swinging by my neck | adrien series
Jan 20, 2024 18:03:11 GMT -5
Post by dars on Jan 20, 2024 18:03:11 GMT -5
1. The truth? I sort of hate myself. I guess really what I mean is that I hate the person I've become. A man who wears suits. A man who knows the kind of wristwatch you wear can determine whether someone respects you or not. A man who hides his past so well he finds himself forgetting it. Hmph. Forgetting parts, at least. I don't care how far away from that apartment complex I was raised in I get, I'll always remember the way smoke carried into the living room when Mom made dinner and every night when I sleep I'll think about the squeaking fan we turned on for bedtime.
But still, it's different now. It's like I remember the way things used to be as if I'm watching them on a screen, happening to someone else. Not me- not Adrien Nox. He's not the kind of man who survives murder rampages and real, genuine hunger. He's the owner of Nox Industries, inherited from his father. He's the bloody mayor of the highest-ranking District in the 90th-95th cycle, for crying out loud! And that's what people think of me now, and what I allow myself to feel sorry over in times like these, when I find myself draped onto a therapist's couch in a custom Royale suit. I mourn the boy I was, the man I could've been. And I try to convince myself the man I am instead is the one I have to be to make it through, because otherwise-
"We can cut this one short, I think."
"Are you sure? We still have ten minutes left."
"Yes, I uh- Poppy and I have dinner plans I can't miss, anyway. She's off to District Eight on Friday for fashion week."
"She's finished her line in time?"
I nod.
"Alright, Adrien. Well enjoy your meal. We'll meet again next week, sound good?"
"Count on it."