Whatever, Reader

The bruise on Dolores’ thigh grew by the minute. She scratched and scratched, tried to put pressure on the wound, but it just kept spreading its darkness over her leg. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She lowered her skirt to hide the wound. Her sister Helen entered the kitchen and gave her a gentle but cold embrace. "Are you okay?" smiled Helen, eyes wide. Dolores just looked at the floor. "Well?" Helen pressed. "Look, I’m sorry about what happened, but you know you don't have to suffer like this." Dolores lifted her gaze from the floor into Helen's eyes, narrowing beams of hot, vaporizing fury. Helen pretended not to notice the chill she suddenly felt. Their friends and neighbors said Dolores had kind eyes, but they wouldn't think so if they saw her now. "You know I love you," said Helen. Dolores sat silent for a while. "I know," she said, looking down at the floor. Her jaw squeezed as she winced at the ...

wikipedia.org “My name is Gio, and I’m confined by sadness.” “Hi Gio,” his group responded in unison. “Today marks 3 months since I began my journey back to happiness, so I’d like to tell my story to anyone who will… well, I just have to tell it.” “Gio, I just want you to know,” the group leader said, gesturing to the group, “how proud of you we all are. You are positively beaming.” Gio had no response. He didn’t feel radiant. The group leader went on. “Even in just these 3 months, I’ve seen so much sadness leave you. You’re working hard, and it shows. You’re turning that frown…” he looked back at the group. “Upside down,” they all chanted in unison. “Go ahead, Gio,” said the smiling group leader, “tell us your story.” “My dog meant everything to me. Wherever I went, he came too. I snuck him onto buses, into hotels, restaurants. It didn’t matter. He was my best friend. When his health started to fail, I made an appointment to have him put down so he wouldn’t suffer. ...