Solidified

1. Learned To Live With It

Hi. Hello. Hey.

My name is Riley Elizabeth Evans. I'm 19. I live in an apartment in New York. My family is back in Texas. I live alone. But I don't mind.

I've learned to live with a lot of things, as the years have gone by.

I've come to terms with the fact that my mom is never coming back. She left me when I was fifteen. She is never coming back.

I've learned to live with the fact that after my mom's desertion, my dad has turned to drugs and alchohol. Thats why I left home in the first place.

I've also come to an understanding that I will never get over the loss of my little brother. He was only 9..

I've learned that I've lost most of my friends, and I now know that most of my friends were toxic.

Here I am now. In an apartment in New York, in my terrace, looking up at the brilliant stars dazzling bright in the sky, sprinkled unevenly by the few clouds.

Uneven. Imperfect. Imperfect yet so beautiful... Thats what everyone believes to be acceptable. There's no such thing as 'perfect'. Thats the only thing that comes close to it.

I tightened my grip on my mug of hot cocoa, mesmerized as I watched a snowflake flutter down to the ground below. The cars and bikes zoomed by, oblivious to the beauty of the scene before them.

Thats what I've learned to appreciate. The beauty of everything around me.

Notice how I said 'everything' and not 'everyone'. This is because I've lost faith in people at this point in my life. Every time I let someone in, they end up stabbing me in the back. I'd rather avoid the pain.

The silence is comfortable. The cold air nips at my skin, making me cuddle closer to the blanket wrapped around my frame. Locks of my blonde hair dance to the wind, as I turn around to go back inside.

My eyes linger on the abandoned cup of cocoa on the small coffee table, but ignore it, before treading back inside.

AN- So this is the first chapter of Solidified. Riley may seem like a very deep and mature young adult, and thats because she is. Her tough past life has shaped her into who she is now.

Until next time, babes. Buh bye!