2nd July

Hey hey, wanna hear a story? Or rather, how about a little joke?

Everyone could use an extra joke or two in their lives.

So listen up. So there are two friends, okay? These two friends absolutely hate each other, so much so that whenever they see each other, they would bicker. These two friends are approached by the Grim Reaper one day, and so the Grim Reaper says 'One of you will die, the other will survive, but I'll let the two of you decide who dies'.

So the first friend steps up and offers himself to be killed in place of his friend. The second friend also steps up to argue, offering himself to be killed instead. The Grim Reaper waits as the two friends who hated each other argued over who should be sacrificed.

'I know you hate me, so I'll go kill myself if that'll make you happier' the first friend says to the second. The second replies 'I know you hate me too, so I'll be the one going. There's no point if there isn't someone I can argue with every day.'

This lasted quite a bit, so here's the question: Who dies?

Huh, not that funny, huh? I'm working on it, don't try to rush me.

Is it already the next day?

I sat up on my bed, reaching for my glasses off to the side right after. I yawned and stretched. The light in my room was still on, as expected. Good thing my parents didn't try to unlock the door with a key like last time…

I picked up my phone to check the time. Turns out, pretty early. It's like 2 am. I went to my washroom to brush my teeth before leaving my room. Oooh, it's dark outside. One flick of the switch, guess what? It's bright now.

On the dining table rested a plastic bag with a container inside. Must be the food from last night. When Fable's girlfriend came to visit. Right, Canadian food, right?

I walked over and brought out the container. Poutine. Huh, didn't know that was Canadian Food. I brought out my phone and played a video while eating my food. If anyone gets awoken, too bad, it's Saturday, so I can do what I want dammit.

The fries were soggy and stale, the gravy tasted not the best. In fact, it was way too salty. I glanced over at the microwave before letting out a long exhale, deciding not to go to the microwave. It's such a hassle.

When I was finished with my food, I looked around the house. It looked emptier than I remember, ah, who cares?

I changed my clothes as quickly as I could before leaving the house with nothing but my phone, keys and wallet. Strolling down the corridor, I waited for the elevator to reach my floor. It's quiet outside, dark, maybe the sound of crickets, can't be sure exactly what insect that is. Wonder if I can see any stars outside.

Ding. Elevator's here.

I stood inside the elevator, staring at myself through the reflective surface of the door. I adjusted my glasses to get a better look. I don't exactly seem to be smiling, am I?

Who cares? No one's there to see me.

I stepped out of the elevator and walked out. Should have brought a jacket, it's pretty cold outside. Wonder where I should go at this time of the day. Ohh… wonder if I'll get kidnapped? I mean, it's a possibility, right?

Park, park, park…

I stood at the park, it was dark and only illuminated by the street lamps. I glanced around the darkness, having the creepy feeling of something crawling down my back. Even through the darkness, I could see just how messy and dirty the park was, and how much litter lay on the grass.

I sat down by a bench, under a lamp, beside who I assumed was a homeless guy.

The homeless guy had been sitting there, staring blankly in front of him. He had messy grey hair and a grey beard. He wore a beanie and damaged clothes. In his hand was a roll of newspaper, and that was about it.

I looked away first, pulling my cheeks and ensuring that my lips were up.

"Good morning," I greeted. "Or is it night? No clue, but how you doing?"

The guy turned and looked at me as if just realising my presence. First of all, rude. Second of all, why's he so shocked? In the middle of the night, some girl with green hair approaches you in the middle of a park.

"Oh, uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Didn't… didn't notice you there."

"It's fine, not many people would notice me either," I joked around. "I'm here 'cause I felt like going for a walk, how bout you?"

He stared at the ground for a few more seconds before slowly saying, "Well, I uh… got nowhere else to go to…"

I nodded along to his story.

"My wife left me last week," He started talking. "I… I've been trying my best to support the both of us, you know?-"

I don't.

