What if I told you… life has a cruel way of revealing secrets? My past and present feel like pieces of a bigger game I don't even know I'm playing. Not literally a game—but you get the point.
I woke up, and guess what? It was all just a dream.
I sat there in shock, my face a mess from the tears. I kept wondering—was it real? Because it felt real.
It was 6:00 in the morning. I went to check on my mom, but she was still asleep, so I didn't disturb her. I was just so glad she was safe.
Then I went to my sister's room. She was sleeping soundly. A single tear rolled down my face; I wiped it away and went back to my room. I lay on the bed and whispered to myself, "What a weird dream."
I tried to sleep again, but I couldn't. So I picked up my phone instead.
Suddenly, I heard my sister's voice:
"Wake up, bro, it's morning! How long are you gonna sleep? You have school to attend."
She yanked my blanket off the bed and threw it to the ground.
"Yeah, yeah. You should go get ready instead of worrying about me. You've got school too, y'know," I muttered, eyes still closed.
"I'm ready already, you dimwit. Check the time," she snapped, sounding annoyed.
"Huh?" I grabbed my phone and looked. "Oh, fuck! I'm late!"
I jumped out of bed, washed my face, threw on my clothes and jacket, and rushed out. On the way, I hugged my mom from behind while she was cooking.
"What happened? Sudden affection, huh? Do you want money?" she teased.
I didn't answer. I just held her a little tighter for a moment, then hurried off.
"Hey! Eat breakfast. I left some on the table," she called after me.
I grabbed a sandwich, stuffed it in my mouth, and ran out the door.
Luckily, my school isn't far—just about 2 km away. Easy enough with one bus.
But the bell had already rung. No matter what, I was going to be late. T^T
Imagine living just a couple kilometres from school and still being late—definitely embarrassing.
I reached school, ran straight to my class, and saw the teacher scolding the latecomers. I tried to sneak past her and slip into the room, but she caught me and told me to stay out until the next period.
So, I went to the library with the other latecomers. One of my friends, Dylan—who's always a total mess—was there too. He slumped into the chair beside me and said,
"Yo, what's up, man? Let's just bunk the whole class. It's not like we'll get attendance anyway…"
"Nuh-uh. I'm attending class. Exams are coming up, and you should too," I cut him off, speaking calmly.
"Come on, man, you're such a bummer. Do whatever you want, I'm heading to the canteen," he said, pouting.
"Well, I'm starving, so… can you grab me an apple juice?" I asked hopefully.
"Get it yourself," he shot back before walking away.
I sighed and started reading a book to pass the time.
When the period ended, I went back to class—and yeah, I was the only latecomer who actually returned. Everyone else bunked. I sat at my bench while we waited for the next teacher.
Meanwhile, my mind wandered back to that strange dream—the one where I fell into a hole and everything went dark.
While I was lost in my own thoughts, everyone suddenly scrambled back to their seats. That only meant one thing—a teacher was about to walk in. The noise broke my train of thought, and I turned my eyes toward the window. The trees outside swayed gently in the wind, calm and beautiful.
Then it hit me—like a punch straight to the heart. A sudden weight pressed down on me, sharp and suffocating, almost like a heart attack. My breath caught in my throat.
The door creaked open.
A man walked in, and instantly, I knew something was off. He wasn't the teacher who was supposed to take this period.
"I'll be your substitute for English today," he said casually, placing his bag on the desk. "Your regular teacher is on leave. My name is Mr. Rowan."
The class murmured in confusion, but no one questioned it. Teachers came and went all the time.
Still, my stomach twisted. Something about him—or maybe about me—was wrong. The feeling in my chest wouldn't go away.
I raised my hand and forced the words out. "Sir, I'm not feeling well. I… I need to go to the nurse."
He gave me a glance that lingered a second too long, then nodded. "Go."
As I stepped out of the classroom, the hallway felt strangely cold, and for the first time, I wondered if what I had felt wasn't just sickness… but something else.