned my attention back to Rooney. “Rue,” I start with a sigh, “You don’t want to know what’s in my mind.” I shook my head. That was the wrong wording. “No, you definitely do not want to know what’s in my mind,” I corrected.

Rooney observed me with slit eyes. She brought her face close to mine our nose almost touching-

“Whoa! Girl-on-girl action, wait let me get some popcorn.” That voice again!

A bunch of facial expressions crossed through her face, but she settled on one before I could blink my eyes. She was smiling, but I could see the sadness she actually felt through her eyes. “Me and Greg broke up!” Running back to my bed she stood up onto it, and started jumping up and down, making the springs on the mattress screech in pain. “You know I’m starting to think that Kaida was right. I mean it’s almost a known fact-”

“Nope! I’m not listening. I’m not listening,” I sung immaturely once I knew what was coming next. For some weird reason Rooney has this weird thinking that she’s unpretty, when we all know that she’s about the prettiest girl in the school. Until Kaida came of course. Ugh! Even her name makes me want to punch somebody in the neck.

“Wow. Nice one Silver and maybe later we can eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while watching ‘Barney,’" Sam teased referring to my way of blocking out what Rooney was saying, from his new spot on my desk.