Short Story Collection

Never Picked Up Again (alt. One-Night Stand)

I didn't think I could end up like this. All that time it took just to put me together. Hours of meticulously detailing my story on every page beneath my hard exterior. Dozens of sessions were dedicated to perfecting my mask. And you only ever touched me once. Now I sit here idly, wondering if you'll ever come back. I just can't understand what about me could have turned you off. Was it my language? Was it the texture of my skin? Or the glossy look to my protective layer? Why would you pick me up and take me home if you were never going to make contact with me again? I know you didn't find my story boring. You took every piece of me I could give. Touched every part of me and marked up all my pages. But now you're gone. I see you walk by me sometimes. Sometimes I see you picking up others, even more than once on occasion. So why haven't you ever so much as glanced at me since that night? I probably don't even have a place in your mind. I've just been shelved away and forgotten, with all of your other conquests. I didn't know I could end up like this, but I don't think I will ever forget how you have treated me. I have value but you have acted like I am nothing but an item to put on display. Something you can show off to all of your friends but then you leave me to collect dust. Where can I go from here? Am I just destined to be confined in your collection for the rest of my existence? Or are you going to throw me away someday to make room for another? I don't take up much space, I promise. Would you really get rid of me? It scares me that I could end up in a box or on yet another shelf. But what if...what if I could be cherished elsewhere? Could someone else finally treasure me as I hoped for? Like I dreamed of? Will someone finally dedicate their time to delve into my pages and understand me fully? Will they caress my skin and trace my spine? I may have been used but they could still care for me. But I don't really have a choice, do I? I'm bound to you until you decide what to do with me. So I continue to sit, in prolonged silence, forever. Did I ever mean anything to you?