Once upon a time is such a cliché way to start a story but here we are. You know I suck at telling stories. Yeah, I know... Mommy sleeps so much that she can't tell you stories anymore. It's okay. I don't mind, Stormy, I promise. Mommy's just sick. The white powder just helps her go to sleep because she's too sick to go to sleep without it. Well, the best way to get rid of a runny nose is to put the medicine right in your nose--No you are not taking medicine like that from now on. It's only with Mommy's medicine.

What did you want to hear about again? Princesses, right? I don't want to talk about Mommy right now, Stormy. It's special medicine. You don't need to go to the doctor to get it. Because it's special medicine. No, it's just--Stormy, stop fucking asking me questions about Mommy. I'm telling you about the princesses, remember. I don't fucking know, okay. The princesses of Sweden. I don't give a fuck if Sweden has princesses; it's a made-up story. Shit. You know what? I'm not telling you a fucking story. Take your ass to bed. Don't start that crying shit. Go to sleep. You don't need a story to go to sleep. You're too old for bedtime stories anyway.

Cold pane of glass separating us,

Though you would never know unless

You called my name three times,

Then summoned my maid right after.

How I'd smile as I leap out,

Dragging black nails against your neck

As I pluck your eyes out and drink

Deep, rich Protestant blood

While you cry to the wrong God.

God can't save you now, darling,

Since we made that pact that I can

Devour every elementary school kid

That dares utter the name, Bloody Mary.

The first time (and hopefully last time) I ever watched Euphoria was a few days ago. It was my first date that I was kinda excited for, though it ended just like the other one with me just ready to go home. There's nothing wrong with the guy, but even tequila and weed couldn't make the night any better. Euphoria was, in his words, "too real for me". I don't know if it's real or not that the youth are struggling with drugs and fucking adults and running from their problems by hiding themselves in problematic behaviour. I spent my entire high school career waiting to get out of high school. I mean, fundamentally, there's nothing wrong with the show. It just triggered various memories from high school that I've slowly and surely been peeling from my memory like an old sticker you forgot was on your locker two years ago.

I don't go through things like normal people. I've lived vicariously through people like Rue and Jules that are fucking up their lives to forget stuff they've been dragged through. The only thing is, once the series ends, no one wants to go back and rewatch that shit. Once that painful fifteen-year-old life is in the past, you do everything you can to never go back to it, to the point where even the brief memory makes you want to hide under a bed until it goes away. I guess he just didn't understand. I don't blame him. I'm pretty hard to understand as a person I guess.

I didn't like him. I knew that from the jump, which begs to question why I would ever even go on a date with him. I explain it as God's permissive will, when you keep asking and asking and asking for something you think you want, and God lets you even though he told your dumbass "no" for a reason. For me, that was sex. Spoiler alert, I'm still a virgin, though there's now slightly more experience with being around a human overnight than before. However, even if I wasn't, I still don't think I would've wanted a repeat of the experience.

It was my first time, so I can't really say it was "good" or "bad". It hurt, but of course it did, because it was new and I've never done anything like that before. But, I mean enough about my body. The challenge has nothing to do with the physical. In fact, I'm not writing this out to judge him or rant and say he sucked or lament that when I enquired if this was going to be a regular thing, he told me no. I actually don't feel any of that. The physical pain stopped a little after I got home and the mental anguish of almost fucking up in a way that I would've regretted is slowly melting away as I talk more. There's no relationship and there really aren't that many feelings for him. Except for a twinge of anticipation for whether or not our contact is actually over, I can't honestly say that I feel much of anything.

The reason I jumped at this challenge was to impart some advice. Even if it's just for me in the future when I get the opportunity to be with someone again. Don't submit to anyone that doesn't love you. As someone into BDSM and all that shit, I learned that the hard way (*luckily, not physically; and this guy isn't who I'm talking about*), but I don't just mean sexually. I mean, you know when you vibe with someone. You know when someone just gets you and when you feel so comfortable with someone that you feel like literally nothing about you will scare them off. You know when there's something inside you that never wants one person to leave. I'd encourage you to chase that feeling.

