Dirty Laundry | Teen Ink

Dirty Laundry MAG

April 2, 2009
By Zero_K DIAMOND, Moosic, Pennsylvania
Zero_K DIAMOND, Moosic, Pennsylvania
83 articles 0 photos 435 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life's no fun if you're not insane, otherwise you grow up to be an accountant." -Moi


He is your world. He is the one you would live and die for. You love the color of his skin – different from yours – the perfect balance between light and dark, day and night. You love the way he tells you he loves you. He says he'll marry you someday.

But your mom does not approve. You wonder every day how anyone can be so bigoted. Has she not felt the way you do at some point in her life? She doesn't understand, just rants and raves about your “taste in men” in that nasally voice you hate – the one she only uses when she's angry.

Later you sit on your bed, and turn up the volume on your iPod. “All the Same” by the Sick Puppies blasts through the ear buds.

Wrong or right … black or white … if I close my eyes … it's all the same.

Your mom has forbidden you from seeing him again, and Dad's taken to keeping a shotgun in the living room.

In my life … the compromise … I'll close my eyes … it's all the same.

You remember telling him you were afraid but that you wouldn't stop seeing him. He asked you to run away with him, just drop everything and run, figure it out as you went. But you said you wanted to wait and see if it would blow over. The look in his eyes was sad, as if he knew your parents would never accept him.

You hop off your bed and start shoving clothes into an duffel bag, making a trip to the bathroom for your toothbrush. You head to your desk and stare blankly at a piece of paper, pencil in hand. You write a quote that has been in your heart from the minute your parents told you that you were making a big mistake. It's short, but it's all you need to say.

You head down the hall to the laundry room. Your mom has piles of clothes on the floor, organized by color. You grab bits from every pile and toss them to the middle, creating a mound no longer separated into lights and darks.

Green, yellow, red, blue, black, white – all heaped into one huge pile. You lay your message on the top. It doesn't say who you're with or where you're going, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out.

“Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color.”



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This article has 455 comments.


crazy123 GOLD said...
on Apr. 12 2010 at 6:38 pm
crazy123 GOLD, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
11 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
when life gives you lemons.. make applejuice to avoid the situation!

it was the last line that made the story amazing

MiniPirate said...
on Apr. 10 2010 at 7:34 pm
MiniPirate, Cambridge, Massachusetts
0 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
"He's an armchair pinko!" From The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
"Writing is really very easy. Tap a vein and bleed onto the page. Everything else is just technical." Derrick Jensen

Amazing. I didn't think I was going to like it... I was waiting for a cliche or sappy ending, or something. And then you hit me with that last line. Awesome. really freaking awesome.

on Apr. 9 2010 at 4:26 pm
twiheart BRONZE, Austin, Texas
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb."

The reason the mom doesn't like him is that his skin is not the same color as their's. That's why it says laundry is the only thing that should be grouped by color.

hepburn said...
on Apr. 6 2010 at 5:35 am
hepburn, Assd, Other
0 articles 0 photos 91 comments

Favorite Quote:
sdf

wow.. beautifully written!! *****

on Apr. 3 2010 at 8:44 pm
writergirl13 GOLD, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
11 articles 8 photos 261 comments

Favorite Quote:
All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher.
Ambrose Bierce

Well, yeah, sometimes dialogue can kind of make it seem less serious or thoughtful, but you can also convey more feeling, emotion, and reason behind everything. It's a good way to make the reader experience what the character is going through and to give each character a voice.

on Apr. 3 2010 at 8:14 pm
MsRocker SILVER, Blahblahblah, Other
5 articles 2 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
be strong now because things will get better it might be stormy now but it cant rain forver

i think thats the whole point of the story, sometimes a dialogue can ruin a story. without all the detail it leaves you thinking why the mom dislike the boy. Its a very good story. I like it alot.

Catiestar GOLD said...
on Apr. 3 2010 at 6:38 pm
Catiestar GOLD, Clayton, New Jersey
17 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
You be the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground, I'll be the wings that keep your heart in the clouds <3

This is great, and totally true! Great job.

on Apr. 3 2010 at 1:51 pm
HeatherBee BRONZE, I Live In, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1979 comments

Favorite Quote:
Go on and try to tear me down. I will be rising from the ground, like a skyscraper

Love is louder than the pressure to be perfect

hawwwwww that was REALLYY good!!!!!!!! congrats on it gettin published:)

on Mar. 31 2010 at 9:04 pm
horsie_luver SILVER, Tigard, Oregon
5 articles 1 photo 56 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I cannot live without books."-Thomas Jefferson

I really liked it. Do you know who that quote is from? I would really like to know. That was very good writing!!

on Mar. 31 2010 at 8:05 pm
writergirl13 GOLD, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
11 articles 8 photos 261 comments

Favorite Quote:
All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher.
Ambrose Bierce

I like it, but I think you should add more detail and emotion to it. Also, you should explain why the mother dislikes the boy she's with, why the father keeps a shotgun, etc. You should continue the story, and don't forget: Dialogue is always good!!!:) Take a look at some of my work, that'd be awesome! :)

on Mar. 31 2010 at 6:20 pm
MrRaaflaub BRONZE, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
I like it but it should be longer please!!! 

squeak BRONZE said...
on Mar. 31 2010 at 2:44 pm
squeak BRONZE, Redding, California
4 articles 1 photo 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you are true to love, love will be true to you. people are not evil just missjuided.

this was AWSOME ! i love it good job :D

LillyLisa said...
on Mar. 31 2010 at 11:50 am
LillyLisa, Leeds, Other
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments
this story was really good the only real improvments would be making it longer please xx

on Mar. 31 2010 at 10:00 am
lookingforfreedom SILVER, Edmonton, Other
5 articles 1 photo 15 comments
I love it! it's fantastic!~ keep writing! I especially love the ending!

on Mar. 30 2010 at 4:36 pm
JustWriting BRONZE, Sao Paulo, Other
1 article 0 photos 31 comments
This is like the eighth time i've read this! I LOVE it! Please read my story? TeenInk.com/fiction/romance/article/189455/In-the-end/

on Mar. 28 2010 at 12:54 pm
CardinalRunner BRONZE, Holland, Michigan
4 articles 0 photos 42 comments
This..this was just outstanding! I absolutely loved the ending! i thought they were keeping her away from him cuz he might be a bad boy to them but nope. You shocked me! Two thumbs up! :)

on Mar. 27 2010 at 8:50 pm
firstsnowfalls DIAMOND, Marcellus, New York
51 articles 6 photos 105 comments
wow. awesome job. LOVE it.

on Mar. 25 2010 at 5:47 pm
TaylorAshely BRONZE, Watertown, New York
2 articles 3 photos 4 comments
It was so true and I loved the imagery that you used. Great job! Read mine sometime?

nutmeg212 GOLD said...
on Mar. 23 2010 at 7:12 pm
nutmeg212 GOLD, Coventry, Rhode Island
11 articles 0 photos 63 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Don't worry about it." -V.Z.

i'm reading this again and its even better the more you read it. Could you please read my stuff if you get a chance??? great job!!!!

on Mar. 23 2010 at 2:14 pm
GracieLynn BRONZE, Chehalis, Washington
3 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life isn't about the breaths we take, it's about the moments that take our breath away." -Unknown

i loved it:) especially the quote at the end. You painted a real picture in the mind of the reader. keep up the good work