It's almost time for summer. The school year was coming to an end, and the results were on their way. I wasn't troubled by them because I already knew I'd failed before I ever looked at it. I couldn't work because of this feeling of nothingness; it seemed like I was carrying a boulder. So when the grades came in and my mother saw how bad they were, she sobbed. She had no idea depression had struck and caused my grades and communication to suffer. Despite my sadness at seeing her cry, I simply pulled the covers over my head and turned on the music to turn off the world. To be precise, I turned on Olivia Rodrigo.

My sister, on the other hand, was furious with me, and we spent thirty minutes arguing back and forth throughout the house. I was irritated because she wouldn't leave me alone, and she was irritated by my "carelessness and attitude". When she screamed about the two of them putting food on the table and trying their hardest, but I was simply wasting their time and effort, I could see her rage in her eyes.

Plus, my mother had arranged a shopping trip to pack two barrels in the United Kingdom with me and her for a month during summer, and I wasn't looking forward to seeing my father. She demanded that I not notify my father about her plans until I was about to board the plane. I kept everything a secret, and when my father found out that he hadn't been informed of anything, he was furious, and the two of them spent hours arguing over the phone. I was used to it but at some point the bickering and poison will be enough to push me over the edge, and being stuck in a strange nation with them didn't help matters.

We only had two years of school left after this, and at the end of it was this exam, similar to the SATs, that would determine our future. Carson, Mandy, and Beth were doing exceptionally well, whereas Dustin and I were distracted from our studies. But did that worry me? No, all I want is to live a simple life without having to work or do too much.

I'm curious as to what younger me would think of me now. I was callous and unconcerned about my goal of making my parents happy. But, to be honest, I'm tired of pleasing others and having my life go their way. What the fuck is life these days?

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For the past few months, Beth had been completely focused on her studies, and everything had gone without a hitch. She excelled in every subject as usual and was disappointed when her mother informed her that she wouldn't be taking her to the theme park this year due to her brother's expenses. But she understood. Her mother got into a heated dispute with Beth because she couldn't make ends meet and had grown so enraged at the world in recent months.

Beth called her father the following morning when she had calmed down, and he picked her up two hours later to spend the summer with him. Her mother gave her a look that said, "You betrayed me," and gazed into the tinted car window as if she could see her as they drove away. She didn't care, though, because she needed her tranquility and was prepared to use any strategy to achieve it. Plus, she knew her father had money and would spend on her but mostly she was hoping he would loan some to her mother to pay for her brother's bills.

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One day, Dustin received a phone call. It was his father who called to inform him that he would be spending the summer in BerkVille with his wife and two children. He wanted him and his brothers to reunite, and he saw it as an opportunity to reinvent himself and gain Dustin's favor. Above all, he wished to be regarded favorably by Dustin's younger sister, Faye. They'd be staying with him for the duration, and their mother had dispatched them as soon as he arrived.

She felt an enormous weight release from her shoulders after she dropped them off, after years of having to coach and program them into becoming who they are. Don't get me wrong, she adored her children and would go to great lengths for them, but she needed a break. A break from a whining child, a break from browbeating them into obedience, and just a break to catch up with her girlfriends over a margarita.

Dustin was not looking forward to it since he knew his father would put him under a lot of pressure with sports. His father, you know, is a terrific athlete who has made every effort to turn Dustin into a miniature version of himself. Dustin was enrolled in football and track from a young age, and when his father and mother, Candi, broke up, Dustin quit the next day.

In addition, his stepbrothers secretly disliked him. They refused to communicate with him and instead competed with him, stealing the show and leaving his father with stars in his eyes. He didn't like them either, but his stepmother, despite her and Candi's differences, always made him feel comfortable.

So two months in a house with individuals who would stress him out was decided and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

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Mandy was excited for the summer vacation. She could read books all day and her cousins were coming to visit. What was even more exciting was the fact that her birthday was during the summer and she had already made all her plans and everything was in place. She didn't mind staying at home over the summer because she was a simple person who needed her alone time. She wasn't antisocial; she just had a low social battery.

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Carson's life had recently come crashing down around him. He awoke one morning with his sights set on winning the swimming championships and an energizing meal to get his gears turning. He was one of the school's greatest swimmers, and when he jumped into the pool, he appeared to be an angelic fish floating around, not allowing the water to control him, but rather commanding the water. He felt as if his emotions were washed away in the water, and he relished the icy feel of it.

His father, on the other hand, fainted in the house that same morning. Carson stood there in disbelief as his mother hurried to get him aid by ambulance. His father was transported to the hospital, and his mother's fury erupted, spilling over onto him. Carson's sole way to relieve stress and get his mind back in the game was to guzzle a handful of Oxycodone he had stashed in his gym bag. Yes, it gave him the mental clarity he needed to perform. However, it had a disastrous impact.

   Carson dives in, ready to be authoritative to the water, once the pistol was fired and the whistles blew. He could see how clear the water was via his goggles, which gave him a relaxing sense. But he couldn't see anything after a split second. Blood was thickening the water as he blacked out, and a lifeguard jumped in to save him.

It seemed as if he had been dragged out of the world and was falling through space with no end in sight. There was no one to help, just a sinking feeling in my stomach.

He had lost consciousness after diving into the water and hitting his head against the pool's bottom. It had torn his forehead open, and blood was gushing out like a waterfall. Everything after that felt like a scene from a movie.

An ambulance arrived and took his crying mother away from him. He was taken to the nearest hospital, strapped to a stretcher. His mother, drowned in tears and asking the men to help him, was in the ambulance alongside him. He was given rapid attention as he was brought in.

The drips poured down the tube and into his body, the loud hospital couldn't wake him up, and the cries of patients from all over the building swamped the room. The hospital had a depressing atmosphere, with beeping machinery and a packed lobby, and Carson's mother was not pleased to be there for the second time today.

Carson realized he was doomed as soon as he awoke and saw the surroundings. The doctor entered the room with his mother, who ran to hug him and take his hand in hers. Everything happened because he overdosed, and he was lucky that he didn't hit his head hard enough to cause brain damage, according to the doctor.

When Carson saw his mother turn to gaze at him, the drum beat in his heart was almost audible. He almost wished he hadn't regained consciousness. But he knew he wouldn't face her anger just yet because his mother would never make a fuss in public.

After a week, he returned home to find his mother screaming at him for hours, and all he could do was curl up in a ball next to his bed. His father was not pleased with him and took his PlayStation, phone, and laptop away from him.

His mother forced him to undergo rehabilitation and made him pledge not to tell anyone. She told everyone that he passed out in the water because of low blood and that he was going to stay with his grandparents for a while to keep everything hidden. The entire community was sending them prayers and love, oblivious to the fact that we had been completely deceived. But I suppose that's none of our concern, and it's up to her to make her own judgments for his well-being.

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Even Masquerade was winding down for the season.

They were in their dimly lit room with cicadas buzzing around them. They placed a photograph of me on a plastic bag along with a hard drive with all of the video footage they had collected on me inside. They proceeded in the same manner for the others and once completed they sealed the bags in a locked cabinet of the desk.

They followed the trail through their apartment, which was full of paint shavings and curious insects. Everything was arranged nicely since they had OCD, as evidenced by the medication they put in their mouth and water in a cup to wash it down. They removed their masks, placed them on the table, and then turned to face a broken mirror that was only partially intact. When they looked into the brown eyes that had been watching them in the mirror, everything fell silent once more.