Lily POV
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
Without even opening my eyes, I leaned over the side of my bed and grabbed my phone. After spending a few seconds tracing my finger across the surface, I found the power button and held it down, effectively turning it off. Then, as if nothing had happened, I sank back into the sweet embrace of sleep.
***
This process repeated itself three more times before I finally decided enough was enough and sat up.
Opening my alarm app, I turned off the remaining seven alarms, then stretched my arms with a loud yawn. As the blood surged through my body, my sleepy haze gradually receded to the back of my mind.
Still, I took a few extra moments enjoying the warm sanctum of my bed before finally getting up and making my way to the washroom.
It was 11 a.m. on Sunday. Most people wouldn't consider that early, but I thought I still had plenty of my day left ahead of me.
The time I spent brushing my teeth and doing my morning moisturizing passed by in a blur. Before I knew it, I was back in my room.
I was heading out to study with Yuka again today, so I didn't need to wear anything too fancy. It wasn't like I was going out to impress anyone… but on the off chance someone happened to notice me, I wanted to look presentable.
So, I decided on a baggy, cropped grey sweater that ran down to about my chest. But I couldn't go out with just this—my Dad would have a heart attack if I did. So I put on a tight white crop top underneath and finished it off with black flare jeans.
I was always more into the Y2K type of style because my favourite fictional character always wore clothes like that, and thanks to her, so did I as I got older.
Once I finished with the outfit, I made my way to my desk and started doing my makeup. I put on eyeliner, mascara, blush, lip gloss, and concealer—because my eye bags were always really bad. Most people would think that I was doing too much, and in a sense, I was. Except it only took me about ten minutes.
After that, I moved on to my hair. I didn't want to do the usual style I did for school; I wanted to spice it up today. So, after rummaging through my desk a bit, I pulled out a curling iron and got to work. I didn't want it too curly—more wavy, like my cousin Julie.
There was probably an optimal way to do this, but every technique I was using was self-taught.
When my instincts told me that I'd done it long enough, I let go and took a look in the mirror. I didn't get the satisfactory result I wanted—which was to be expected. So, I ran my hands through it and started playing around.
Again—there was probably an optimal way to do this, but it wasn't like I'd know.
After a few attempts, my hair looked perfect. Just the way I wanted it.
Taking a look at my reflection, I gave myself a proud nod.
Perfect! Another day of looking beautiful!
With a satisfied breath, I put everything back where I'd found it and left my room with my bag slung over my shoulder.
The upstairs glowed with a bright white light, the sunlight leaking from the open curtains in Dad's room.
The living room, however, was the complete opposite. Every curtain was drawn closed, the whole room shrouded in darkness. And in the center of that dark lay a single person—Mom, who was sleeping on the couch.
It seemed like she'd gotten out of the car at one point. Which, looking back on it, was obvious. It wasn't like she could sleep in the car or anything—probably.
I tiptoed down the stairs, careful not to wake her up. With every faint creak, I stopped and shot a cautious glance toward the couch. Once I confirmed that she was still asleep, I'd start moving again.
I kept that up until I reached the front door. Just as I was about to slip into my shoes, my legs stopped.
I knew I'd put a lot of effort into looking good today—as I always did—but I wasn't in the mood to untie my shoes, work my feet into them, then tie them back up. As cute as my shoes were, they were a pain to put on.
I scanned the shoe rack until my eyes landed on a particular pair of shoes. My Brother's old ones from the ninth grade.
…Well, it's not like he wears them anymore, anyway. Besides, he's at work right now. It's not like he'll find out!
With that thought in mind, I happily slid into his shoes. They were a bit too big for me, but they were still a lot more comfortable than mine.
Once everything was set, I left my house and gently closed the door behind me. Just as I was about to make my way to the nearest bus stop, something caught my attention. Someone was sitting under the small tree that was planted right next to my driveway.
Her short auburn hair, cut to her shoulders, swayed in the wind as she sat in the tree's shade. Hearing me approaching from behind her, she put her phone back into her bag and turned around.
Seeing me, she crossed her arms and shot me a disgruntled pout. "Jeez. Do you know how long I waited for you, Lily?!"
I let out a small sigh. "Well, I never asked you to come. Did I, Yuka?"