"B-But it just wasn't enough. We were constantly hungry, we were poor, so poor that we couldn't even pay the rent…"

I could see the pain in his eyes. Interesting…

"We were about to have a child too!" He continued. "My wife was pregnant… but she got a miscarriage… she left me soon after, and… and I don't really know what to do after this. I'm a failure, nothing I do ever works out."

"Everything's going to be alright," I told him.

"It's not!" He said loudly before wincing.

He leaned away from me, looking away. He muttered, "S-Sorry, I shouldn't have screamed… I'll… I'll just go away. Enjoy your walk, miss."

"If you wanna talk next time, I don't mind listening," I told him.

He disappeared into the darkness. I sat down on the bench, staring at the dark sky where only a couple of stars twinkled. Dammit Light pollution, I wanna see the stars! Huh, actually, I wonder if I can see a UFO? Seems like a pretty good day for it.

I hopped onto my feet, the smile no longer on my face.

I wonder how many people I can get to know and talk to by the end of the month? I mean, seems like a fun little task I would have… very fun indeed.

I'm an actress, in case you didn't catch that the last time. What do you think is the highest form of entertainment for me?

Life~

Ain't life interesting? Think about it. What if you decided not to take a certain turn, or not to make a certain decision at some point in your life, would the people around you still be the same? Would you still be the same person? Would people see you the same? Perspective, circumstances, if I could gather more of them, maybe…

Talked too much.

Wonder where I should go~

As I thought that, I strolled under a lamp and stared up at the light. The longer I stared at it, the more I felt myself calm down. No, no no no… I can't calm down, I can't have those thoughts back.

I started running.

Jogging's pretty alright if you ask me. My mind's blank, I get to work up a sweat, and apparently, it's also good for my mental health. Not like there's a problem with me in the first place.

It's still dark.

When I came to a stop, I was breathing hard and sweating profusely. Looking around, the place seemed somewhat familiar enough for me to find my way back home. Hey, isn't that a convenience store?

I remember that place. My mom used to bring me there all the time, until…

I'm just gonna head right in and see what's up. Smile.

"Welcome," The lady behind the register said lazily.

From where I was, I could just about see her doing something similar to homework. Reminds me of my own homework… Well, I'll just do mine tomorrow. The lady was scribbling some stuff down as I walked around, browsing the selections available.

Hm hmm hmm hm… Hm Hm Hm," I hummed to myself before getting a sandwich and a bottle of water.

The poutine I had was rather small, and I had just worked up quite a sweat.

"Morning," I greeted the lady behind the cash register with a wide smile.

She glanced up, putting her pen down. She sighed before scanning the items I had bought. She then looked at me, asking, "Cash or credit?"

"Cash."

I handed her the cash. The lady punched some numbers on the cash register a few times before returning the change. To start some conversation, I asked her, "What are you studying for? You don't look like a schoolgirl."

She sat back down, telling me lazily, "Yeah, I'm thirty. I'm studying for my diploma."

"Can I ask why you're only studying for your diploma at your age?" I continued asking.

"Reasons."

There was quiet afterwards. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of paper flipping, pen scratching and the gentle music in the background. I waited a minute or so before talking more, "You mind if I stand behind the cash register?"

"Knock yourself out."

"Ooh, can I get a uniform?" I inquired, looking back at the changing room. "Would be real nice if I could do this for now."

"Sure," She said, not even looking at me. "Changing room, eight, I got an extra."

I rushed to the back, brimming with excitement. I found the uniform, put it on and rushed back to the register. I stood there, staring in front of me, balancing on the balls of my feet as I waited for a customer to walk in. I had always wanted to try being in this position.

"Where are the people?" I asked the lady.

"Asleep?" She replied.

For someone so focused on her studies, she seemed rather responsive to my questions. I drank some of the water I bought before chatting more. "Could I have your name? It's kinda weird not to know the name of someone so nearby."

"Catherine, you?"

I rubbed my chin. You see, I don't quite like my name, and it's something I really don't enjoy telling people. I snapped my fingers and told her, "How about a riddle?"

