(Author note: It's May 31st, 2005 now. I decided to do this, so we don't get lost on what day it is and month.)
Soft morning light slipped through the curtains, painting gentle stripes across the room. I blinked awake, feeling the kind of calm that only comes after a long, emotional day. The alarm hadn't even gone off yet—I just felt ready to start fresh. It seems like my body is getting up early now at this time. Make sense mostly because I would start school in 3 months. School starts in Aug 8 so I have time to get my shit together.
I stretched and sat blinking a few times. "Okay," I whispered to myself. "Let's get this day going." I grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom. The hot water steamed up the room almost immediately, relaxing his muscles and washing away the last bit of sleepiness. I need to get those bubble baths.
I let the water run over my hair and face, feeling awake and clean. I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my waist and wiped the mirror with my hand, revealing my foggy reflection. After drying off, I changed into fresh clothes: a clean white T-shirt, gray joggers and a pair of comfortable running shoes set aside for exercise
Stretching, I ruffled my hair a bit and nodded to myself. "Not bad," I said, amused at my own reflection. Getting handsome by the day. In the kitchen, I opened the fridge and grabbed ingredients for a quick breakfast: two scrambled eggs, a slice of toasted sourdough and a banana on the side.
The smell of eggs cooking filled the kitchen, warm and simple. I ate at the table, listening to music while sunlight slowly brightened the room. Finished, I rinsed the dishes and set them on the rack to dry.
Then he checked the time. 30 minutes before going out. Perfect. I relaxed on the living room couch for thirty minutes—feet up, water bottle in hand, watching old TV shows. The house was quiet, peaceful, and comfortable.
Stretching my arms over head when the half hour passed.
"All right," he said to himself, "time to work out." I started to do a simple 5 min of stretching and making my muscles loose. 40 mins work out session time. I did 2 sets of wall pushups and noticing I don't struggle on this I did 4 sets of floor pushups 20 each, 4 sets of squats 20 each, 2 sets of crunches 10 each, 2 sets of jumping jacks 30 each and a 5 min of jump ropes with 2 min break in between. When I finished my body was burning but wasn't in pain and my breathing is almost stable. Took me a min to stabilize.
[+1 DEX]
[Bodybuilder lv 2 -> 3]
[Muscle exercise lv 2 -> 3]
After 10 mins of break, I put on my shoes and stepped outside and breathed in the crisp morning air. The sky was clear, and the neighborhood was quiet—just a few birds chirping and distant cars driving off to work. It seems like I won't be getting these kinds of missions now and I guess I need to start pushing myself. I guess the tutorial phase is done.
I started at a comfortable pace, the rhythm of my footsteps steady on the pavement. My breathing evened out as I made usual loop around the neighborhood then I decided to explore the other parts of the neighborhood.
[Walking lv 4 -> 5]
[Low impact cardio exercises lv 1 -> 2]
The first mile went smoothly—slightly tiring but doable. I slowed for a few seconds, took a sip from the water bottle, then kept going.
The second mile took longer. My legs were burning a little, and the sun had rise
[Low impact cardio exercises lv 2 -> 3]
[Walking lv 5 -> 6]
The second mile took longer. My Legs and ass were burning a quite a bit, and the sun had risen enough to add enough to add warmth to the air. But I stayed focused, breathing through each step, pushing himself forward. Passed the 3rd mile and my breathing was in a mess, but I pushed through.
[+1 CON]
By the time I reached home, I checked the watch. 4 miles finished in one hour. Not fast. Not perfect. But done. I wiped sweat that was forming on my forehead and smiled. "Good job," I told myself quietly. And it was a good job—especially for the start of a brand-new day.
I walked up the driveway, still catching my breath, and I noticed movement next door. Squinting toward Emily's house.
There she was—sleeves rolled up, a bucket of soapy water by her feet, and a sponge in one hand as she scrubbed the side of her car. Beside the driveway sat a small spread of gardening tools: a trowel, gloves, a watering can, and a few bags of soil.
"Morning, neighbor!" Emily called out, her voice bright and relaxed. "You're up early."
I smiled, wiping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "Yeah, just finished a 4-mile jog." she paused, giving him a proud nod. "Nice. Good routine you've got going there."
I walked a little closer, hands on my hips looking like a proud peacock "You're busy today." I said. "Oh, totally," she laughed. "My car hasn't been washed in months, and my garden looks like it gave up on life. So… today's makeover day."
The sun caught droplets of water on her car, making them sparkle. She flicked a bit of soap off her arm. "You want help?" I asked automatically. Emily shook her head with a playful smile. "Nope. You just ran four miles. You're off-duty for at least an hour." "Off duty. That's a interesting way to say it" I thought.
I chuckled. "Are you sure? I don't mind." "I'm sure," she said gently. "Drink some water, catch your breath, take a break. Big-sister orders." I laughed at that, lifting hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'll listen." she bent down to grab the sponge again but paused and glanced back over."Hey, seriously… good job keeping up with your morning routine."
"Thanks," I said, feeling a little proud. "Looks like you've got a busy routine yourself." "You know me," she joked. "Chaos manager by day, car-washer and plant-rescuer by morning."
I smiled, stepping backward toward his front door. "Well… if you need anything later, I'm next door." "I know," she replied warmly. "And same goes for you."
I headed inside, feeling the pleasant buzz of accomplishment from his run and the simple comfort of having someone supportive right next door.
My day was just getting started—and it already felt good.
After cooling off, drinking water, and resting a bit, Liam peeked out the window. Emily was still outside—this time kneeling by the flowerbed near her porch, gloves on, haircut messy from the light breeze. The car was clean and shining now, the bucket of soapy water pushed aside.
