The Yin-Yang Symbol | Teen Ink

The Yin-Yang Symbol

October 26, 2010
By PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."


The charm is a yin-yang symbol. It's made out of cheap plastic, the kind you might find in a little girl's beading set. The design painted on it is a little bit shaky, as if a child had colored outside the lines. It has a hole on both sides so it can be strung onto a necklace in sequence with others of its kind, but that is not its' purpose. So, he tied it up in a complicated, messy, made-up knot with black string that has since begun to unravel. Now, it dangles much lower than the rest of the charms on my necklace. Leave it to him to find the way to stand out on a chain around my neck.
When he gave it to me, he told me that it represented us perfectly. He said that I was the white half, pure and beautiful, and that he was the black half, his innocence lost long ago. And so unfairly. He told me that his white dot was me, and that he didn't know where he'd be without me. He couldn't bear to be all black.
"I'll die without you," he said.
I had just blushed and looked away as he told me he would always love me, no matter who or what came between us.
Honey, I hope so.
That was the day he told me about the cuts. Each scar that ran up his forearm in a feathered pattern was old news to me. I knew they were there, we just had an unspoken rule that I didn't ask what they were for (or who they were for) and he didn't tell me. They simply existed. But when we were alone, in the kind of silence that always manages to scream the truth, I would trace each one lightly, my fingertips barely grazing his skin. A shiver would run down his spine as he grasped my hand, pleading in the most subtle way for me to just let it be, and I would lay my head down on his chest and feel his steady heartbeat.
His steady heartbeat.
Then, he would wrap his arms around me and kiss the top of my head. I would think to myself that I'd never felt safer, more at home, or more loved than I did in those marred, abused arms.
The fact of the matter is, I knew he would tell me the story behind each and every slice if I asked. Trust was not the issue. The thing was, I didn't want to know. I didn't want to be held responsible for that kind of knowledge. I didn't want to know too much about the person I loved most.
I didn't want to be driven away.
So, I hadn't asked to know.
I certainly never asked to be held responsible.
I never planned on hearing the five piercing words that passed his lips as soon as he fastened my new favorite charm on my necklace.
"This one's for you, Nicole."



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This article has 22 comments.


on Aug. 16 2011 at 4:37 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

thank youu!

on Aug. 16 2011 at 2:27 pm
SaritaFajita BRONZE, Arlington, Texas
3 articles 0 photos 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
- In your anger do not sin. <br /> Psalm 4:4<br /> <br /> - &quot;Love the life you live, live the life you love.&quot; -bob marley.

A d o r a b l e !

Love love love it(;


on Jul. 21 2011 at 6:08 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

that would be really interesting. i'm working on a full length novel about these two characters. i just havent had the heart to work on it lately because it hits pretty close to home. but i do really like that idea :)

.Izzy. BRONZE said...
on Jul. 21 2011 at 4:41 pm
.Izzy. BRONZE, Broadview Heights, Ohio
1 article 0 photos 388 comments
I'd really like to see a story from the boy's perspective. I think that would be interesting.

on Jul. 13 2011 at 6:17 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

it is based on a real life experience, and its not really a prequel, but i am writing a full-length novel based on this same experience. i just havent gotten around to writing it as much anymore because ive made so much progress in my heaing process that i really dont feel like dealing with it anymore. its bittersweet lol. thanks for reading, and thanks for the rating :) glad you enjoyed it!

on Jul. 12 2011 at 10:29 pm
Hmm...wondering if this is a prequel. And I see....is this based on real-life experience? I like both of these pieces, nonetheless. 5/5

on Jun. 28 2011 at 12:12 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

hahaa thanks so muchh. let me warn you though that you probably wouldnt want him as much if you had him. i learned the hard wayy.

on Jun. 25 2011 at 12:03 am
IAmWhoIWantToBe PLATINUM, Manila, Other
41 articles 0 photos 650 comments

Favorite Quote:
&lrm;&quot;I&rsquo;m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don&rsquo;t have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world: I run my world.&quot; - Beyonc&eacute;

Hey, PaRaNoRmAl627!!! This is another great story.
Uh-oh.
You're really, really, really making me wish for a boy like him. No joke.

on Apr. 25 2011 at 9:22 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

oh no you didnt come across as rude at all; you were constructivee. I'm just a little insecure about this piece so im kind of hopnig to direct people to better ones lol

Megan.J.B said...
on Apr. 25 2011 at 9:14 pm
Megan.J.B, Sault Ste Marie, Other
0 articles 0 photos 185 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Here&#039;s the real truth. There are eight million people in this city. And those teeming masses exist for the sole purpose of lifting the few exceptional people onto their shoulders. You, me? We&#039;re exceptional.&quot; <br /> - Green Goblin. :)