My first love hurt me in a way that I didn't think I could be hurt. It left me scarred and it hurt. But, oddly enough, we're friends. Not even in that stupid "hoping he'll get better so I can have a happily ever" sort of way. He's like my older brother and I trust him with my life because despite that romantical love being unrequited, he still is someone I feel comfortable with, and even after my heart was broken, I noticed that I still trusted him despite that. Even though he hurt me, I can tell this person still cares and loves me and I still feel that same gentle comfort that I felt before and mistook as love.

My advice to you reading this is to not be with anyone that doesn't fill you with butterflies or make you feel understood. I don't only mean romantically; I mean period. The reason I went on this date, I later realized, was that I had kinda given up. I'm hard to understand. I wanted to try something normal with the wrong person and even though the signs were there to not pursue this, I did anyway because I thought it might have worked out and I'd grow into the relationship. But, I realized that that's not what happens. You just end up settling and hiding parts of you and while some people can do that and feign contentment for the rest of their life, I am not that person. I wouldn't recommend being that person either.

I'm not quite sure how to end this. I'm very happy I didn't settle because I felt I should. I'm really happy I wasn't just like, "This is fine" and went with the flow because I wanted to feel normal for once. I don't really have regrets because if it wasn't him that I settled for, it would've been someone else. Maybe someone that was fine settling and then I could've been in a relationship trying my hardest to force a puzzle piece that just wasn't fitting. I'm not quite sure though. The only thing that came out of this was a promise that the next time I'm intimate with someone, they're going to be someone I feel comfortable with and close to. I feel like after having this experience, that promise will be a lot easier to keep since I don't want to feel like I'm settling ever again.

There are so many newbies now! I think I'm kinda an OG? I have been on Prose for five or six years. I actually found it because of FastWeb when I was a junior or senior in high school because I wanted to make money from writing which I have literally NEVER learned how to do. Still don't know how to do it honestly? Anywho, I'm AJ. I'm a 22-year-old American that really likes cheese and is attracted to disappointment. I'm in college in my last semester, and I am crawling to the finish line like that poor daddy's long leg that was left a septipelgic when I pulled off 7 of his legs. I promise I'm not still that evil. I'm far too tired to do anything chaotic except shake Monster cans in Giant Eagle and give squirrels political advice.

I honestly am not online much anymore just because this whole adulting shit is exhausting. But, in the event that you peruse through the literal hundreds of entries I've made, you'll see that I like to do experimental work and that I love fantasy, sci-fi, and basically anything that makes you think. My favourite post on here is actually my story "Something for Lilo" (trigger warning: abortion) so, yeah. I think it represents me a lot as a writer. nowadays I'm kinda balancing all these huge ideas like ideas of religion and philosophy and science and politics, and even though it's like a mental marathon (and I do NOT run), I know that once I get time to start writing again, it's going to really shape my writing in ways that I can't wait to see.

What else can be said? I don't like the beach or mountains, both thanks to family reunions. I'm lowkey afraid of elephants and whales because I'm small and they can pretty easily kill me. Belugas are beautiful. I study biology. My favourite colours are lavender, grey, black, rainbow, and yellow in that order, and I was yesterday years old when I found out that you can put sparkles in alcohol (and today years old when I realized that it's just glitter and you will be up at all hours of the night). What's the difference between grey and gray? Only Grammarly knows apparently.

For anyone that read this, thanks for reading and to the person that made this challenge, thanks for making it! It's always fun to reach out to new Prosers and I really love the tradition we have here of getting people to talk to each other and get to know each other.

Birds start the day announcing that they're horny.

The bees are portable condoms for the flowers.

Octopi present their penises to potential mates,

And penguins present a potential lover with a rock.

Fireflies blink in Morse Code "U up?"

