Provoke

by Ava Harrison

Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you -Walt Whitman

She’s ethereal in a way very few others are. A ray of fucking sunshine.

When my hands shake, I know I need a distraction so I don’t fall apart.

I return the smile, grateful for my friends, especially Ash. He always believes in me, even when I don’t. It’s what I love most about him.

Starting a new chapter in my life has me confused. One part of me is excited about the future, and the other is already disenchanted by a career I haven’t even begun.

Men complicate things. Sex complicates it even more.

Being caught off guard is the worst.

In this life, I’ve been used far too many times by people I trusted.

They wanted me for what I could do for them.

You can’t be hurt if you keep people at a distance.

Allowing people in has never been comfortable for me. I don’t like to get too close to anyone.

When I find myself getting in deep, I always pull away.