At first, no one could believe that those bottled emotions really worked. I would listen to my friends speculate about getting them, and would smile politely when they asked if I might try it.
I couldn't afford it. I was saving for college and the years beyond. I couldn't afford bottled emotions, I could barely afford my regular anti-depressants.
The first time I saw a bottle, we were sitting in a circle in Danny's basement. He pulled out a little bottle of pee-colored liquid labeled "Happy".
Everyone gasped. There was a chorus of "Are you sure that's a good ideas"s and "Dude, there's no way it can work"s. Danny just shrugged and took a sip straight from the bottle. Within minutes he was all bubbly, like he was on a good high. Everyone else scrambled for a sip. By the time someone thought about me trying it, it was empty. I just smiled and shrugged, saying that I had pills to do that for me at home.
The next morning, everyone acted as if they'd never tried it, but were whispering to themselves about getting their own bottle, to try downing it all at once to see what happened. I didn't join in, after all, I couldn't afford it.
Weeks went by. Everyone was scrambling for emotions. Artists would be getting "Sad" or "Angry" or even "Depression" for a night of heart-wrenching work. Athletes would be getting "Angry" to get into their competitive spirits.
Still, I never bought a bottle.
Soon, I noticed people were acting...different. They refused to do anything when they weren't on the bottles, and when they were on them, they couldn't be inclined to work. Nothing ever got done anymore, and eventually, even the bottles went out of production from the workers lack of energy. Everything just...stopped.
The few people who never were on the bottles pulled everything back together, somewhat. I was called by our "leader" of the area and now I'm helping to decide what to do with all the people still on withdrawal from the bottles. I know what I have to do, but saying it still hurts me.
"Ban the bottles. Anyone found in possession of them after 30 days will be arrested and put into rehab. After that, you can decide the punishment."
"Certainly not ideal," the leader says.
"No. But hopefully we'll be able to recover from such strong a setback now," I say.
"Thank you, Ellie. You've been a big help."
I shrug off the thanks. "I just hope my friends are smart enough to get the help they need, rather than get thrown in jail."
Deep down, I still wish that I had taken that first sip.
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