The sound of my alarm beeping woke me up this morning.
After rubbing my tired eyes, I opened them and stared at the ceiling for what felt like the millionth time over the past two or three years.
Once I was fully awake, I walked to the bathroom to freshen up.
Today was not a special morning.
There was no one around to tell me how great I looked.No one to chat with over breakfast.No one to make my favorite meal.
And I'm not sure anyone has thought about that in a long time.
I opened the fridge.
Nothing.
It seemed that I had forgotten to buy groceries again. That meant I had to go to school on an empty stomach.
So I got dressed in my school uniform, locked the door, and left for school while still hungry.
When the bus arrived, I boarded it, sat in an empty seat, and stared at my phone while waiting for my stop.
When I finally reached my stop and stepped off the bus, someone suddenly bumped into me from behind.
"What is your problem? I've been waiting for you!" a voice shouted."Now we're going to be late. You're such an idiot!"
That was my best friend.
Her name is Sara.
Sara has been my friend since childhood. After my accident, she and her family took care of me, and for the past year I had been living with them.
But I left their house when I turned fifteen.
They were worried about me, but I didn't want to become a burden on their lives, so I decided to leave.
The day I left Sara's house, she didn't say a single word to me.
It was as if nothing had ever happened between us.
"Hey! What are you doing standing around here?" Sara said while grabbing my arm."Come on! We still have a chance. The teacher isn't in the classroom yet."
Many of the students in the classroom were eating snacks, talking together, and laughing.
When I saw one of my classmates eating, I suddenly realized that I didn't have anything to eat.
Do they really have to eat in the classroom? I thought to myself.
At that moment, I could feel Sara's eyes on me.
"Did you eat breakfast?" she asked.
I quickly lied and said that I did.
"Stop looking at me," I added.
Sara raised an eyebrow and gave an evil smirk.
"Well, I was about to give you a snack," she said, "but I guess you don't want it."
I ignored her and turned my head toward the window beside me.
The truth was, I didn't really have any friends in class other than Sara. I avoided talking to the other students.
As I watched the trees outside the window and listened to the noise of the classroom, I could hear some of my classmates whispering about me.
There had been so many rumors about me at school that I had learned to ignore them.
Around that same time, another student suddenly started talking loudly with excitement.
"I have a new baby brother, and he's the cutest thing ever! Look at him!"
She pulled up a picture on her phone, and everyone crowded around to see it.
The moment I heard what she said, I felt a sudden tightness in my chest.
Memories began rushing back all at once.
Things could have been very different…
…if the accident hadn't happened to my sister.
The other students in the class continued their chatter and laughter around me, but very little of it reached my ears.
My eyes remained fixed on the tree outside the classroom window as its leaves swayed gently in the breeze.
Calm.Peaceful.
For a fleeting second, I wondered how different my life would have been if that tragic event had never happened.
Maybe my mother would still be calling my name every day.
Maybe my father would still be yelling at me about my schoolwork.
Maybe…
My fingers tightened around the edge of the desk.
Then—
Whispered words drifted to me from behind.
Soft.
Calm.
Close enough that it felt as if someone was leaning over to speak directly into my ear.
"Do you miss them?"
My heart began to race.
Slowly, I turned my head toward the direction of the voice.
Sara was sitting beside me, focused on her notebook.The other students were still chatting and laughing.
No one was looking at me.
No one was speaking.
Yet the words had been said.
By someone.
To me.