ROBINSON, Cleopatra S.

[Deleted]

cleopatra sue-anna robinson 24, HEAD SERVER - DAMIAN LOS ANGELES LIVING NEW YORK LOS ANGELES I LOVE YOU, BUT YOU'RE BRINGING ME DOWN TWENTY QUESTIONS • favorite color  lavender • favorite holiday  halloween • favorite season  summer • current source of joy  real housewives of salt lake city • current source of worry  everything else • last kiss  another server at work • now listening  bad idea right? - olivia rodrigo • favorite song  feels right - biig piig • prized possession  her mom's diamond earrings • next trip  currently a pipe dream, out of budget • plans for the day  getting dressed for the gym, not going, watching tiktok instead • last text from  theo inviting the group to palm springs • last text to  theo, saying she's too broke • 2023 NY resolution  plan and stick to a monthly budget • death row meal  king crab legs with tons of hot sauce • bad habit  tiktok - her daily screentime is around three hours • most likely to  suggest a round of fireball • friday night spot  max karaoke studio • preferred takeout  in-n-out • drink of choice  tequila, soda and fresh lime WHAT'S IN MY (BASIC BITCH UNIQLO) BAG LIKE A DEATH OF THE HEART JESUS, WHERE DO I START? "Who would my sister be if she hadn't had cancer in her teens? Impossible question. It's like asking who she'd be if our dad wasn't a crazed doomsday prepper, or who she'd be if our mom wasn't the perfect Suzy Homemaker. We're the sum of those things, aren't we? OK, maybe she'd be less... stunted. Cleo spent most of her teens in and out of hospital wards, fighting for her life. It's a miracle she has a high school diploma, honestly. But she's so smart, I think if she'd been able to attend more school she'd have been an honor student, would have gotten a scholarship to a fancy college, the works. Or maybe she would have gotten pregnant and flunked out, we'll never know. All I do know is that she's the strongest person I've ever met, even if she does bury it under a layer of lethargy. She's too hard on herself, she doesn't have to have it all figured out just yet." LIKE A RAT IN A CAGE PULLING MINIMUM WAGE My life is groundhog day. I've been working in hospitality since the age of nineteen, in Anchorage and in LA. The pace picked up in LA, sure, and some places are fancier than others, but there's a fundamental sameness to the job. There's an industrial dishwasher smell that anyone in hospitality can tell you about, an amalgamation of food smells pressed together and heated to a point of scalding you with its steam, a smell gets into your hair, your skin, your eyes. There are ergonomic shoes that make Crocs look sexy, and yet your shins still feel like they are splintering by the end of every shift. There's this acrid dryness to all parts of your life, matched only by a stickiness, a slickness, sauces and syrups that get under your fingernails and make you want to think of literally anything else.  There's also incredible tastes. A chef slipping you a sip of a consommé so rich and flavorful you feel like you might cry. There's the camaraderie of trench warfare with fellow servers, dishwashers and cooks, who'll teach you swear words in all the world's languages. A golden ticket to a slice of nightlife that's exclusive to you and your kin, bars that stay open only because someone knows the bartender, where you drink for free, swapping war stories until it's light outside and you can see the first commuters heading to their cubicles. A second city that lives under the surface of the one other people see, one with the most incredible inhabitants you'll ever meet. And blow. So. Much. Blow. It's not a career but not everyone needs a career. When I'm home with the smell and the exhaustion and the customer abuse ringing in my ears, the magic fades. That world slips from my view, too. It doesn't help that people keep outgrowing me, blossoming into relationships, careers, fame, all on walks of life I don't have the gear for. I'm mixing my metaphors. I know this isn't a job for life, but I haven't figured out the next step yet. I'm not sure I really want to. BUT YOU'RE STILL THE ONE POOL WHERE I'D HAPPILY DROWN cleo on lily • "Yes, that Lily McCarthy is my best friend. Nothing in the world makes me prouder than that fact. Lily is everything she seems like in her music, she's sweet, she's yearning, she's incredibly loyal. It's obviously unfair that anyone could be so talented and so beautiful, but hey, she's blessed! I can also attest to the fact she's never had any work done, despite what those before and after Instagram accounts would have you believe. Sometimes it's hard to be her friend, not because she's not a good friend, she's the best friend a girl could ask for. But because her light shines so bright, it can cast a shadow. Not her fault at all, very much a me