Chapter One

I woke up on the day of my high school graduation, looked at the silver bordered mirror standing in my room, and wondered how many people still hated me. I saw the folded paper on the floor next to me, hiding the words I thought I wanted to read. It was an achievement that was supposed to make me smile. I didn’t want to simply graduate. I wanted to finish as the number one in the entire school, and that paper was the first one to tell me and congratulate me. But for every step I took to reach the top, I took a step away from all my schoolmates. They wouldn’t consider me friends, and I stopped pretending they were friends too.

I put on my school uniform, one article at a time, at the same pace I did every day: The pressed white blouse, the purple and black checkered knee length skirt, the ankle length socks, the brown loafers, and a dark blue blazer, in that order. I tied my blonde hair back into a simple ponytail and combed my bangs to the right and walked towards my schoolbag on the dark wooden desk across the mirror. If I had visitors, I’d joke with them about how it would take two business days to walk from one end of my room to another. This mansion that I lived in was chosen by my parents long before I was born. It had everything a couple obsessed with status would have, including the big rooms, silver and gold highlights everywhere, chandeliers in the living rooms, more paintings worth millions than bathrooms, and an army of maids and servants attending our every whim. When my classmates found out about it, they’d hurt me physically every time I mentioned my “house” instead of my “mansion.” It had been a while since I’d even thought about that word.

As I walked out of my room and towards one of the dining rooms, Erin, my assigned maid, stopped in front of me.

“My apologies Ms. Ososaki,” Erin said, bowing her head. “I have been commanded to hand you your breakfast here as you have taken much longer getting ready than usual, and your parents have already left for the day.” I’ve heard her address me in that manner for as long as I can remember, and yet I was surprised at the sting I felt in my ears hearing it today.

“Please, just call me Haru for today,” I said taking the bag with both my breakfast and lunch inside and walking past her. I didn’t want to see her shocked expression. ‘I could never hope to speak to you in such a casual manner,’ were the words I was waiting to hear. She said something similar when I invited her to spend a quiet weekend with me. But as headed towards the stairs to the main hall, I saw different words float past me.

“I wish you had woken up earlier,” she said turning towards me. “I would have liked to ask you what was wrong.” I stopped right before reaching the last step, trying to catch the beat my heart skipped. She had never said anything like that. She was never supposed to say anything like that. I wanted to turn back at that moment, and see the person who spoke those words, but I knew there was no time. I walked through the front door and headed into the car that would drive me to school, knowing I had about eight hours to decide if I wanted to return to that conversation when I returned.