"I rather not," She muttered.

"Okay! First word. Kinda like happy, you know? It's an emotion, something similar to happiness. People love feeling this feeling, everyone wants to feel happy, after all. The first name that, the last name kinda sounds like action. When people are in love, they do this, and during the marriage ceremony, the bride and groom will blank. Now take that word, remove the last letter, and replace it with another letter. My last name rhymes with pizza. So, what's my name?"

Catherine placed her pen on the table and stared at me, asking, "Are you being serious right now?"

"Yes, very."

She rubbed her face before telling me, "Look, I work here till the morning and have to attend school right after. I get about three or four hours a day of sleep, so let's get this over with, okay?"

I told her my name.

"Thank you," She let out a sigh of relief. "Now please don't do anything too stupid."

Just as she said that someone walked in. Ding ding, the bell on the door just rang, gotta start acting like a store attendant.

"Welcome!" I greeted.

A girl walked in. She looked about my age, maybe younger, who knows? She was wearing pretty fancy clothing as she picked up a bottle of orange juice. She walked up to me nervously, so I returned a smile. She looks a lot taller up close.

"That's all you're getting?" I asked her politely.

"H-huh?" She stammered, visibly confused.

"Well, the store offers a wide range of products," I continued. "We got bento sets, frozen foods, cup noodles, even sandwiches. If you wanna use the microwave or hot water, it's at the back. If you want to get a Slurpee, don't."

"Slurpee…?" The girl asked, looking around.

"Oh right, we don't have those here, my bad," I laughed and apologised. "Sorry, just messing around. Being out this late in a convenience store can get pretty dull, don't you think so too?"

"Uh…"

"C'mon, let me scan that orange juice for you, and you can be on your merry way," I offered her.

I scanned the orange juice. Beep. Paid. After I passed it back, I asked her, "So, what got you here at this hour?"

"Sorry?" She turned back to look at me.

Catherine was trying to do her best impression of a statue. As an actress myself, I respect that. I elaborated, "I mean, you don't usually see young girls walking around by themselves at this hour."

"Oh… yeah, you're probably right," She nodded, getting softer the more she spoke. "It is weird, huh?"

There was a pause.

"I'm just… kinda confused right now," She told me before stepping away. "Sorry, you probably don't want to hear about this."

"No, please go on."

"It's just that… How do I put this…" She continued, clutching her bottle of juice tightly. "Basically, a guy confessed to me. He's a really nice guy and all, but I didn't know much about him until he confessed… Then I, uh, accepted his confession, so we've been dating for a while."

She looked around before dropping her voice. "I recently met his family, and I think they're really nice too."

"So what's the problem?" I asked bluntly.

"I just think we're moving too fast… I don't know what normal people think, but I want to spend more time getting to know him better, you know? But he keeps hiding things about himself from me, and we always do what I want… I'm not even sure if I like him that way yet…"

I nodded before nudging Catherine. "Hey, Cat, you're pretty old, got any advice?"

"What?" Catherine exclaimed. "I'm not that old!"

Catherine looked over at the girl before looking back at her homework, telling her, "Don't bother with these things now, girl. Focus on your studies. Don't end up like me, dating the wrong person and ending up getting my diploma at thirty."

"He's not that type of person!" The girl exclaimed before running off.

I waved her off, saying softly, "See you next time."

When I put my hand down, I commented to Catherine, "What a confusing girl."

"You're really noisy, you know that?" Catherine commented. "Are you high on caffeine right now?"

"Funny story, I don't actually drink much coffee," I explained to her, laughing lightly, "Can't exactly get myself too energised. Otherwise, it'll be really bad for me, you and everyone else."

Catherine shrugged and continued writing.

After a few minutes, she asked me, "How long are you planning to stick around?"

"I dunno, until five?" I proposed.

"I end my shift at five, why don't we leave together?" Catherine offered. "I got classes later, so if you want, I can drop you off by your place if you want."

"You have classes on Saturdays?"

"Yeah. It's supplementary."

