Everything Blue [ OMHK, Book 2 ]

The Taste Of Fame

"this calls for a celebration"
______

I watch Tyler's house slowly fade out of view, until it's nothing more than a speck. Then, I return my focus onto the road, organizing my thoughts.

It was only noon, so I had time. I had all the time in the world, but what if Tyler didn't?

That thought made me drive a little bit faster.

The loneliness was comforting in a way. Like usual, there was only a few cars on the road, which left me with little to few distractions. Now I could think about the important things, like how I hadn't taken my meds in five days.

Good job making yourself think about it, Jenna.

I bit the inside of my lip, pondering the meaning of life.

Not really, but close enough.

Withdrawals today were particularly bad. Since I'd been on many so different medications, my body had gotten used to lots of different chemicals. Now that I'd suddenly stopped taking them, it didn't know what to do.

I had a pounding headache, and that wasn't even the worst part. Along with the physical withdrawal symptoms, were the many and intense emotional withdrawal symptoms. Clutching the steering wheel, I felt my stomach tense up. Taking a deep breath, I rode out the pain until the sudden cramping stopped, and by time it was over, my eyes were brimming with tears.

I was getting off of Prozac, not cocaine, for fucks sake.

I needed a distraction.

Turning on my radio, I switched between stations before finally hearing a song that I liked. Finally satisfied, I drove into town with music blasting through the car speakers.

I felt out of place as I switched lanes, stopping at a red light. Everything here felt so bland, so grey.

I finally understood how Tyler felt.

Columbus was full of the same old things and the same old people and the same old places. It was tiring, and the city limits seemed to be growing smaller and smaller by the day.

I realized how easy it would be to feel trapped here, and I was glad that I would be going off to college soon. I was studying far, far away, and I would get a fresh start.

My mind nagged me with one thought, though. What about Tyler?

Sure, he was a famous musician. He could go anywhere he wanted to go, but in the end, he was still a musician, doing musician things. His life seemed to consist of: perform, perform, and then perform some more.

I understood how a cycle as repetitive as that could drive somebody insane — more specifically, Tyler.

I hadn't thought about things in his perspective. When I went away to study neurology, I was gonna be working hard to reach my goal. I would be reaching for my purpose, and that gave me something to look forwards to.

On the other hand, at such a young age, Tyler was so accomplished. He'd been there, done that, and there wasn't much more that he could work towards. His celebrity status put him on a pedestal, and for just a moment, I wondered if Tyler would be happier if he was looked at as just another normal person.