I just want a friend. A friend who won’t mind that I leave my green tea mug sitting on the table for three days, leaving a rusty colored ring in its wake. A friend who won’t mind that I don’t like to go outside. Like ever. A friend who will persuade me to go outside and try new things and who won’t mind when I burst into tears at the mere thought of the outdoors.
I don’t think I’ll ever get that friend. It takes going outside to make a friend, even in this age of cyber reality. I want a friend from the outside who will shatter my tea cup and throw me over their shoulder and take me outside.
Ashley Perez earned her MFA in Creative Writing at Antioch University Los Angeles in the Fiction genre. She is currently serving as Art Editor for Antioch’s literary journal Lunch Ticket as well as working on her first novel and continuing on her short stories.