How Does a Daffodil Survive in Winter?

xviii | Metaphorically Everything

TW: Mentions of an abusive relationship

When most heroes fall, it's dramatic. The sky becomes all cloudy for them and sombre music powered by an entire orchestra plays in the background as heartfelt last words are exchanged. Rivers would flow from everyone's eyes for the hero as they took their last breath. Well, before they give long speeches about family, friendship, and love that don't match the speed you would die if you got stabbed. After they finally die from that fatal wound, it stays cloudy and everyone stops living to remember the hero. And then the movie would end and the audience would be crying even though it was all fake and the actor was probably enjoying their large sum of money on their private jet with their brand new award they got for pretending to die a heroic death on screen.

But I was no hero. I was just a background character who plummeted to their own demise without anyone noticing. I wasn't stabbed or anything. In fact, I didn't even come close to dying physically. Nobody stayed for my big speech that I totally had.

It was fitting that the setting of my descent into metaphoric rock bottom would be a lousy public high school. It was the sunniest day in winter. The school gardener had gotten his beard trimmed a little and was out early in the morning watering the gardens. Still no signs of any daffodils. I figured that they were probably dead like I had first predicted. I walked past the gardener and I got this feeling that if I don't greet him, I'll never get the chance to again. I didn't though, I just kept walking into the school. It was stupid.

Dragged themselves around in big jackets thanks to the lack of heating inside the school. Despite being early that day, the school had half of its population there already moping around. Groups were already beginning to form and quiet chatter could be heard. I wandered aimlessly around the school and that feeling of never seeing it again came back. I found myself taking in every detail of the school. From the gum that's stuck everywhere to the cheap paint job that was barely visible. All of it.

I lied about the no background music thing, there was a faint sound of Beethoven's symphony number I-failed-music coming from the band room where the band geeks were already rehearsing. It was completely out of sync and a couple of the instruments were also out of tune. Everything sucked at our school; nobody ever achieved anything. We didn't even have an official band and it was clear to me why as I listened to the mess that was supposed to be this beautiful symphony.

Further down the hall, along the walls lined with identical blue lockers, I spotted Tom and the football team trying to light each other's farts on fire. They kept trying and hollering every time someone got a spark. I think they're diet must've consisted only of beans from the amount of fart they were producing. And the funny thing was, they were lighting the fire right next to the fire extinguisher, like they anticipated the possibility of setting everything on fire and burning down the school. With their stupidity, it's really not a surprise they lost most of their games.

I also saw Nikki not far from the group of immature jocks, she was too deep into her conversation with whoever was on the phone to notice how loud she was.

"Chloe! What do you mean you're moving back? Like, what about our shopping trip and getting our nails done and like. You said you were gonna take us to get extensions! Ugh, you're like, sooo annoying."

Silence as Chloe, who appeared to be on the phone, responds.

"Aw, I'm your fav cousin?... Oh my gosh, you're my fav too!... Okay... It's fine! Girl, don't worry about it... uh-huh... 'kay, bye girl, love ya too!"

Whatever they were talking about didn't interest me and I tried to walk away. Unfortunately, Nikki had already seen me and called me over. Reluctantly I walked over to her.