April, 2016

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           Jacob turned on the light in the bathroom. He turned and faced the mirror. What looked back at him scared him. He touched his face. The image on the wall touched its face. He could see shadows under his once plump cheekbones. His mother would probably tell him that a lot of people desired his skinnier face. He would probably smile and say thanks. Jacob looked back at the mirror and counted the pimples that dotted his pale skin. There were nine. He didn’t bother moving his hair to expose his forehead. He leaned in closer and stared into the images’ eyes. They were dull and lifeless, as expected in a picture of someone. He could barely recognize himself anymore. Jacob reached into his pocket and pulled out five small blue pills. He had gotten them from a friend who jokingly said not to take more than one at a time. He joked back saying he wasn’t crazy and there was no need to worry. Jacob closed his eyes and took a deep breath.