The sun was in orange-golden and wasn't that visible in the sky yet its beauty still shines and comforts the people like me who were in a... difficult stage of loneliness. I don't know where to go but my feet brought me to a quiet park with a few people around. Kids were playing while their parents were calling them for a snack. The family I will never have. The experience I will never get the chance to. The bond and care I will never get to feel. And even I tried so hard to remember my childhood, I can't and it will only give me a headache.
I looked away and just silently appreciated the beautiful and healthy-grown trees around me as I sit on a bench. It's not the people. It's nature who comforted me when people left me.
But then, I accidentally heard a conversation.
"Have you already enrolled? I still haven't. The semester is coming now, I'm getting nervous that I won't pass the entrance exam!" I heard a girl talk to her friend.
"You can do it! If you can overcome your heartbreak from your ex-boyfriend, how come you can't overcome the exam? You know, I'm just here to help you. If you don't know the answer, I'm just one message away," her friend replied and they laughed in unison.
"But still, I can't help it! What if I don't get passed and you're passed? What do I do? We're not together! I can't stand it! And the entrance fee might get wasted!"
"Come on, you're just hungry. You'll definitely forget about it after you tried our restaurant's new special food."
"What's with the sudden promotion?"
As they chit-chat and laughed together while walking away, I was left mesmerizing about it and couldn't move an inch. No matter what I try to avoid those thoughts, I can't escape from it. Especially now that the semester is coming and it's, of course, the talk of the town.
I wanted to study again. I wanted to do what I've been wishing to do but I'm scared that people might recognize me. I can not afford it. I can not afford to have any issues again that might disappoint them more. I can not afford to embarrass myself again. And I... can not afford to give everything up to something I don't even know if it's really for me.
I stood up and went back to the house. But when I was about to go inside, ignoring the tall guy leaning on the wall with his business attire, he called me. Not by my name, though.
"Hey, Miss Slap."
My eyebrows frowned and slowly glanced at him. The side of his lips rose and that didn't amuse me. It even annoyed me. "What?"
He let out a chuckle and stood up properly. He crossed his arms, still with his smirk. "Nevermind. I just thought you'd remember me..." His voice lowered and made my eyebrows frown even more. "Anyway, I'm Brikson Grenville. You can just call me, Briks." He held out his hand but I just looked at it before I turned back my gaze on him.
"If you don't have any important to say, I should leave now, then." But to my surprise, he held my wrist that I almost jumped and immediately took my hand out of his touch as if I was burnt.
His eyes widened a fraction and cleared his throat before he put his hand inside the pocket of his pants.
"I'm sorry. Uh... I just wonder if you'd like to have a coffee with me?"
My eyebrows shot up and I crossed my arms as my whole body turned around fully. "And why would I like?"
But instead of getting offended, his smirk came back again and walked closer to me. I didn't move an inch, though. "Well, for slapping me when as far as I remember, I didn't do anything, you can consider it as a peace-offering."
I reflected on his smirk and stepped closer to him. "Oh, really? Well, as far as I know myself, too, I'm not just slapping anyone without any reason. If what you're saying is really true... I should've slapped you, earlier."
I rolled my eyes at him and turned my back, leaving him hanging there. My head ached at the interaction as soon as I sat on the chair in the dining area and drank some water. Who the hell is he? And Miss Slap? Really? Gosh! I'm losing my mind!
Inhale, exhale.
There's no need to worry about it. It's okay, Dilly. You have the last words that punched him straight on his face. It's a waste of time but it's better than dying in boredom. It's okay.
I spent almost two hours, just calming myself. But it is, again, useless and a waste of time because I can't calm down even a bit!
I changed my clothes and went down to jog. I didn't look at anyone. I only looked in the direction as I jog and jog. Not minding where I go, I stopped at the bunch of trees when I got tired. I looked at my watch and saw that it was already 9 in the evening. The moon also reflected on my watch but I didn't lookup. I just can't.
My attention immediately turned into the soft, muffled crackling sound of the dry leaves, getting stepped on by someone in the bunch of trees area. Until it turned into as if someone's running—no, a group of people though I can't see anything but darkness.
Fear started to crawl into my system and even though I wanted to scream for help or run to escape, my body just won't let me. But when the sound became louder and louder, I knew they were getting closer to me that made my body move back.
I turned around and was about to run when I heard a gunshot. I badly wanted to scream! But all I can do was to cover my ears to not hear it. I swallowed hard as I catch my breath.
Should I run? But what if they shoot me? But why? I don't even know anyone here—especially them. Unless...
My heart pounded so loud at the thought. It's so loud that I almost got deaf because of it. But it even doubled when I heard footsteps coming near to me. I parted my lips and tried to say a thing but there's just no voice coming out from my mouth! What should I do? Think, Dilly. Think!
I clenched my fist and took a deep breath. There's no way out but I should, at least, defend myself. Just in this situation. Just this once, I'll defend myself. I tried to feel the surroundings and someone, coming near to me and what might they can do to me.
But what caught my attention was the shadow of a... woman?! My eyebrows met. It's a woman?! But how—oh, yeah. I shouldn't be relieved. There's also a woman who—
I gasped for air when suddenly, she touched my shoulder that slowly got tighter so I didn't waste a time. I turned around and held her neck.
But I was as shocked as she is and I immediately lowered and hid my hands behind when I saw her cat, clinging to her in fear because of my sudden action.
Her face was so angelic yet her eyes were so intimidating, especially her thick eyelashes and eyebrows that sent chills down to my spine. But I was confused. If she really was with them, how could someone bring her cat into a situation like this? What if the cat gets killed? Well, unless, they're just a sacrificial lamb? But still, how could she, when her eyes show so much affection for her cat, comforting the cat to calm down. I wish they could also care for me like that.
"Serina..." she called the cat and turned her gaze to me. As her cat's eyes drawn on me as well, a smirk escaped from her lips. "...you did a great job." My eyes widened when the cat jumped down and calmly walked in elegance through the bunch of trees... where I heard the sounds. I clenched my fists tighter—ready to defend myself no matter what even I knew that this will be a defeat to me. "You should've listened to your instincts. Because that will save your pretty ass."
She smiled and her gaze went on my back. Before I could even attack, he already covered my mouth and nose with a handkerchief with something on it, putting me to sleep.