"Sounds rough," I told her. "Don't burn out too quickly."

"I won't."

I stood around, waiting for the time to pass. Eventually, I decided to entertain myself by rearranging everything I could see in the convenience store. I hope neither of us gets into trouble for this.

Ding ding, it's five already?

I returned the uniform to Catherine, who also changed out of it. Before we left, a guy walked in to replace Catherine at the counter. Huh, are all convenience store employees this depressed?

Car goes vroom.

In the car, I rode shotgun, Catherine at the steering wheel. She told me, "Where do you live? I'll drop you off."

"It's not far from here," I replied, smiling as I stared out the window. "Couple of blocks down, the apartment building."

"You live at the Reeler's?" Catherine asked, raising her eyebrow. "How rich are your parents?"

"Not so."

There was a moment of silence before Catherine asked me, "So… you still in school?"

"Yep!"

"What school do you go to?"

I tapped my chin before shrugging. "Ah, some random school. It's the one with the drab grey uniform and red tie. I think it's called Venti or something like that."

"Oh, never heard of it," Catherine said, stopping the car because of the traffic lights. "Do they… uh… allow the hair?"

"Oh, they don't. They very much don't."

There was a moment of silence as Catherine mouthed the words 'I see'.

"I meant to ask this earlier, but what are you doing out at this time of the day? The sun hasn't even risen yet."

I shrugged while staring at the air conditioner. "I woke up early, I guess? I don't sleep much, it's a real problem."

"Get more sleep, you don't look too good," Catherine advised.

"In what way?"

She pinched my arm, telling me, "Your skin's so pale, and you're pretty thin. Are you eating enough?"

"You're just like a mom," I commented, laughing.

She had a small smile of her own before saying to me, "Well, I've always wanted to be a mother."

"I'm sure you'll make a great mother."

Not a word after.

She stopped the car in front of the apartment building. I waved her off, the car driving away to wherever Catherine needed to be. Now, guess I'm back home. Wonder if my Mom is awake.

Home.

I looked around. The lights were still turned on from before I left the house. Nothing changed, and I could hear the snoring of dad in the background, so I guess no one was awake yet. Returning to my room, I sat there, wondering what I could do to pass the time.

Read a book? Been there, done that, damn Shakespeare is difficult to understand.

I could try to draw, but I would rather not let my imagination run loose. Oh… how about I go to sleep? No, dumb idea.

Let me just run through what I have to do today…

Laze around, laze around more, maybe go out with the fam… is there anything else I'm forgetting? Whatever, I'll see how it goes.

Boring.

Door opening. Hm…? At nearly six in the morning?

I pressed my ear against my bedroom door, trying to see if I can eavesdrop on any conversation outside. Instead, someone knocked on my door. Soon after, I heard Fable's voice, "Oi, open up. I know you're awake."

"How could you possibly know that?" I demanded, opening the door.

Fable stood by the doorway, his hair was a mess. He looked rather grumpy, might be the fact that he just woke up, but who really knows other than himself?

"Wazzup?" I asked, throwing out a few hand signs as I did so.

I laughed at my own joke, but Fable looked rather unentertained.

"You know what you did," Fable scowled. "Last night, Yin wanted to meet you, but you locked yourself up in your room."

I paused for a moment, staring at him. "Oh, is that what this is about?"

"Let me explain something simple to you, younger bro-"

"You're like, three months older than me," He countered.

"And therefore I'm older," I stated. "Which means I get all the stuff and you get nothing. Anyways, let me explain something simple to you:'

"I don't like the idea of an outsider meddling with my family, capisce?" I gave Fable a thumbs up.

He sighed and told me, "Even so, you should have at least greeted her. She looked really troubled the entire time she was here."

"Don't invite her next time then, I don't see the problem," I argued, still smiling. "Besides, if she's your precious girlfriend, you should know how to comfort her, right?"

"Whatever, you're impossible," Fable grumbled before walking away.

"Whatcha doing waking up so early?" I questioned as he walked away.

