Pallid

"Rhys!" There's a loud banging on the door. She's kicking and screaming and crying and I'm pretty sure that if she really wanted to, she could knock it down. "Rhys!" I stumble out of bed and over to the door, trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes. "Rhys, please!" I unlock the door and undo the two chains, and she rushes in, hugging me tightly.

"Won't you come in?" I mumble quietly, shutting the door behind her.

This happens every single time.

And I don't mind being her for her because I love her and if I'm not here, who will?

I just wish it wasn't like this.

Ulysses gets high. Celeste gets high because he gets high and she wants him to like her more (even though she has me and has always had me). And then they party (way too hard) and then the high wears off (like it always does) and he gets mad (like he always does) and Celeste becomes his punching bag (like she's always been). And then she comes over and cries and spends the night and polishes off a bottle of wine (and professes her drunken love for me) and goes to sleep.

And then tomorrow he'll call (because he knows if he comes over I'll bash his face in) and he'll tell her he's sorry and she'll believe him (because she's young and stupid) and it starts all over again.

"Rhys," she mumbles quietly, hopping on me like she always does, and I carry her like I always do, and she curls up on my bed like she always does, and I get the wine like I always do, and she drinks half of it by herself like she always does, then mumbles a drunken, "I love you, man," patting my face before drifting off in a fitful sleep.

It's all so predictable.