problem. I hope she doesn't outgrow me because I need her." lily on cleo • "Cleo was my saving grace when I moved to LA. Didn't blink twice at welcome me as a random roommate, didn't fuss when she inevitably found out my brother was in Cat's Cradle...it was a true friendship with her in that apartment from the start, and it's something I'll always be thankful for. She sees the best in everything, which is what I think I struggled with sometimes. It got hard, to talk through everything I was dealing with when my career gained some traction because at the end of the day, I was gaining success and it felt unfair to complain about that. I think I could have approached some of my feelings better with her, and I regret the disagreements and awkward conversations we had because I wasn't more forthcoming, but we've worked through it. She's such an authentic friend, and loyal to the absolute death. I wouldn't be where I am without her." cleo on elyse • "Oh Elyse. I used to hate her, can you believe that? Like I said, working on the bitterness! I was sick with jealousy that she was so incredibly hot, living with these cute twins... she seemed so put together, so sure of herself. Now I know her better that's so far from the truth. I mean, yes, she's hot, and now we both live with Theo, but she really doesn't seem all that sure of herself these days. It's sad to see, she's just torturing herself at this point. It's insane to me, she's so much fun and she gets so much attention when we go out, she should be living her best life! I'm sure she'll meet someone soon and that'll be that." elyse on cleo • "It's funny to think that just a few years ago I was hated by both Cleo and Lily, now I can't live without them. Well, more so Cleo than Lily, but whatever. Cleo is someone who is always down for a fun time, but also knows when you need a friend the most. This last year has been really challenging for me, she's been so good to me despite our common denominator of Theo. They are so close, but she still has my back through my ridiculous feelings. I'm also beyond grateful she's moved in. Selfishly, it's nice to have a buffer between Theo and I. I hope that when I drop the bomb on Cleo about my plans to move out, that she doesn't hate me and that we stay friends. I do feel like she's a pretty big supporter of mine." cleo on theo • "Theo is a loveable idiot. He bounds around life with this infectious energy, I don't think I've ever seen him like, really depressed. Down, sure, and pissed off a couple times, but generally he lives with this huge grin on his face. You'd think he'd never known any struggle at all, which makes it all the more amazing when you know that he has. As nice as it is, it can also be infuriating. He doesn't like confronting anything directly, he can be so oblivious, and it took me a while to realize he was doing that on purpose. I guess he's used to looking past the bad to focus on the good, with the work he does. If I want to feel better about myself or my life, there's no one better in the world to hang out with, it's hard to feel down when he's around." theo on cleo • "Cleooooo. I love her. She's my roomie, my bestie, my source of any and all girl advice, though she's actually the worst at advice most of the time. We have fun. If I want to do something spontaneous, like going out to a bar without planning it six months in advance, or even hopping on a plane, there's a 90% chance she'll say yes. She only says no if it's a work or a money thing. I wish she'd let me help more with the bills and things, even just letting me pay now and then, but she's stubborn about that. Sometimes she's her own worst enemy, to be honest. She can be so mopey, and sometimes she really hates herself, which I obviously hate to see. But this city's hard, I feel for her." cleo on ollie • "I'm not the first person to notice this, but it's insane how different twins can be. Remember how I said Theo's all sunshine, you'd-never-guess-he'd-gone-through-trauma vibes? Ollie is the exact opposite of that. You'd think nothing good had ever happened to him, the way he sulks around. He is the grumpiest man I've ever met. And yet... this stays between us, right? Swear on your life? I think about him all. the. time. It's insufferable. He pops into my head every time I post a thirst trap, though he's never on Instagram. Every time I walk into a bar I hope he's working there, even though I know he'd hate every second of that. I fucking hate that he takes up so much space in my mind because I know I don't take up any in his, he doesn't even text to say when he's leaving or where he's going, he just ghosts. Every day I wake up hoping this is the day I grow out of it, but it hasn't happened yet. Fingers crossed for tomorrow." ollie on cleo • "text"

lex      olivia o'brien      resident