BerkVille

social Media!

The sound of sizzling bacon and eggs awakened Carson. He dragged himself out of bed and put his phone on the charger, knowing that he had to leave in less than an hour to meet with the school's environmental club. He was already dreading the day as he cleaned his teeth and then cleansed his face with the fresh water from his bathroom sink.

His home was stunning. It is reasonably sized and constructed from crumbling rocks and pink Lyons Sandstone. No one could dispute the sensation of comfort and home the house emitted with its shining front porch and its silence reserved for company exclusively.

Today, a lovely warm Saturday the teenagers in the club had to plant trees and pick up trash around the town whilst spreading awareness to keep the environment clean.

He entered the room, went to his favorite seat at the table his mother had religiously set up for the day's meal. After leaving a business call, his father entered the house and sat down at the table to start browsing the BerkVille News website. When he had finished updating himself on the News he began to dabble in conversation.

"So how was that party the two of you went to the other night?" he asked.

Letting out an annoying grunt with rolled eyes, his mother began. "Don't get me started, their families are so ghetto"

Taken aback he asked "How?"

"The house reeked of pickled garlic and freshly use tampons. I don't know how people can live in such a pigsty'"

They both scoffed in disgust whilst Carson looked at them and thought to himself "Our family isn't any better"

     After clearing his plate and putting it in the dishwasher, he swam to his room while gazing intently at the drugs in his right palm and his phone in his left. He used social media posts from students at our school to compare himself to them. "Why can't I just be happy?", he asked himself as tears streamed down his face. He was mistaken; his life is just as dysfunctional as everyone else's; they were just better at covering it up.

But then he saw a post from one of the scholar lads at school revealing him doing drugs and realized he wasn't alone and felt better. When he got himself together he placed on his usual outfit when he was out of school uniform. He only wore shorts with a t-shirt, sneakers with socks that covered his meaty ankles and a hat to complete the outfit. I still don't know who the hell dresses like that.

10:34 a.m
I woke up to a call from my mother. Crawling from the bed I saw both her and my sister already dressed grabbing their bag, about to leave. My sister was a woman who recently began getting a thicker figure after being slim her entire life and my mother had gained weight because of child birth. Barely able to open my eyes I walked them out the door, locking it and proceeding to sit up on the couch whilst watching a series on the television that my mother left playing for a couple minutes.

For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to reality even after eating breakfast and sipping an energy drink. Reality seemed fake, almost like a dream but I never spoke to anyone about it.

I disregarded the emotion and removed my phone from the charger. I then scrolled through Instagram until I found Beth's account, which she had kept private from her mother. Her account was covered in pictures of her and Gary as well as her report cards. She even had comments from friends telling her how beautiful she was and how cute she and Gary looked together. It was impossible for me not to see how empty my account was. I wanted to post too so that I may receive love in return. I always wanted a fanbase that adored me.

    After stumbling over the idea, I went to the mirror and examined the various aspects of my appearance that I could alter. My face is covered in pimples and acne scars. I've tried every brand of face care product to heal my skin and make me feel less insecure for the past few months, but nothing has worked. It's quite aggravating.

    My sister would try on different hairstyles that she had seen other men wear on me, but I wasn't one of them. You know what I mean? Dresses and feminine styles that would sexualize my body appeal to me more.

   I went to my sister's room and put on some makeup and lipstick using a YouTube video to see how I would look in a more feminine environment. My attractiveness made me cry, despite the fact that my makeup looked mediocre, I knew that this is what would make me happy. I was even more ecstatic because I had supple feminine characteristics to my face. I think I've begun to find my authentic self.

12:13 a.m
Nervous and almost lightheaded as he entered the building where swimming lessons are hosted, Carson pinched himself trying to stop the anxiety and fear his coach had now embedded in him without even knowing.

The building and design practically screamed privileged with air conditioning the same temperature as Alaska. But that wasn't as cold as the pool.

He took the line, wishing for his turn to get drug tested would never come but eventually, it did.

He lingered a while in the bathroom after doing his business, crying about how his parents would look at him if they knew what he had just done. He couldn't last a minute longer in there as tension grew and his teammates began getting agitated at him.

Rushing out of there he handed the jar to his coach and waited with the others on the bench outside the building for his parents. He would collect the results tomorrow night, unfortunately.

   He, on the other hand, was unconcerned. Yesterday he went to the school bathroom with a plan. The toilets reeked of pee, and excrement stains were splattered all over the place. Some of the stalls lacked doors, and pipes were exposed to the elements. There was graffiti on the walls and even the janitor passed the place straight.

    He stooped over the toilet and scooped some urine that hadn't been flushed into a little cup with a lid, holding his breath. Carson had done his homework and realized that the only way to pass a drug test was to either quit taking drugs or have a clean pee sample. He strategized and prayed to God that the pee of that random individual wasn't infected. As soon as he covered the lid he threw away the gloves he had on and tucked the cup into the pocket of his schoolbag. He washed his hands three times before leaving the bathroom disgusted.

8:30 p.m
Dazzling stars, shouting crickets and a sweet aroma were all part of the night. It was still in BerkVille. But tensions were high at Dustin's house.

His mother and aunt got into a heated argument over snacks in the cupboard. They lived in a medium-sized, extended family home with different relatives on his mother's side. His mother and sister, aunt and uncles, grandparents, and three cousins all lived under the same roof.

The house was surrounded by a fusty picket fence and made out of green-heart wood. But its most eye-catching features are the kitchen and bathroom which they had just renovated.

Stumbling into his room in a vociferous manner, his mother slammed the door behind her. She began her daily rant.

"IF HE WAS HELPING ME MORE WITH TAKING CARE OF THE TWO OF YOU, I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS SHITHOLE WITH SELFISH FAMILY MEMBERS!" she began. They could both hear his aunt shouting insults at the door.

Dustin just kept quiet, sat upon his bed, and tried to calm her down but as usual, he couldn't. He had adopted a spiteful feeling towards his father and could already tell his little sister felt the same.

    He gazed over at his laptop screen and the video of one of our classmates' father hugging him brought him envy. So he viciously closed the laptop.

9:11 p.m
Wrapped in her towel after her shower, sitting on her bathroom floor was Beth. She was about to delete her Instagram account when she came across a picture that Dustin took at Dominoes the other day. He looked great and the gold earrings in his ears uplifted his face.

But she couldn't stop feeling guilty every time she gazed into his or my eyes. Last year we begun dating secretly but since her brothers said terrible things about me and would tease her for being friends with us she broke up with me. They favored Gary which she eventually got into a relationship with. I moved on from it a long time ago but I guess that's why I get a little bothered when I see her with Gary knowing he was my replacement.

Tears trickled down her eyes as she picked herself up and stepped to the mirror. She wished she had treated us better and said a quick prayer promising God to be a better person. When she finished her prayer a notification came to her phone of a new picture Carson uploaded with his club to his account. She smiled then began to blow dry her hair.