he’s right.  if she had spent so long worrying about, obsessing over how others perceived her, she would be brought to the brink of madness.  the blurbs in the bugle had nearly driven her to that point, her father’s voice echoing from the ink upon the page.  those criticisms served to tear her down just as he had, to deter her from the aspirations she clung to. instead, they motivated her, to overcome, driven to prove them wrong.

                                     ❛      —–  &  that  is why i drink.     ❜      the budding starlet offers a kittenish wink as she sips from her jack  &  coke.