Yours Truly 2016 / Cascadia College / Bothell, WA | Page 45

Gizelle Marissa Mathews I was sitting in the bar, waiting for my fourth round of despair drowning vodka. I tried not to feel bad for myself as I gulped down that shot, ignoring how my throat felt like it was burned all the way through to my neck. It’s funny, because I’m not usually one to drown my problems in Devil’s Springs . . . but I think that’s what some people do when they get sad. A couple hours later that night, I found myself alone in the passenger seat of some man’s car. He had made a stop to pick up some snacks, or maybe he just said that so he could run in to grab some rubbers. Either way, I was alone in his car, attempting to ignore my thoughts. His center console held 2 lighters, a pocketknife, and a package of Marlboro cigarettes. I was getting close to being almost sober, and I wanted to grab that pocketknife. Gizelle, don’t do that to yourself . . . you’re done with that, remember? I ran my finger along the edge of it, wanting so bad for it to be put to use. I thought I found the bright end of the tunnel a couple months back . . . and I thought I was out of my depression. For a split second of my life I thought I had been happy. Somehow this was the third time I found myself alone like this, not wanting to live with myself anymore. The man that claimed to be giving me a ride home came back into his car and we continued on. I slept at his house that night, still not knowing his name, what he does for a living, his hobbies, nothing. He said he didn’t have enough gas to drive me to my apartment. I really didn’t want to sleep with him, but I was alone . . . so maybe it was for the best. If I was alone, I knew I would do something that would hurt me and the people that love me, even though the people that love me haven’t spoken to me for 3 months. If I wasn’t alone, I knew my morality would empty. Both ways I was in pain, but I knew with someone next to me I couldn’t physically damage myself to the full extent that I wanted to deep down. 43