Burnout

by Coralee June

I was avoiding Rose at all costs. The one time she did find me, she said, “Slouching is for people that want to hide, Blake. Roll them shoulders back. You are a fearless woman. Roar, damnit!” Then she danced away to chat with Monica.

“Lance and I grew up in a wealthy neighborhood. We never wanted for anything. Never really had to try hard to succeed. We had life handed to us on a silver platter—literally. But it wasn’t all easy,” I offered with a shrug. “Why not?” “Because when you have the world, everyone wants to take it from you,”

chagrin.

“I’ll tell you a truth if you look at me,” I bartered. I knew fears pretty well. Sometimes you just needed to focus on something else until the pain passed. I once knew a guy that told me the only way to get through something scary was to think of something even scarier.

We didn’t know much about one another, but we weren’t strangers either. We were just a couple of people bonded by blood and a mutual hatred for the woman that put him behind bars.

Faster and faster I moved. Kissing. Nipping. Flicking. Palming. Fucking with hands and mouths and secrets I didn’t want to share.

“I can’t believe I’m giving you boy advice. I might be rusty, but I’ll give it a shot, okay?” Dad offered while taking a large gulp of his Diet Coke. “This is gonna be good,” I teased while leaning back in my seat and crossing my arms over my chest. “Men are pigs,” Dad began. I snorted. “We’re wrong most of the time. And we are stupid. We don’t know what’s good for us, and we make poor decisions.” “This is the best speech ever, old man,” I said with a giggle. “But sometimes we find someone that makes us want to be…better. Someone that makes us think. Someone that makes us want to be right—do the right thing. If they become better by being in your presence, they’re good for you.”

On one of our calls, he explained that he finally bought a smartphone and was enjoying researching recipes on Pinterest. It was adorable, and I teased him about it whenever I could. “Ten years is a long time to be on the inside. I still don’t understand this Yeet business.” “I don’t think anyone does,” I snickered.

"Yeet is life"-Brock from Sunday cool tees

Blakely made me feel capable, reliable and needed. I wasn’t doing either of us any favors by staying away. It might go nowhere, but I wanted to be there for her while we navigated this crisis with her dad.

“You are not responsible for her. Her self-destruction is not your fault. Love her where she’s at, but don’t think for a second that her behavior has anything to do with you. Put your air mask on first,