Everything She Needed

01 | rats

01 | rats

     When I was six years old, rats would crawl around in my room, creating the most horrifying sounds I thought as a child. I always assumed it was a monster's hand, trying to drag me out of bed, throw me in a bathtub filled with boiling hot water and some vegetables, and then eat me like I was the chicken to their soup.

     It terrified me, to say the least. I would hear the sounds anywhere and everywhere. Either at home, school, even my grandparents' house which was on the other side of town. My mom almost sent me to a therapist because I couldn't sleep.

     All because of the little rodents that would crawl on my bedroom floor.

     Old habits die hard, as they say. So do fears. As I grew up, I was almost about over it. Almost. There were still rats, but this time, they were not the ones with four legs and would nibble on anything they can grasp on. Them, to me, was in the form of the struggles in life, trying to haunt me and grab me everywhere I go.

     One of them was which I turned sixteen, my ex-boyfriend Travis, dumped me after one happy year of what I thought was a successful relationship.

     I don't know if that was his idea as a gift, or simply a small manipulation to ruin my special day. Of course, being the teenager I am, I would lock myself in my bedroom either sulking or helplessly crying between the corners of my room with nothing but a few empty ice cream tubs and a half eaten box of pepperoni pizza.

     I would shut out the world around me and at the time, I thought the world was already over just because of a boy who I expected to be my happily ever after in this world of tragic endings.

     But then again, maybe I wasn't in love with him; I was in love with the feeling.

     So I for a matter of four months, I forced myself to get over him. It was pretty clear that he'd gotten over me in not less than a week since he started dating Alexandra Nicholson, the one girl he knew I hated more than anyone.

     Somehow after that breakup, a girl named Maddie came up to me and asked if it was okay to ask for some 'relationship advice.' Of course, it had surprised me. Who the hell would want to ask for advice after being dumped? That's exactly what I said, but she asked anyway.

     After that, more people asked me about the same thing. And soon, I was labeled as Cupid's assistant of all of the juniors, up until today. And then I thought that maybe that was my rodent repellant; keeping other people happy and being the reason why. It shoos all of the rats away.

     Although, I've never considered myself as that, since I always looked at them like and as a friend. But to some people, it was an understatement. Try miracle worker or love dove sent by the heavens above.

     Creative, isn't it?

     "Heads up! Heads up!" A voice yelled, making me snap back to reality. I turn my head to the side and before I could react, a ball came flying into my face.

     As soon as it hit me, I covered my face with both of my hands. There were a few 'oohs' echoing the gym.  I could feel the pain hit me again and again, even though the ball was no longer there. A dozen of footsteps ran towards me. "Help her up you idiots!" I heard someone shout and everybody did as she said, grabbing me by my arms as I refused to remove my hands from where they were.