17. A glimpse of the past

The scenery is white again but, this time, what surrounds me are white bubbles.

One bubble came towards me and made contact with my body.

"It's better if we leave him alone."

My body became slightly heavier.

One by one, the bubbles headed in my direction with the purpose of interacting with me.

"There is no need to force yourself to smile."

"We feel sorry for you"

"Get well soon, okay?"

As much as I wanted to avoid them, I couldn't move and I knew why.

Because these bubbles had touched me before.

As much as I wanted to forget them, their words wouldn't leave my head.

Because of that, I couldn't ignore them.

My personality was hurt and my current state is a consequence of that time.

"I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose!"

That girl came to me days after the fact to apologize, probably out of guilt.

Her actions were sincere and meant to try and cheer me up, but the timing and a series of unfortunate events took an unexpected turn.

Realizing this, I forgave her.

Still, the situation was now irreparable.

My standing in that class was completely ruined and I began to interact with my classmates less and less, until I was completely isolated.

"It's not a problem."

That's what I thought.

"This is the second time."

I had to get used to it.

"I can't bother her anymore"

Thinking back to my aunt's sacrifices, I knew I had to grow up.

"I have to learn to be independent"

It was only a little earlier than the others, but that was everyone's fate.

My body was sinking deeper and deeper into the white ground.

It was only a few inches away before I was fully submerged.

"This is the right path."

This was the fate I had accepted.

Suddenly, a bubble approached me at an impressive speed, as if it wanted to show me something important.

Was there really any need for this?

They are nothing but painful memories that I don't want to see again.

Still, that bubble kept buzzing around me, as if it didn't want to let me sink.

Why was it so persistent...?

But for some reason, my body was drawn to that golden-colored bubble.

Slowly, the hand that had sunk into the ground resurfaced to touch that bubble.

"So, I'll be waiting."

"...!!!"

Suddenly waking up, I noticed that my body was drenched of sweat.

My heartbeat was racing and my breathing was labored.

"What was that...?"

A pain in my chest was tearing me apart.

The knot in my throat was preventing me from calming down.

Looking down at my hands, I tried to grasp something shapeless, to no avail.

I tried to remember the contents of the dream I had, but it was in vain.

All that remained was a feeling that it was something important.

Why can't I remember it...?

* BEEP * * BEEP * * BEEP * *.

It was 6:30 in the morning.

Even though it was Saturday and there was no class, I had set my alarm last night.

We were supposed to meet around 10, but I made no effort to change the alarm time.

That's because one moment of distraction would bring back memories of the past.

I no longer had the freedom to take it easy, nor did I feel the need for that.

... Although it seems contradictory to say this when I have a date scheduled with the little devil next door.