Her gardening tools were spread out in organized chaos.
Liam stepped outside and walked over, hands in his pockets.
"Hey," I called loudly and that startle her. "I'm feeling better now. Need a hand?"
She jumped and rolled her eyes "Okay," Emily said, brushing dirt off her knee," Looking at the stubborn patch of soil and grinned. "Oh, perfect timing, kiddo. Yeah, I could definitely use help." you're officially my gardening assistant today."
"I'll try not to mess anything up," I laughed. We began pulling weeds and loosening up the dry patches of dirt. It was quiet work, peaceful in a way I didn't expect. Damn, no one told me gardening was this peaceful. This is so different of the city life I once lived. A notification sound popped up and I looked.
[ New Skill: Gardening Lv 1
Effect: 1% of the plants or food would not have any bugs or animals ruining and 5% of food being fresher and more delicious when used.]
I looked at it and this seems good, I could get fresh fruits and veggies and won't need to spend much money for them when I do shopping. After 20 minutes, curiosity got the better of him.
"Hey, Emily… I heard you are a chaos manger earlier, I never asked. What do you do for work?"
She smiled faintly, planting a small marigold into the soil. "I'm actually a head nurse," she said. "I work at the on Maple Street." "A nurse?" My eyes widened. "That's… kind of awesome." Emily gave a soft laugh. "It's definitely busy. Long shifts, lots of patients, lots of running around. But… helping people feels right. It's the one thing in my life I've always been sure about."
(Author note: Maple Street isn't a thing also shout out to all the nurse out there especially the hot ones ;))
"That explains why you're always calm," I said. "Like at the diner. You didn't freak out once." She pressed the soil gently around the base of the flower. "Trust me," she said, "I wanted to. But nursing teaches you to stay grounded when things get tense."
"That's really cool," I admitted. "Do you like it?" Emily nodded. "I love it. Some days are hard… but it's worth it. And days off like this—gardening, cleaning my car—they help me reset." She looked over at Liam with a warm, sisterly smile.
"What about you, kid? Still figuring out the future?" "Pretty much," I said, patting the dirt around another plant. "Maybe something active. Or something with computers and music. Not sure yet."
"That's exactly where you should be," she said. "Your only job right now is trying things and learning what you enjoy. And hey, you need advice? I'm right next door."
I grinned. "Thanks, Emily." "Anytime," she said, bumping his shoulder gently. "Big sisters don't retire."
By late morning, the flowerbed looked completely transformed.Bright marigolds lined the edge, purple petunias filled the center, and soft green ground-cover plants tied everything together. Emily leaned back on her heels, brushing dirt off her gloves.
"Well," she said, admiring their work, "this looks amazing. You did great." I smiled, a little proud. "Not bad for my first time gardening." She laughed. "Are you kidding? You're hired. Official assistant gardener next door." She stood and stretched her back. "Come on—let's take a break. My porch has shade."
Emily's porch was nicely set up: two comfortable chairs, a small table, and a couple of potted plants she hadn't killed yet. The breeze was soft, and the shade felt perfect after working in the sun. She handed Liam a cold bottle of water from a small cooler she kept outside." Hydrate, kid. You earned it."
I took it gratefully and sank into one of the chairs. She sat beside him, exhaling deeply. For a few quiet moments, they just sat there listening to birds, the hum of distant cars, and the soft rustle of leaves. It was peaceful. I never experience this for a long time, Ahhhh good to be young I thought.
Then Emily spoke, her voice gentler. "I guess you're wondering about… him." I looked over, hesitant but honest. "A little. But… only if you want to talk about it."
She gave a small, appreciative nod. "You're a good kid, Liam." She took a slow sip of water and set the bottle down.
"Mark… wasn't always like what you saw," she began. "At least, he didn't show it at first. He was charming. Kind. Funny." "Lucky bastard. Peter Griffen looking ass... I thought in my mind.)She shook her head. "But people like him… they change slowly. Then suddenly."
I listened quietly, giving her the space she needed. "He got angry easily. Controlled things I did. Who I talked to. Where I went. And little by little, I thought it was my fault." Her eyes stayed forward. "Everyone around me kept saying, 'He's stressed' or 'He's just having a bad day.' But when someone has a hundred 'bad days' in a row, and you're always scared… you start realizing something's wrong."
I lowered his voice. "I'm really sorry." Emily smiled softly, appreciative of the genuine concern. "It's not your responsibility to be sorry. It's just something I lived through. Something I had to get out of."
She tapped her thumb lightly against her water bottle. "And yesterday, at the diner… when he snapped like that? It was the final sign I needed. I told him to leave for good. I'm done with that part of my life." I nodded. "I'm glad you're safe now."
Emily looked at him with a warm, grateful expression. "Thanks. And thank you again for stepping in. You didn't know me then, but you still cared." "I just didn't want anyone getting hurt," I said quietly.
She gave his shoulder a gentle, sisterly squeeze. "That's exactly why you remind me of the little brother I never had." "And a Sister/Family I never had.." I said in my heart.
The porch fell comfortably quiet again. Not sad. Not heavy. Just peaceful. "You know," Emily said lightly, switching to a softer tone, "I think I'm gonna be okay. Especially with neighbors like you."
I smiled. "And I'm glad you're next door. I kinda like having a big sister." Emily laughed. "Good. Because I'm not going anywhere."
(Author note: If yall in a toxic relationship, I would break up and leave. It's not worth it and I know most of us been there. Shit so toxic and it would get expensive on day, for the people know you know what I mean. Stay safe out their peeps!)