"None of your business," He told me lazily.

"I hid the keys to the house, so you can't leave until you tell me."

He lifted up a hand and jingled the keys in his hand. He told me while looking off to the side, "No you didn't."

I laughed until he was out of sight. I glanced around. Fable seemed pretty upset, or is he just going through his rebellious phase? Everyone goes through that phase at some point in their life, right? As the older sibling, I have to talk to them about it, right? Nah, I don't like it when strangers interfere with my family.

"Mom said she's going to go out at around 10 am," Fable said after he exited the toilet.

I was scanning through the fridge as he was talking. I simply replied, "Yeah, and?"

"She'll be dropping you off at the centre before going to the supermarket," Fable continued. "She also mentioned picking you up at about 1 pm."

"Drop me off where?"

"To the doctor, remember?" Fable told me bluntly.

It took me a few seconds, but I finally got it! Oh my, how could I forget such an event? I must be getting forgetful recently. Yes, yes, a meeting with Doctor Lisa, a weekly occurrence! I'm looking forward to it so much!

"Oh right!" I exclaimed. "Doctor Lisa. Yeah, I'll be ready by then."

Fable walked past me, a cup of coffee in his hand. He took a sip before noticing me looking at the cup. He raised an eyebrow, "Uh… you want one?"

"No," I replied, the smile still on my face. "I'm just wondering when you got that cup."

He shrugged and walked off without another word. I followed him, asking, "Hey, did your precious girlfriend give that to you? Hey, tell me, you gotta tell me. Or I'll just ask mom."

"Yes, it's from Yin."

"Who?"

"My girlfriend, Yin?"

"Right! I forgot her name there," I laughed casually. "I'm perfectly fine with meeting her, just don't let her see me in the house, okay?"

"Whatever, you're weird," He sighed.

He opened the door to his room. I looked in and joked with him, "Ohh… anything inappropriate in here? Like those types of mags."

"Hell no," He told me, grabbing my shoulder and stopping me from entering.

There was a desk with a monitor screen. The room was messy with paper, books, and wires, a complete mess that made my room look like the standard, which it was. I asked him, "What's the matter? Can't let me in? Whatcha hiding?"

"No one goes into your room, so don't just barge into mine," Fable sighed, placing his cup of coffee on his desk.

I crossed my arms, keeping my smile intact. "There was that one time not too long ago where Mom and dad unlocked my room door and entered despite my clear assertion for them to not enter."

"You locked yourself in, it was your fault," Fable shrugged, pushing me out of the room.

"Everyone loves dramatising everything! It wasn't anything serious!" I told him.

"I'd rather not continue this conversation. I got a bunch of stuff to do, so get out.'

"Rude."

Time check, about six in the morning, I guess.

I mostly sat around before showering. After I was done, I laid down on my bed for a moment. I guess waking up that early had its problems too. I placed my glasses aside and closed my eyes. Maybe a little nap… just a short nap…

Knock knock.

Who's there?

Mom.

Mom who?

You're gonna be late if you don't wake up now.

Wow, great point, Mom, thanks a ton.

I woke up and rolled off my bed, hearing my Mom outside the door saying loudly, "---! You're going to be late! It's near ten already."

"I'm awake," I groaned, getting off the floor.

I put my glasses on, along with my smile. I opened the door and greeted my mother with a simple "Morning. Did you sleep well? I hope you did."

I walked by her. I had already dressed in advance, wearing a shirt and jeans. I turned my head and told my Mom, "I don't need breakfast, but I will need some lunch though. Where are you buying lunch from?"

"I was thinking about buying one of the set lunches from the supermarket for you," My Mom replied as we both put on our shoes.

"Calories."

"Ah, it doesn't matter. You could eat more, you know?"

I shrugged and we were off. Meanwhile, neither dad nor Fable could be seen. I followed my Mom closely until we reached the car. Get it right, alright? It's not 'Our' car, it's 'The' car.

