The irritating ringing of the alarm clock forced my vivid dream to come to a halt, compelling me to open my eyes. I so wish I had another way of waking myself up instead of this way, but I have nothing else at my disposition; not even someone. Such was the fate of the one whose both parents have long abandoned her.

Gazing at the full-body mirror, it did not take a while for my swollen eyes to be apparent.

I still remember the night I met him.

The clouds emptied themselves of the water vapor they couldn't bear to hold anymore. For a reason I know not, my umbrella was misplaced then. How strange, I have no tendency to do such a thing. All my life, I have carefully held my belongings so close to me. Why wouldn't I? There were only a few things in my life, and it was an arduous task to earn each of them.

Still, it was my carelessness that night that led to our fateful encounter. I eventually found my refuge in a bookstore that was still, thankfully, open. Therein, I found him.

Although he did not possess the prettiest face Earth could possibly offer, he lived his life in a way that positively influenced the people around him. Wherever he went, the masses would always flock by his side and his smile would drive worries away. Perchance, that could be why he is endeared by many— a sentiment I soon began to share the more I spent time with him.

His kindness touched the coldest heart and he would willingly give what he could to those in need, even if nothing was left for him. Others have called him a fool for this. But I beg to disagree. This man was way more than that.

He was preposterous.

Although Xander already knew that it bent the laws of reason and common sense, he'd still go out of his way to be kind to those who previously harmed him. I wonder how much naivety and foolishness a man should have to reach such levels. He'd still smile even though he was hurting inside. And most importantly, he weighed the needs of others over his own.

But just like any other side character, he died so that the main character wouldn't.

Screw the author for breaking my heart like that.

***

With the first semester coming to a close, the next one greeted us with a blithe opening week. Quite peculiar, the former did not treat us with such kindness. Instead, they magnificently demonstrated the terror of what is to come in the following academic year. With the bell ringing through the hallways, class activity came to a temporary halt. Like wolves returning to their packs, the multiple factions within this very classroom slowly became evident.

Therefore, staying here would make me stick out like a sore thumb.

Having no one to share my laughter and desk with, I contemplated whether I should eat my lunch on the rooftop or in the toilet. However, I came to the realization that the latter was a depository of human waste. Eating at such a location wasn't exactly the brightest idea, but I guess the idea of being concealed while in the act is the alluring benefit.

But no, we'll scratch that for now.

While making my way up the stairs that would lead to the rooftop, I noticed that no one had similar ideas — which works perfectly in my favor.

As expected, Mr. Kenny's bread is amazing, a thought that continuously circled my mind as I took each bite in my mouth. Not only that, even though his price is very cheap, every bit is worth the penny! Oh, what a rarity in a world so expensive. Drowned in bliss, I was able to barely perceive five girls walking together towards me.

And what do we know, they have such mean faces. Must be the bad girls everyone's talking about.

"Give us your lunch money, nerd!"

I continued eating my bread.

"What are you doing? Didn't you hear me?! I said give me your lunch money!"

The leader sought to grab my collar, but I was quick to evade her grasp. Even without facing their way, I knew I had angered those whom "I shouldn't be opposing". With screams filled with fury and resentment, all of them charged toward me.

Screw them, I just want to eat my bread in peace.

However, as a person who grew up in the ruthless slums for most of her life, I was used to such things. Therefore, I learned to deal with the matter before things got out of hand. A method that knocks out your opponent in one strike by quickly punching them in the jaw. Years of experience have taught me the right amount of pressure to make sure that they'd never awaken while I'm in the vicinity and at the same time, leave no fatal injuries. Surely, having someone sue me would thwart my plans for a successful future.

One by one, they each met their doom.

At last, I can finally eat my bread in peace.

Not like there's any lunch money I can give to them anyway.

Once I finished, I headed back to class. Everyone was starting to fix the desks in a previously disarrayed state, and in their attempts did the noise temporarily surged. Mine had little to no fixing required; it was intended where it was formerly left so all I had to do was sit down. Unlike the others, I didn't have a lunch box to pack so that saved me quite some time to daydream before the next subject starts.

Yet, the short question of one of my seatmates put a halt to my plans.

"Did you finish the Calculus assignment?"

Oh, shoot.

"Yeah, it was really hard— it took me hours to finish!"

"Lucky you, I can't even get past the first question."

"Really? What about the other four?"

"Guess I'll just bet everything on my one and only answer."

My mind entered a blank state. A state in which I could neither move, speak, or think.

My arrogance in handling the affairs of yesterday has brought forth this situation. I got ahead of myself and spent the whole evening reading A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah. It shrouded my mind so much that I had forgotten about such a deadly assignment that was due in a few minutes.

Thank God for the extra time.

Thank God for my skills in Math.

Thank God for the seatmates who implicitly reminded me.

Were it not for you all, I wouldn't have finished my Calculus assignment in a short period of time. Every question was completed. All except the last one. It would have been finished as well, had it not been for our Math teacher entering the room right before I even could start.

***

Tsk. 20/25.

I could have done better if it hadn't slipped my mind. Of all the things to forget, it just had to be Calculus.

One question would amount to five points. Thus, failing even one would cause you some real damage. In short, this would leave a dent in the overall score.

As I contemplated today's tragedy while staring at the final outcome, I sat down on a bench in the park. A heavy sigh escaped my lips. There's nothing else I can do right now but accept this fate and move forward. Lesson learned.

Next time, I'll be extra careful.

Upon coming to the conclusion that enough regrets have filled my heart, I set my sights on going back home.

Although it's been a hundred times that I've been greeted with the same scenery, it never fails to soothe my heart. As the saying goes, "There's no place like home." After settling down my shoes on the rack, I sat on the couch and closed my eyes. A bundle of papers on the coffee table greeted me upon my wake. It was the bills — a despicable entity that keeps devouring my income.

Nonetheless, not dealing with these would mean I was homeless. So, I guess, it's still one of those things to be grateful for.

Ugh, my savings are running out.

Quitting the last job was probably a bad move. But it was taking a toll on my mental and physical health that it essentially forced me to this conclusion. Not to mention, keeping up with my academics was proving to be difficult going forward, which was my utmost priority since I also have a scholarship to maintain.

Oh, well, it looks like I have no choice.

Let's go get another job.

One that's probably less heavy than the former, even if it means my typical salary would be reduced. Oh wait, does that mean I should say goodbye to this apartment? No, I like the view of the night sky here! Downsizing is definitely a no-no! Alright, maybe not too much of a regress now.

What job should I get though?

Hmm, my skills involve deep cleaning, writing fanfics on Tumblr, writing fiction on Wattpad, browsing the internet for memes, reading a book a day, and then proceeding to review them on Goodreads and StoryGraph, cooking, Math, tutoring, and probably organization.

Guess I should be a maid.

Not a bad idea. I hope regrets won't come to visit me later though.

Q: Even though it wasn't largely hinted at, it was still mentioned in the last few paragraphs of Chapter 2 that she was reading. Were you able to guess the correct reason for her tears? xD

Author's Notes commented inline here ➵