Elke seconde telt // Every second counts (FanFiction)

Chapter 4

Saturday November 4, 9:09

The morning begins like any other, my eyes slowly opening as I stare at the ceiling. It doesn't take long before the memory of yesterday hits me like an unexpected blow. Rejection, unexpected and painful. I feel defeated, the pain weighing heavily on my chest like a leaden burden. An overwhelming wave of sadness washes over me. Have I misinterpreted the signals? Perhaps I read too much into the small gestures. How could I have been so naive to think she would ever like me like this? Anais is too good for me, I knew that deep down. And now... now I've ruined everything.

My thoughts surround me like a dark cloud. I must do something, these doubts are suffocating me. I decide not to let it go any longer and send a message to Anaïs, *Are we OK? * Seconds pass while I wait for an answer, but there's no immediate reply. The uncertainty is driving me mad.

With a heavy heart, I leave my room and drag myself to the kitchen, where my mother is already preparing breakfast. She greets me with a smile and asks, "How was your evening last night? Did you have fun?" I hear her voice, but her words don't reach me, my thoughts are elsewhere. My mind is full of doubts and an uncomfortable feeling about an unavoidable, upcoming confrontation with Anaïs.

My mother notices my absence and looks at me with concern: "Bobbie? Are you all right?" she asks. She pauses, waiting for an answer, but there is none. Meanwhile, I stare at my breakfast plate, but I have no appetite. "Bobbie?!" my mother says a little louder to get my attention. "Not now, Mum," I mutter in a hoarse voice. Without waiting for her reaction, I turn and run from the kitchen. I climb the stairs to my room and crawl back into bed.

Saturday November 4, 10:13

I've been tossing and turning in my bed for an hour, my mind spinning as I desperately try to sleep. Suddenly my phone lights up, a notification. I sit up straight, my heart pounding in my throat. Could it be Anaïs? My hands tremble as I unlock my phone, but my hope fades as soon as I see that it's Mila who's added me to the Club '07 group chat. I read the messages with a sigh. Hanne asks if we're going to the café today. I reply immediately, already thinking about seeing Anaïs and checking how things are between us. I take a deep breath and thank Mila for the add, *<3 Thanks for the add! I'll be there.*

Just as I start to feel a little relieved, I receive a message from Anaïs. My heart stops for a moment. *Yesterday didn't happen, OK?* The words feel like knives in my chest and I feel the pain rising again, more intense than ever.

In an impulsive reaction, I reach for the bottle of strong liquor hidden in my wardrobe. The pain, the sadness, the confusion, it's too much. Alcohol and beats, that's what I need to take my mind off things. I unscrew the top and take a big swig, and then I settle down behind my keyboard.

Saturday November 4, 20:56

I head for the bathroom in a hurry to get ready for the Club '07 meeting at Bar Brul tonight. I reach for the door handle and swing the door open. But when the door opens, I freeze at what I see. There he is, Samuel, naked in our bathroom, changing. My eyes widen as I am in shock and I feel a wave of unease run through my body. I quickly turn around and rush back to my room, my heart pounding in my chest.

Back in my room, I drop onto my bed, my thoughts in chaos. What just happened? My mother's new boyfriend and the father of my crush, who just rejected me yesterday, naked in my bathroom? Wow, could it get any worse? My hands tremble with shock as I stare at the half-empty bottle of strong liquor on my bedside table. I take a big gulp and the warm glow of the alcohol starts spreading through my body. But the shock doesn't leave me, I feel the need to numb my mind and take another sip, and another, until the world around me begins to twist slightly.