Splash!

  I washed my face with water as I stood in front of my bathroom sink.

  It was 9:30 am on a Sunday morning.

  For the past few days I had been pretty dedicated to studying for the regents.

  I stopped from loitering in the music room with Soriel after school and significantly decreased my screen time.

  And now, the regents were only a day away.

  That’s why I decided to hang out with Soriel.

  I knew that spending all day cramming would just leave my brain exhausted, leading me to perform worse in the test.

  So, it’d be more helpful to relax with a friend.

  The plan was that we’d meet up at an arcade at about 12:00 pm which meant I had to be awake and ready.

  After finishing, I didn’t leave the bathroom.

  Instead, I stared at my body in the mirror for a moment.

  Same dark eyes, boring features, slightly odd hair color, and skinny body.

  ‘Ah, that’s weird.’

  Looking at myself, I felt an odd sense of unfamiliarity.

  My body didn’t feel like my own.

  Logically, I knew it was. When I told my arm to move, it did. When I thought about looking down, my eyes moved. And when I tried to bite my lip, I felt the pain.

  Still, it felt foreign to me.

  My internal voice, my thoughts, it felt as if it didn’t match with my looks.

  I had always felt this uncomfortable disconnection.

  This feeling wasn’t limited to my body though.

  I felt it at places too.

  School was one of the major ones. After all, in a school filled with talent, there was no place for me.

  But it was pointless to focus on such things.

  That’s why I just tried to ignore this feeling.

  I forced a smile and saw my reflection do the same.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  ‘Disgusting…’

  Seeing my smile, I felt utterly repulsed.

  I hated that smile…

  I hated my smile.

  Yet, there was nothing I could do about that.

  So I shrugged my shoulders and moved on with my day.

  **

  My mouth made a chewing sound as I chomped down on my piece of gum.

  I was walking through the streets of New York, on my way to meet up with Soriel.

  As I did, I took out my phone from my pocket.

  11:56 am.

  Seeing the time, I quickened my steps a bit.

  Before long, I had arrived at my destination.

  However, I didn’t see Soriel.

  ‘She’s probably just not here yet.’

  I leaned against a wall, waiting for Soriel to come.

  But after a few minutes passed, there were still no signs of Soriel.

  ‘Where is she? She usually would be here by now.’

  Just as I had that thought, I noticed a figure approaching the building.

  It was a petite girl with black hair put up into two buns. She wore a dark blue hoodie that contrasted her pale skin.

  It was Ash.

  ‘What’s she doing here? Maybe she lives nearby?’

  Just then, Ash locked eyes with me.

  She made a surprised expression that turned embarrassed and then sort of detached.

  Ignoring me, she leaned on another wall just like me.

  ‘Is she waiting for something?’

  I pulled out my phone and texted Soriel asking where she was.

  Instead of replying with words, she just sent a smiling emoji.

  ‘Eh? What’s that mean? Knowing Soriel if she was coming she would’ve said on my way with an apology. And if something came up she would’ve told me…wait don’t tell me…’

  I glanced at Ash with the corner of my eye.

  ‘Does Soriel want me to hang out with her?’

  Even though I had some confidence in this theory, I hesitated to mention it to Ash.

  Honestly, I was afraid.

  Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I didn’t have to.

  Ash turned her head to me and spoke crudely.

  “You! Did you come to hang out with Soriel?” She asked abruptly.

  I nodded.

  “Yeah,” I replied with a slight coldness in my voice.

  I was still pissed at her for her insulting me the last time we met.

  Ash sighed and walked over, showing me her phone screen.

  It was her messages with Soriel.

  Ash had asked where Soriel was.

  And Soriel replied with this:

  — Sori: You should try getting to know the other guy there!

  My eyebrow twitched when I read the message.

  ‘What the hell is this? A damned comedy?’

  I looked at Ash and she looked back at me.

  “Let’s just get this over with,” Ash said.

  “Yeah whatever,” I replied harshly.

  With that short exchange, we both entered the arcade together.

  Then, both of us bought game cards.

  “You wanna compete?” I asked nonchalantly.

  Ash raised an eyebrow and stared at me.

  “Compete? I’d utterly destroy you…brat,” Ash replied.

  My eyebrow twitched and I frowned.

  ‘Still a jerk…’

  “Really now? Let’s play a few games so you can prove it,” I retorted.

  “Bet,” Ash said.

  “Which game should we start first?” I asked.

  Ash made a seemingly thoughtful expression as she gazed around the room. Then, she pointed to a racing game.

  “That one”

  “Alright.”

  We walked over to the game. There were two racing car seats so both of us sat in one.

  We swiped our cards and waited for the game to start.

  ‘Why’d Soriel want us to hang out together so bad? She even tricked me!’

  I sighed inwardly.

  ‘Anyway, since I'm already here and I talked a big game, I’ll have to beat her. I’m not all that good at racing games, but I’ll just have to hope for the best.’

  The waiting period ended and my car appeared on the screen.

  3

  2

  1

  Go!

  The race began and I slammed on the gas pedal quickly speeding to third place.

  I drove for a few moments without interruption until I heard something.

  “Hey! The car won’t move!” Ash exclaimed in annoyance as she turned the wheel aggressively.

  Looking at her feet, I noticed nothing was on the pedal.

  Seeing this, I deadpanned.

  ‘She…doesn’t even know how to start the game?!’