High And Dry

Fake Plastic Trees

hey guys sorry for such a short chapter tonight, new years eve and such. i'm exhausted. i'll try to write a longer one for tomorrow...sorry :/

also, if you have any tips/suggestions/comments/questions/concerns/anything, leave a review or message me at unwashedwonder.tumblr.com or unwashedwonder@gmail.com

don't ask for the explanation of the name unless you want a story that would make ted striker want to die

finally, do not think i am harping on people pleasers, that's just my honest interpretation of the song and i've wanted to give that spiel for ages and i can finally do it so please just...maybe take it into consideration? don't try to fit in, be yourself!

Ian was not shocked at all when Anthony said that he wanted to stay. He looked like he was having a blast. From riding on David's shoulders to running around with his stuffed monkey(which he affectionately named Newbie), Anthony looked happier than Ian had ever seen him before. Ian was extremely thankful that David had encouraged him to come to the zoo. Ian loved the happy looks on both his son and his friend's faces. Something about David made Ian feel something he had only ever felt once before, but he kept it to himself, thinking it was just a passing feeling.

That night, Anthony lay down beside Ian, separating him from David. Ian laughed as Anthony pointed out the various animals all around them. Ian said a quiet thanks to the person who decided everyone should sleep in the area without the loud animals.

Ian looked up at the sky. He would’ve loved to look back on it and say he could count a million stars, but that would be a lie. Several buildings and planes lit up the sky. Ian sighed and closed his eyes, blocking everything out. Sometimes, Ian just wanted to curl up in a ball and shut the world out, living in his own little stress-free world for just a few minutes. At night, he would often tune everything out and just stare at the ceiling restlessly.

No, he didn’t have a rough past. He wasn’t physically abused or raped or drugged or self-harming or suicidal. He never did any of that. However, he had spent an awful long time trying to be who everyone else wanted him to be, and he was crushed when he began to realize that he could never be that person. All he wanted was to make everyone around him happy. Once he had his epiphany, he would give speeches out to high schools, thanking the man who saved him from a life of torment; the man who had no idea Ian even existed. Ian owed his life to his hero, and he thought the man was brilliant, even though he appeared to be out of his mind.

Ian started to break that mold, becoming his own person. He cut his hair differently than everyone else, even if it looked stupid. He became unique. Weird words and phrases, excessive gaming, and an overwhelming obsession with a certain alternative-rock band made him who he was, and he wouldn’t trade that for all the money in the world.

Ian sighed and opened his eyes, staring up at the deep, dark blue night sky. He watched the blinking lights of planes as they flew overhead. He smiled to the soft humming of one of the mothers singing to her child. It was a beautiful song, though Ian had never heard it before. He made a mental note to ask the woman in the morning.

He thought about the day. David had been so worried about Anthony. Why? He wasn’t complaining; he just wanted to know why he and Anthony mattered to him so much. Did David matter that much to him?

“Can’t sleep?” David whispered.

Ian shook his head, “No.”

Anthony, however, was fast asleep in her arms.

“Sing that song to yourself.” David shrugged, “It might work.”

“You know how depressing that song is? It’s basically about how everything in our world is fake and we live for those false things. While we try to do something good, like creating something, in this case, a plant, we end up making it non original and unreal. We have little human interaction and even some of the people are fake. That’s the first meaning.”

David nodded, and to Ian, it looked like he was interested.

Ian continued, “But, it also speaks of fake love, watering the fake love with a fake container. If love isn’t there in the first place, how can you try to make it real? Based off that love, an entire dysfunctional relationship forms. They aren’t quite exactly what the other needed  and that wore them out and that’s why we fell apart.”

“We?”

Ian cleared his throat, trying to change the subject, “There is a third meaning. Most of the people you meet are fake; they lie about their age, height, weight, personality. They just want to fit the mold. It’s really fucking stressful to fill that mold of the perfect ideal human. It literally wears you out, which is why I only hire people who break that mold. If you don’t fit that perfect mold, you’ll crack. We live in a world of lies. If you ask me, I would tell you that Thom Yorke is an absolute genius.”

David nodded, “I understand. I know quite a bit about fake love to be honest with you, but those details don’t really matter. I don’t like to talk about them. You’re right about it wearing you the fuck out.” He ran a hand through his hair.

Ian sighed, “I know exactly how you feel. It makes you feel like shit when you realize that you don’t fit the mold you strive to be, but then you realize that you don’t actually give a shit about what anyone thinks.”

“Maybe sometime later we can share stories?” David suggested, “It sounds like we could help each other out.”

Ian nodded once, “Sounds good to me.”

“We can give each other tips, you know? It will make it a lot easier to stop the next one.”

“I understand. It sounds good.”

“You can tell me all about your fake plastic love.”

Ian grinned.

When he closed his eyes again, he heard David humming the last few bars of the song. Ian realized that those were the ones that hit the closest to home. Little did he know, David felt the exact same way.

If I could be who you wanted

If I could be who you wanted all the time