
Zeroed Out
Ekin Toker
I’m staring at the wall in front of me. It’s quite empty. I should fill that up with something, some paintings, a whiteboard or even a map maybe. It looks lifeless like this, almost depressing. Maybe then I’d feel better when I stared at this wall. It’d at least make me happy, or make me think of something jolly, or just make me do or feel something, anything. Because right now that wall and staring at it are having no effect on me whatsoever. I need some change in my life. I don’t care if it's small or big, if it has a huge impact on me or doesn’t faze me at all, but I need some action. I need something to happen. Right now, I’m zeroed out, empty… My head has zero thoughts, my heart has zero feelings, my life has zero people in it; I am literally zeroed out. It’s not that I haven’t had a happy life up until this point. I was content; I was academically intelligent, with a loving and supportive family, good friends and basically all the other things that make up a perfectly joyful kid with the perfect life. That is until all of it came to a crashing halt in a matter of months. It all happened slowly when I think about it. I started having trouble at school, which led to fights with my family. I remember being this cheerful, outgoing person. Now though… I have no energy. I don’t have the energy to feel sad, or angry, or anything. I have become this careless human being. None of it affects me anymore. I’m just too tired to care, too tired to bounce back, too tired to try. I’m too tired to do anything. Being zeroed out has that effect on you. Man, that wall looks empty. Kind of depressing too. I really should get something to fill that wall. Maybe that will make me feel something, get out of my zeroed-out state, and get to a happy number. Maybe then I’ll care, I’ll actually feel better.