I will check it out and I definetely don't mean to sound rude in any of my feedback. Like I said, I find the same problems in my writing and I think it's great when people point it out. It makes us stronger. So, there's no need to redeem yourself as you are definetely a writer.

on Apr. 25 2011 at 7:18 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

Well, I've said in other comments that this isn't my favorite of all the pieces I've written. A new one was just posted a few hours ago; you should check that one out so maybe I can redeem myself :)

Megan.J.B said...
on Apr. 25 2011 at 3:15 pm
Megan.J.B, Sault Ste Marie, Other
0 articles 0 photos 185 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Here&#039;s the real truth. There are eight million people in this city. And those teeming masses exist for the sole purpose of lifting the few exceptional people onto their shoulders. You, me? We&#039;re exceptional.&quot; <br /> - Green Goblin. :)

By problems I meant, descriptive problems, awkward wording, basically like patches of just mediocre writing, where I felt something could have been improved but couldn't really put my finger on it. I think that the flow was off and to read it wasn't as nice. Don't get me wrong though, it doesn't mean that I didn't like the writing, it just means that you're not quite there yet. I find this in my work often as well; it's the mark of a young writer.

on Apr. 24 2011 at 4:23 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

:) thankss! what do you mean by problems? like grammatical issues, or more like plot issues?

Megan.J.B said...
on Apr. 24 2011 at 2:24 pm
Megan.J.B, Sault Ste Marie, Other
0 articles 0 photos 185 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Here&#039;s the real truth. There are eight million people in this city. And those teeming masses exist for the sole purpose of lifting the few exceptional people onto their shoulders. You, me? We&#039;re exceptional.&quot; <br /> - Green Goblin. :)

I agree that this was impressively deep and insightful, but yes there are problems and such. Nothing major, actually probably nothing fixable-- just not perfect that's all. I loved the idea though. Really nice! :D

on Apr. 20 2011 at 3:32 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

thaaankk youu so muchh :)

on Apr. 19 2011 at 1:49 pm
Timekeeper DIAMOND, Cary, North Carolina
62 articles 0 photos 569 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;A guy walks up to me and asks &#039;What&#039;s Punk?&#039;. So I kick over a garbage can and say &#039;That&#039;s punk!&#039;. So he kicks over a garbage can and says &#039;That&#039;s Punk&#039;?, and I say &#039;No that&#039;s trendy&#039;!&quot;- Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day

This was pretty deep, and just the sheer amount of detail and backstory you managed to fit in seamlessly was quite impressive.

on Apr. 3 2011 at 9:00 am
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

i wrote this when my heart was definitely broken, so all of the conflicting emotions got in the way of the clarity. this isnt my favorite piece of mine either, but im still so glad you liked it :)

AsIAm PLATINUM said...
on Apr. 2 2011 at 8:19 pm
AsIAm PLATINUM, Somewhere, North Carolina
48 articles 3 photos 606 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;According to some, heroic deaths are admirable things. (Generally those who don&#039;t have to do it. Politicians and writers spring to mind.) I&#039;ve never been convinced by this argument, mainly because, no matter how cool, stylish, composed, unflappable, manly, or defiant you are, at the end of the day you&#039;re also dead. Which is a little too permanent for my liking.&quot; &mdash; Jonathan Stroud (Ptolemy&#039;s Gate)

Dang he reminds me of my character.  What are we going to do with them? Those characters that just have so much to hide.  It's sad.

 

What's not sad, on the other hand, is your writing.  This isn't my favorite of yours, but it's still awesome.  You had some tense changes (aren't those irksome to deal with?), and it was a little unclear.  But it was that cool "this person must be smarter than I am" kind of unclear, if you know what I mean.  Like if you try to overthink it you don't get it, but then it hits you and your heart simultaniously breaks and sings.  When I first read the last like I was like "Wha????".  Then I looked at it for a moment and I could feel all the emotion, all the secrets, all the pain built up behind it.  Great job. :)


on Mar. 7 2011 at 9:41 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do what you want. If it&#039;s something you&#039;ll regret in the morning, sleep late.&quot;

yeah, i agree with both of you too, lol. this isnt my favorite piece. i was thinking about getting rid of it actuallyy

Alia_Tan GOLD said...
on Mar. 7 2011 at 6:04 pm
Alia_Tan GOLD, Elk Grove, California
15 articles 0 photos 69 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I gotta right to sing the blues/<br /> gotta right to moan and sigh/<br /> I gotta right to sit and cry&quot; From &quot;I gotta right to sing the blues&quot; By Louis Armstrong

I have to agree with charmiypiggy, its a little unclear what the ending meant, but the content was pretty good :) nice job :)