Rachel 23

What if eight colors makes someone content? That’s not the case for me but some people are simple. They enjoy watching One Tree Hill, reading about the latest celebrity and going to dance parties. Maybe they go to class; they go home; they do their homework. They are generally happy with whatever cards they are dealt and they find no reason to argue about it. There is not much more to them and they are okay with themselves and with life. She does her purple thing and she is happy.

Yeah, I’m not this way. I will never be content with my situation. Something can always change and that will never stop. My room will never be clean enough. (But a messy room is the sign of a busy mind. Right?) Color after color will spill from the box and they’ll make a disaster of everything. Chartreuse and cerulean, fuchsia and Fuzzy Wuzzy litter the ground. Those simple and happy eight-color folks will have a simple and happy rainbow of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black and brown. They miss the stages in between.

It’s why I’m constantly changing. Some may notice in me that I am shy around new people. I won’t speak unless spoken to. Others observe that I’m friendly and outgoing with new people. They are two different views on two different occasions. I like to try out new things and I love not being stuck in a form. If I want to be the quiet girl in the back of the classroom, I do it. The same day, perhaps in the very next class, I talk to everyone and I raise my hand often. There is no cookie cutter mold, or 8-color box or crayons that I can or want to fit in to.

Rachel 22

1. It's a terrible day when a social butterfly gets burnt out of socializing. Anyone that was a child with a magnifying glass and a sun at their disposal knows that butterflies and burning do not mesh well together. A child in heaven and his toy burnt me to a crisp.

2. I have so many things in me that can and should be improved. I should never be bored.

Rachel 21

1. The world was never flat.

2. If you hate it, don't do it. Don't be there. Don't be that. Don't say it and don't pretend you like it.

3. If it bothers you once, get over it. If it bothers you twice, punch it in the face.

4. The wind is never a friend, except when you're flying a kite or sailing.

5. The perfect first kiss is one you don't expect. It's one where you don't have time to be nervous. It's not on the doorstep after a mediocre or even an excellent date. It's not during a movie. It's in broad daylight in the middle of a crowd. It's in front on the peanut butter in an isle at Walmart. It's in the park when he grabs you and throws you over his shoulder then swings you around and accidentally finds his lips on yours. It's a kiss of admiration, not of lust. It's a short and simple "I love you" when that love seems to matter most. It leaves the receiver utterly confused and both parties completely satisfied and needing nothing more.