"If only your mothers had swallowed, Bitches like you wouldn't have been born in this world " Saying this , Zhane stormed away slamming the door behind him as he left leaving behind Celine and her friends who were shocked to the bones, not only them, even the people present were amazed , gasps fleeing from mouths .
Celine managed to compose herself to avoid screaming out In anger but Cathy was more enraged as she tapped her foot repeatedly on the ground, she even crushed the lollipop in her mouth not caring if she bit her tongue, Cindy too was mad, as she clenched her fists tightly her knuckles turned white and gritted her teeth as she badly wish she could strangle and crush Zhane to death , they other two were thinking the same thing too.
The manager sensing the icy atmosphere immediately withdrew in fear, not wanting to be the target of their rage.
"Let's leave, I've lost my appetite" Cindy said and walked away followed by the others who exited the restaurant in fury .
"That fool's got no manners, I'll make sure he pays" Celine said through gritted teeth as she ignited the car's engine and steered the wheel driving at a mad pace away from the restaurant.
★ AN OLD RICKETY DUPLEX ★
Zhane trudged through the tattered compound,tired as his eyes cast down at the ground.
As he approached his uncle's house, he could feel a sense of dread wash over him.
His uncle, a stout man in his late forties stood in the doorway, his arms crossed with a scowl etched on his face
"You're late again Zhane" he growled
Zhane hung his head feeling a familiar sense of shame "I'm sorry uncle, i was busy at the restaurant today"
"Busy?" His uncle sneered "you're always busy but you never seem to have any money to show for it, what do you do with it all hmm? waste it on drinks and girls no doubt, you're always slacking off just like your father"
Zhane was stung and felt a surge of anger but he knew better than to speak back. He had learned to swallow his pride and take the abuse no matter how unfair it was.
"I'll try to do better uncle" he muttered. His uncle snorted "That isn't enough, you're a disappointment Zhane, a constant reminder of your father's failures"
Zhane's eyes welled up with tears as his uncle's words cut deep. He felt a lump form in his throat making it hard to breathe.
"You'd better be true to your words, now get inside and start cooking dinner" His uncle said and moved away. Zhane nodded and shuffled into the house, his eyes cast down at the worn floor boards feeling like a servant in his own home. He had lived with his uncle since his Dad's death and his mother's disappearance when he was just a young teenager and it had been a struggle ever since.
His uncle seemed to take pleasure in making his life miserable. As he cooked dinner, Zhane's mind wandered to his dreams of going back to school, he had always loved learning but his uncle had refused to support him, insisting that he focus on making a living instead.
Zhane felt like he was wasting away in a life he didn't want. When dinner was ready and served, Zhane called out to his uncle who strode into the room and began to eat without even acknowledging him.
Zhane felt a pang of hurt and resentment but he said nothing. After eating, his uncle belched loudly and pushed his chair back.
"You know Zhane, I'm starting to think you're really useless, you can't even cook a decent meal"
Zhane felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes but he refused to cry, he had cried enough in this house "I'm sorry uncle" he managed to whisper.
His uncle stood up, his face twisted in disgust "Get out of my sight Zhane, i don't want to look at you right now" Zhane nodded and left the room. He trudged up the stairs each step heavy with emotion, feeling like he walking away from a piece of himself.
He Wondered how much more he could take before he broke completely. As he reached his room, he slammed the door shut and collapsed on his bed.
As he lay in bed, Zhane felt a sense of desperation wash over him. He knew he couldn't stay in this toxic environment forever. He needed a way out, a chance to forge his own path and make a better life for himself. But for now he was trapped, at the mercy of his cruel uncle.
As he sat lost in thoughts, his mind drifted to his encounter with the Triple Cs at the restaurant and he couldn't help but grit his teeth, feeling a desire for revenge.
If only he had money , no one would look down on him, somehow he felt scared that since they were rich they might try to find him and deal with him, but on a second thought he felt unperturbed, he had already suffered enough, what's the worse that could happen, his mind then wandered to the scholarship exam he had written to gain admission into a prestigious school, he hoped he would pass so that he could attend and leave this forlorn house and his wicked uncle.
After laying for a while without falling asleep, Zhane decided to sneak out of the house and find some air as he was starting to feel suffocated in his uncle's house, he left as soon as he had confirmed that his uncle was deeply asleep.
★$★~~~`
Rain had begun its soft descent just as the last sliver of sunset bled into the horizon. A light drizzle misted over the cracked sidewalks of Orlington District, turning the rusted gates and weary homes into ghostly silhouettes.
The sky was painted in streaks of grey and soaked the world in silence that scattered through the evening ------ the kind of silence Zane knew all too well
He sat on the cracked pavement by the road beneath the fading glow of a flickering streetlight . His thin hoodie clung to his frame, soaked through, his arms wrapped tight around himself like armour , his clothes were already soaked but Zhane didn't care , he felt as though the waters were washing away a dirty side of him.
The world moved around him — cars splashing past, people with umbrellas hurrying along — but no one looked at him. No one ever did.
Except his uncle who only looked at him like he was a mistake the world refused to erase.
Zane didn't flinch when lightning cracked. He was used to thunder—it mirrored the voice of his uncle.
"Trash like you don't deserve food if you can't earn it," the man had spat that morning, slamming down a cup of cereal so hard that the plastic cracked. Zane hadn't looked up. He'd learned that meeting eyes was an invitation for worse.
Another slap. Another insult. Another night without dinner.
Zhane didn't even cry anymore.
He stared at the puddles on the ground, watching his reflection ripple into something unrecognizable.
Now, under the sky that mirrored his mood, Zane's fingers nervously rolled a small pebble between his hands. His knuckles were bruised from yesterday. His heart—numb for years.
I wish I could disappear, he thought. to disappear completely — not die, just... vanish. No memories. No pain. No past.
A car sped past, splashing muddy water that soaked his sneakers. He exhaled sharply, but didn't curse. That, too, was pointless.
Zhane rose slowly to his feet taking a few steps forward, the rain cascading down his face like it was trying to cleanse him of something unspoken. He tilted his head up to the dark clouds. For once, he didn't want to hide from the storm.
Then —
Screech.
The sound of tires slicing across wet asphalt jolted him.
Zhane turned too late, barely registering the blur of silver before everything folded inward .
A blinding light.
A deafening screech.
A flash of white.
And then—
Darkness..
Pain. White. Empty.