Garter snakes rush females all at once,

And don't get me started on ducks

Or dolphins, Jesus Christ. So rapey.

Squirrels chase each other, playing Sexy Tag

And flatworms penis fight to decide who's gonna be pregnant

Worms stick together in the silent dawn, swapping sperm,

And snails have an intricate mucous dance while they fuck.

All of this, I say to my bewildered class,

Who are just waiting for me to stop talking about why

I find animal sex so fascinating and would happily

Spend hours helping introduce animals to each other.

Caving.

Typing...

Thinking...

Sighing.

Trying.

Typing...

Typing...

Typing...

Stopping.

Tapping.

Sniffling

Biting.

Typing...

Closing.

Opening.

Debating.

Thinking...

Smiling,

blushing

hiding...

Groaning.

Typing.

Sending.

Waiting.

Regretting.

Deleting.

Swearing.

Berating.

Retyping,

Ignoring.

Resending.

Waiting.

Sounds fun, let's do it will be the five words written on my tombstone. Maybe I was just lost in Copper's bright black eyes or maybe it was the vodka talking, but I should've thought this through. Copper's fingers intertwined in mine are the only reason I am not running for the hills right now. Ouija boards were their thing and I went with it until I was sucked into the madness of soulless letters. I didn't even think the worked until the old black-and white trimmed board started shaking and shooting out blue light.

"It's never done that before," Copper said as we sat on the cold wood floor of their bedroom.

"Uh, what?" I muttered. "What do you mean?"

Copper was too busy dragging their fingers through the growing haze of blue light to notice. "I should've had you over sooner."

"Huh?"

"I mean usually we get a yes or a no. Maybe a name but not all of this. I mean, look!" The blue was dancing in their eyes as they ran their fingers into the haze. "I gotta take a pic for Sylvie. She'll be pissed that she missed it!"

Copper reached for their phone and steadied it in front of the blue fog. "Dude, you look good sitting there in it. Looks cool. Like a--"

"Like a what?"

Copper's mouth sat ajar yet no words came out of it. Their phone glowed green against their eyes.

"What's going on?"

"I--I don't know what to do."

"What?"

"I don't remember what I was doing!"

"Well, you have your phone. I think you were calling someone."

"Who would I call?"

"Uh... here, try this number."

I slipped their phone out of their hand and dialed. There was a slight ring then a gruff thick voice answered. "Marci?"

"I'm back, baby." A soft voice with a country accent whispered through the haze. "And I have company."

The voice laughed. "Good. You know where to find me."

"We'll be there soon."

The phone clicked and Copper looked at me with fear I've never seen from them. "Who was that?"

"I don't know," I tried to say but all that came out was, "Trust me, Cop. Would I ever lead you astray?"

"Of course not," Copper replied.

I could see her cheeks reddening in the haze. The thing dragged my cheeks into a smile and controlled my voice again. "That's my baby. Do you wanna go for a ride?"

"Since when am I your--"

"Come on now, you've noticed."

Copper smiled softly. "I'd love to go on a ride."

"Good." My hand stretched to Copper and I helped them to their feet. The warmth of their hand warmed my blood, and the voice whispered to me, 'Go with it, Luka. We'll both get what we want then.'

"How are we going?"

"Well, your roommate's got a car, right?"

Copper looked at the door. "Ash doesn't let--"

"We don't need permission, love. Plus, we'll be right back, right?"

Copper nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Let's go. I'll even let you drive."

We left Copper's room and grabbed the keys to Ashleigh's Jeep that were hanging on the hook next to the door. My legs stumbled and I remembered we were drunk. Yet, there was no stopping my body. My hand grabbed Copper's and I pulled her outside and towards Ash's car.

"You know how to do it?"

"I--I don't have a license."

My lips grazed their cheek. "Don't worry. This is the perfect way to learn. Get in. I'll tell you how to do it and we'll be fine."

Copper smiled shyly. "Okay."