Hearing me say that, Yuka sprang up from the ground and stomped toward me with a playfully furious look.
"Oh, don't give me that! I know you're scared of walking alone! What else was I supposed to do? Just leave you to rot alone? Don't be crazy!"
She was right. I was scared of walking alone. As a kid, Mom would always tell me to be careful of my surroundings—and especially of boys. She always told me that you never knew what they wanted, or worse—what they might do to you.
As I grew older, I obviously outgrew that belief. The boys part, at least. Not that I had a lot of male friends, but I was comfortable talking to them. The part about being wary of my surroundings, however, stuck with me to this day. It wasn't like anything ever happened to me, but there was always this tug of paranoia in the back of my mind that would echo Mom's sentiment.
While I was grateful that Yuka would go out of her way to accommodate my paranoia, I couldn't let that show.
Instead, I let out a loud sigh and lightly pushed her away. "Whatever. Let's just go. It's getting hot outside."
"Sure!"
Without wasting another moment, Yuka happily skipped to my side and linked her arm through mine. Then, we began walking to the nearest bus station.
Even though it was the middle of summer, and the middle of the day no less, the street was fairly deserted. On the way here, we only passed by a few cars and a couple of kids, but other than that, there weren't that many people—especially those our age.
I guess nowadays they would rather stay inside scrolling through their phone. Not that I blamed them. As a devoted follower of that lifestyle, I was the same way.
"Say," Yuka said, picking the conversation back up. "I'm surprised that you wanted to come to the library again. Last summer, we didn't study a single bit. But during this past week, we've already gone twice, with the third being today. What's with the sudden change of heart?"
Little did she know, I hadn't missed a single day of studying since summer started—even on days I didn't go to the library. In fact, on days I went out to just hang out with friends, the first thing I'd do when I got home was study.
But she didn't know that.
I replied with a simple shrug. "Nothing. I just decided that I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. That's all."
Yuka tilted her head, staring at me half-questioning, half in awe. "Whoa, really? This is news to me. What brought this on?"
With the hand farthest from Yuka, I dug my thumbnail into the side of my index finger. Just from that question, hate and spite surged in my chest, making my very steps feel unsteady.
What other reason do I have? It's to surpass my shitty Older Brother.
But outside, I turned and gave Yuka a bright smile. "Why? It's because I want to make money, duh!"
Yuka's eyes went wide as she processed my words, like she was nitpicking every syllable.
Then—she let out a loud, heckling laugh. "Hahahaha! What a terrible reason! What happened to saving lives and stuff like that?"
Hearing her spout all that cliché, peace-and-love talk made me roll my eyes.
"Oh, c'mon. There aren't many people nowadays who actually become doctors to save lives. Money makes the world go round."
"Hmmmm." Yuka pressed a finger to her chin, deep in thought as she looked me up and down dramatically.
I didn't say anything. I just let her do her thing.
When she was finally ready, she laughed again and playfully slapped me on the butt.
"Ow!" I yelped, shooting her a glare. "What the hell was that for?!"
"It's nothing," she replied, waving a hand. "It's just—you sounded like your Brother for a second there. 'Money makes the world go round.' That's exactly what he would say."
My smile paused for a moment. Not long enough for her to notice—but long enough that I did. In that moment, her words replayed over and over again in my head.
Something my Brother would say... huh?
Thinking about it that way, I couldn't help but chuckle.
After thinking about it for a little bit, I wasn't that surprised. After all...
There's no one I'm more like than him.
And yet, at the same time, another thought occurred to me. A far more bitter one.
…Don't compare me to that guy. I'm nothing like him at all.
Those two thoughts swirled in my head, grinding against each other. But right now, there was something even bigger that demanded my attention.
*Crunch*
Eventually, my foot stepped onto the concrete once again, and the world resumed.
When it did, I pinched Yuka's cheek with a fierce glare.
"Excuse me? How do you know that's something he would say? Have you been talking to him again?!"
"No, no!" Yuka cried, tapping my hand—a desperate plea for me to let go. "I just thought it sounded like something he'd say based on the very little I've talked to him. You have to believe me. I'd never hit on him behind your back!"
My eye twitched. "Behind my back? You shouldn't even be doing that at all!"
The two of us continued our playful little fight until we arrived at the bus station.