"I'm really excited to meet with Doctor Lisa today," I told my Mom. "We have so much to think about! Oh, did I say think? I mean talk."

"..." My Mom started talking, the car already on the road. "I know the past few days haven't been the best… I'm just worri-"

Stop.

Why oh why is dear Mom talking about such a thing? What's been going on? I don't like it when people talk a lot about things I don't care much for.

"Nothing's wrong, Mom," I laughed. "I'm just being myself, okay?"

"B-"

"Okay?" I repeated, staring out the window.

I pointed out the window, telling her, "Hey! There's a kid riding a skateboard! I haven't seen that in years!"

"Oh… uh… you're right," She nodded, looking ahead.

Don't give me that look.

I rest my elbow against the armrest in the car. Being around mom used to be so much more fun, but recently I feel like something's been on her mind…

"You're not as energetic as usual?" I muttered, staring out the window.

God, I hope she can't see my face through the reflection in the window.

"Really?" My mom asked, looking ahead at the road. "I guess I am pretty worn out from work… I'll make sure to rest a ton this weekend."

"It's because of me, isn't it?" I asked bluntly.

Moment of silence… Why?

"I-It's not anything serious…" My mom continued to talk. "It's just… I-I've been receiving calls from school recently. They say you haven't been attending several classes, and that you've gone missing many times. And just yesterday, I got calls because of your hair and attitude… I'm just worried that you might be dealing with something within yourself."

Moment of silence.

"I don't want to force it out of you, I know what you're going through isn't easy, but please, at least open up to your mother," She continued. "Is it the people? Are you getting bullied? If there's something wrong, tell me, okay?"

Moment of silence.

I stared at myself through the vague reflection in the window. I smiled to myself and leaned toward my mom, telling her, "Eyes on the road, Mom! Can't have you crashing."

"W-"

"I'm fine, everything's fine. There's no need to worry about me," I laughed it off. "And just so you know, I'm not changing the colour of my hair just yet."

I really love the seriousness in some people, mostly my mom though. It brings out a side of them that's really interesting, don't you think so too? Like if some carefree person suddenly becomes serious, it's an interesting dynamic, huh?

"You don't have to worry for me so much, okay?" I told my mom. "That's what we have Doctor Lisa for!"

Car stops. Here we are!

Ahem~

"Morning!" I greeted her when I entered the room.

Doctor Lisa was a relatively young lady who had reddish-brown hair tied into a single ponytail. She wore glasses like me. She looks pretty strict, but she's actually a real softie. Also, I like those sea-green eyes of hers. Staring at them makes me feel better.

"Oh, ---," She replied casually. "Have a seat."

I sat down across from her. Doctor Lisa held a clipboard with an empty sheet of paper on it. She adjusted her glasses before asking me, "So, It's been a while… I was quite surprised when your mother called me last week to cancel the appointment."

"Oh, I just wasn't feeling the best," I nodded.

"Really, what happened? Could you tell me more?" She asked.

"Had an upset stomach," I replied simply.

Doctor Lisa looked me in the eyes. I really like her eyes. She gestured to the few snacks on the table between us, a silent offer to have them. Will do. That plate of cookies? She better not expect any to be left alive.

"You seem completely different from the last time I saw you…" Doctor Lisa commented, gesturing to her own hair. "Like your hair colour."

"Oh right!" I said, a cookie half-eaten in my hand.

I put my hand up apologetically, swallowing before continuing, "I dyed my hair green. I hope you noticed?"

I flicked my hair before laughing to myself. Doctor Lisa nodded before telling me, "Your attitude seems to have also changed… Did something good happen?"

"Something good?" I tapped my chin, staring up at the ceiling. "No, I don't think so. Why do you ask? Gasp! Doctor Lisa, did you get a boyfriend?"

Doctor Lisa's eyes widened with shock. "How did you know?"

"I don't know, something about the way you carry yourself," I joked around with her. "Also the letter and roses on your desk over there."

I pointed at a desk behind Doctor Lisa. She picked the roses up and handed them to me. I grabbed it and tried sniffing it immediately.

