Chapter 1
The beginning of the worst day of my life
I think it was the worst day of my life. I got into a fight, I was robbed, and then I was robbed again. I almost got hit by a car and fell into a cold river. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.
It all started in the morning. I was quietly eating breakfast when my mother started talking about the test I had today. “You’ll get the highest grade, right?” “I'll try to do well,” I replied. “No, you won’t try. You’ll do better than anyone else,” she said, looking at me with a stern expression.
It always gave me goosebumps. But over the years, that fear had turned into irritation.
“I’m so tired of this,” I thought. “Why can't this all just end?! Why are these stupid grades so important to her?”
I didn’t finish my tea, grabbed my bag from the floor, and headed for the door. “Don't let me down,” she said sternly.
She didn't care that I hadn't even finished my breakfast. All she worried about were stupid numbers. What else could you expect from a mathematics teacher?
Hi. My name is Akain. I'm a junior in high school. If I had to describe myself, I'm just an ordinary girl. There is absolutely nothing interesting about me. I have an ordinary appearance, an ordinary mind, and an ordinary life. I have no unusual hobbies or skills.
I am living a miserable and boring life. I don't have any fans at school. Boys aren't interested in me, and neither are the girls. I have absolutely no friends and no one who cares about me in the slightest. People either need something from me or they don't need me at all. Most of the time, it's the latter.
Lately, while sitting in class, I've started to think about the meaning of life. My life, specifically. But I've never come to any meaningful conclusion.
It was an ordinary day. I was sitting at my desk by the window, resting my head on my notebook, and thinking again. The lesson was already drawing to a close. I drew a pair of beautiful, long eyes in my notebook. They were as sharp and piercing as the fangs of a wolf.
The lesson ended, but somehow I didn't even notice.
“What are you drawing there, Akain?” someone asked mockingly.
I turned around. It was Lida. Lida is like one of those characters you hate in anime. The disgusting side character who sticks her nose where it doesn't belong and earns everyone's hatred. She had dark hair, dark eyes, freckles, and large cheeks on a small face. She wasn't very tall and always seemed to be trying to rise above everyone else.
“None of your business,” I said coldly. “Oh, look here,” she said, pointing to my notebook. “Think you're an artist? Look, she's drawing something again.” She pointed at my drawing. “Look, a new Van Gogh is born!” She said it and abruptly tore the notebook out of my hands.
She and two other girls started passing my notebook around, looking through all the pages.
“I'm so tired of all this,” I said, dropping my forehead onto the desk.
I didn't have the strength to run around the classroom trying to snatch my notebook back. I lay on the desk with my eyes closed until I heard something that made my heart skip a beat.
“Oh, what's this written in the corner? 'I love you…'” one of the girls said.
As soon as she began to say the words, I jumped up and rushed toward them.
“Give me my notebook back!” I shouted, grabbing for it. “No way!” she shouted, pulling the notebook toward herself. “Look at the name! The name! Who does she love?!” “I can't see!” said Lida. “You're pulling the notebook so hard I can't read it.” “Then stop standing there and help me!” Rita shouted, still pulling on my notebook.
Just then, Anna, a red-haired girl of medium height, threw her whole body at me. “Hold her back!” Anna shouted.
Lida ran behind me and grabbed my waist. I was ready to tear the notebook to shreds myself and continued to squeeze it tightly.
“No! No!” I shouted. “I won't give it to you!”
I started tearing the pages that were in my hand. At that moment, Lida and Anna finally managed to pull me away, and the notebook tore in two.
“No…. No…. No!” I shouted. “Now we'll see who our aloof Akain is into,” Rita said.
I looked her up and down. This leggy, green-eyed brunette looked completely venomous. I couldn't let her look in my notebook. Anxiety and fear mixed in my soul. I wanted to die of shame. I didn't want anyone to see what I had hidden so deep in my soul. I feared it with all my heart.
“Ugh, we need to find that page again,” Rita said calmly. “Hey, don't move,” Lida said in a coarse, nasty voice, pulling on my arms, which were pinned behind my back. “So?” Anna asked. “So. First, there were the wolf eyes, then a bunch of other eyes. Then there was a blank page. I'll find it now,” Rita continued.
The flame of hatred in my soul raged so hard I couldn't stand still. I was on fire.
“Don't you dare!” I shouted and stomped on Lida's foot with all my strength.
She screamed in pain and fell, nearly knocking me down. Anna, seeing what happened, moved to pounce on me, but it was too late. I kicked her in the stomach with all my might. Bent over and clutching her stomach, she fell to her knees, gasping for air.
Rita froze, not expecting me to get away from her two friends.
“Uh…” she began to stutter. “If you don't like it, I'll give you your notebook back. Just say so. We didn't mean to offend you. We were… just joking.”
Without a sound, I walked up to her and punched her right in the face.
The notebook fell from her hands. She began to sob. Just then, the teacher entered the classroom with our class president. The class froze. So did I.