Work Text:
His world was made up of silent gestures and bruises,
scrapes and comfort food,
brush burns and video games.
This was the world that Dave knew.
Nothing really changed.
There were bad days and there were good days.
There was always food to eat,
clothes to wear,
hot water and electricity.
It was home and nothing would change that.
In grade nine,
Dave started sleeping more and eating less.
His shirts got larger and so did the bags under his eyes.
His waistline got smaller
and smaller
and smaller
The red needle on the scale went lower each day.
Dave felt like he could disappear
if only it were that easy.
In grade ten,
Dave got his first girlfriend,
he gave her red flowers
Her name was Jade.
She was beautiful and Dave told her everyday.
His second was Rose.
He gave her no flowers.
She was intelligent and Dave told her everyday.
Dave fell in love in grade ten,
but not with Jade
and not with Rose.
His name was John
but John "was not a homosexual",
he wasn't disgusting like Dave.
In grade eleven,
Dave discovered razor blades,
his body was his canvas.
Red was a common color for him.
"Faggot"
"loser"
"Freak"
Those were the words on replay in his head.
Dave stopped taking pictures and his short sleeve t-shirts collected dust.
Dave thought he was worthless.
He thought he wouldn't be missed.
In grade twelve,
Dave had enough
he decided to die and Bro found him bleeding red on the bathroom floor.
"I'm sorry" were the only two words carved into his delicate wrist.
"Goodbye" was the last word that crossed his lips.
"I'm sorry Dave, I failed you" were that last words he heard.
Dave's casket was lined with red silk and it wasn't ironic.
Dave was wearing his black suit and his shades were still positioned perfectly on his poker face.
Four figures remained at his stone after dark.
Three friends and a guardian who will remember him for life.
Fin.