No Strings

by Lucy Bexley

Hussy up. I want to go roller skating and kick off emotionally available enby summer tonight. Avery: *Hurry* But I’m making hussy up a thing now.

Memory always degrades, like a VHS stuck in the player, until all that’s left is snow.

That was life: happiness framed by struggle and absurdity, all of it a little messy.

You know you can check something off your to-do list by simply deciding not to do it, right?”

“If you’re sorry for something you did or regret your actions, then by all means apologize. But if you’re only apologizing to appease others, others whose opinions you don’t even care about, then why bother? No one wants an empty apology. They’re going to expect changed behavior.”