Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Emi - Ch. 73

"I'm home."

I said, but of course, nobody else was here. I just kicked off my shoes and ran the stairs to my room, a semi-detached Victorian house, like a thousand others, along the endless, same-looking roads. And we had to wear these uniforms to school, almost like the people of this country were terrified of anything remotely unique. I couldn't wait to get rid of it all.

"Screw the system." Fourteen years in, I was fed up with everything in this life. Like come on, what's the meaning of it all? If only my brother were still around, but no, I had the only good thing taken from me too.

It was exactly a month ago. As I unlocked my phone, I could still see his last message. I kept spamming him with my best wishes but knew he would never respond. The first day of school for both of us, university for him, and high school for me. I took a picture in my brand-new uniform with a sign that said good luck, and he finally reacted.

"Thanks, you too." That was all. My last message from him, before he died. I kicked off my skirt and blouse, that I had to wear to school. Since then, I hated them with a passion. I had this large mirror next to my bed I got it from him for my birthday once. I stopped to look at my reflection.

"I don't know what I expected," I mumbled. My ribs were showing, and no matter how much my parents bugged me about it, I couldn't eat. I was a picky eater, to begin with, and now... "What's the point if I can no longer enjoy my meals with him?"

Sure, I know. Fine. He already moved out before his death, but still. How could I possibly move on? And no matter how much my parents claimed, they were stuck in this state too. Like, they won the freaking lottery, but still worked overtime and lived in the same shitty house. So tell me then, what was the point?

Still looking at the mirror, I couldn't help but notice how much I neglected my hair. It was the most boring shade of brunette, a bit messy after I pulled my blouse over it, and it was getting slightly long.

"Oh, but you should be growing it out, nyeh nyeh nyeh. I do what I want." I mocked all those requests into the mirror. I could if I wanted to. That would mean less cutting, but a pain to deal with. I wouldn't look this short if my hair grew longer, but I liked the tomboyish style. My boyfriend liked it too. "Oh, shit, I'll be late."

I dove into my dresser and grabbed everything black. I didn't have that many options. A lot of my stuff was in the laundry still. I could pick between a pair of jeans or shorts. It wasn't cold, but I didn't feel like putting my legs on display. I had a band's T-shirt to go with it. My hair fell in front of my eyes, putting it on, reminding me of something.

"You look like an emo." I could almost hear my brother saying.

"Well, excuse me, it's all your fault, dumbass." I got angry at him somehow. "You are the reason I have to wear black all the time. It's not even my style. It's kind of cute though. Screw all that girly crap."

Those clothes had to do. I had to hurry if I didn't want to be late for my date, not like I felt like going, but anything was better than sitting home alone. Nothing to do, and nobody to talk to, just me and my intrusive thoughts. Good thing I wasn't suicidal in the slightest.

"Ugh, right, I can't be emo then, no cuts on my wrists," I argued with myself, fixing my hair too. It still needed a bit to reach my shoulders, the best I could do was to pull it back into a short ponytail. The front had to be tucked behind my ears. "Maybe I could try out some bangs? Nah."

Taking only my phone and wallet, I was already leaving the house. I had a bus to catch, and the train to meet with my boyfriend. It was starting to become a hassle, but again, nothing better to do. It took me almost an hour to get there but I ended up being early after all that.