All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
Dirty Laundry MAG
He is your world. He is the one you would live and die for. You love the color of his skin – different from yours – the perfect balance between light and dark, day and night. You love the way he tells you he loves you. He says he'll marry you someday.
But your mom does not approve. You wonder every day how anyone can be so bigoted. Has she not felt the way you do at some point in her life? She doesn't understand, just rants and raves about your “taste in men” in that nasally voice you hate – the one she only uses when she's angry.
Later you sit on your bed, and turn up the volume on your iPod. “All the Same” by the Sick Puppies blasts through the ear buds.
Wrong or right … black or white … if I close my eyes … it's all the same.
Your mom has forbidden you from seeing him again, and Dad's taken to keeping a shotgun in the living room.
In my life … the compromise … I'll close my eyes … it's all the same.
You remember telling him you were afraid but that you wouldn't stop seeing him. He asked you to run away with him, just drop everything and run, figure it out as you went. But you said you wanted to wait and see if it would blow over. The look in his eyes was sad, as if he knew your parents would never accept him.
You hop off your bed and start shoving clothes into an duffel bag, making a trip to the bathroom for your toothbrush. You head to your desk and stare blankly at a piece of paper, pencil in hand. You write a quote that has been in your heart from the minute your parents told you that you were making a big mistake. It's short, but it's all you need to say.
You head down the hall to the laundry room. Your mom has piles of clothes on the floor, organized by color. You grab bits from every pile and toss them to the middle, creating a mound no longer separated into lights and darks.
Green, yellow, red, blue, black, white – all heaped into one huge pile. You lay your message on the top. It doesn't say who you're with or where you're going, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out.
“Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color.”
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 455 comments.
Wow. That's a really touching message. I love it!!! Great job :)
P.S. I love Sick Puppies too!
it is great, u hav a lot of potential
No, of course not. You didn't offend me, I completely understand that different people have different ways of reading. I think part of taking that out though, would leave more for the reader to think about. You actually have to put the pieces together - the boyfriend talking about running away, packing the bag, getting the toothbrush, writing the note and leaaving it - and figure out what she's doing.
"Show don't tell."
This story was incredibly stupendous and contemperary! I loved the realistic tone!
I am starting this game that will help everyone to get their work more to the teenink world (and maybe the rest of the world). It is a game called Big Words. To play this game (this is going to sound dumb, but hear me out) you can start by reading my short story called "Purple-face Tom". After you finish the story, you comment on it, and within your comment, use a big and/or fancy word and bold it. When I see this comment, I will read at least 3 of your works, comment on all of them and rate all of them. If you like this idea, spread the word, please. I would love to see us all connected through our work as friends and fellow critics on this site. :)
2 articles 0 photos 5 comments