"You won't get any scent from that," Doctor Lisa warned me.

"My boyfriend gave that to me as an anniversary gift. It's a fake rose, but he wrote a cute message along with it."

I passed the rose back.

"His excuse was that even if our love is fake, it can last forever," Doctor Lisa said. "Isn't that just one of the stupidest things you've heard?"

"Why would he say that your love is fake?" I asked, curious.

"Oh, that's cause we don't actually love each other," Doctor Lisa told me with a slight smile. "You could call it a business decision that benefits the both of us."

"Sounds like a pain," I commented.

We both laughed a little before Doctor Lisa asked me, "So, why don't we get the routine out of the way first? What were the thoughts that ran through your mind for the majority of this week?"

I glanced out the window before shrugging. "I dunno, ice cream flavours? Oh, and also UFOs, like the one on the news."

Doctor Lisa did not sound convinced whatsoever by what I just said. She continued, "---, I'm concerned. Have you been lying to me as of late?"

"Why would I?"

"It's just that…" Doctor Lisa hesitated. "Much of what you say doesn't exactly correlate with how you act."

She slapped her forehead as if just having that realisation. "Right, you're an actress!"

I continued smiling as Doctor Lisa asked, "So, do you mind telling me which is the real you? The one before the change or the one before?"

"Not really giving me much of an option there," I joked.

"Sorry, I misspoke," Doctor Lisa apologised. "I meant to say the one before or the one after."

"That makes a lot more sense," I agreed.

My, my, my my my. A little nosey there, Doc. Frankly, I don't like it. I crossed my arms and pretended to think about it. What was there to think about?

"Who knows?" I decided on an answer. "I'm just being me. People can't accept it?"

Yap yap yap… Doctor Lisa, you don't seem too fun to be around anymore. What's up with people recently? I decide to talk a little more and all of a sudden everyone's like 'Eww, what's wrong with her?'.

Before I decided to talk more, everyone was like 'Eww, what's wrong with her?'

The world's a really confusing place, huh? Why I wish things could be simpler. Simple times are the best times.

Mom, pick me up, please.

I was in the car with my mom again. This time, she had groceries in the back of the car. On the way back, Mom asked me, "So… How was the session with Doctor Lisa?"

"Same old same old," I sighed. "By the way, what does it mean to have a business decision when it comes to dating?"

"Probably so that they can say they're in a relationship?" My Mom replied. "Is that something kids your age do nowadays?"

"You're sounding really old right now," I commented.

"Guess I am," She chuckled.

No, she isn't.

"Oh right, you've never dated before, right?" My Mom brought it up.

I leaned deeper into the seat. "What's up with dating? Everyone's so into it. Fable got a girlfriend, dad keeps telling me to get into a relationship. What's so special about it?"

"You'll find out when you have someone you like," My Mom smiled to herself.

Moment of silence for how impossible that sounds.

…

Alright, thanks.

"Oh right, what did you get for lunch?" I asked her, the thought just randomly popping into my mind.

"I got baked rice which we can heat up at home," My Mom replied. "They were having a twenty percent discount at the supermarket."

"Okay~"

Baked rice… Isn't that literally rice and cheese? God that sounds awful.

She pulled the car over at the garage of the apartment building. We made our way up to our home.

Talked to a bunch of people today. At about 9 pm, I was just about ready to hit the sack. Before I went to sleep, I got a text message from Catherine.

She sent me a picture of a bunch of worksheets I could not understand. She also sent the text, 'Because of you I did my Assignments wrong!'.

'Sorry, sorry. I'll make it up to you' I sent a text back.

'How about a date?' I sent next, for shits and giggles.

I waited for a few minutes and got a message back. 'Hang out with me at the convenience store next Saturday'

'No problemo'

I put my phone aside. I wonder what all those people I've talked to today are doing or thinking right now? No no no, can't let myself drift off like that. I closed my eyes and almost instantly went to sleep.

See you tomorrow~