Not Your Normal Kid

After hearing that, I completely zoned out. My mind spiraled into nothingness, and it felt like some other entity had taken over me, acting on my behalf. The next thing I knew, I woke up on my bed, my little brother soundly sleeping next to me.

For a second, I thought, Did those anime dolls come back to haunt me again? But no, it was just him, sleeping peacefully like nothing in this world could touch him. I stared at him for a moment. I used to like him—a lot. Back then, I'd have done anything for him. But now? Something's changed in me. Or maybe I've completely changed, so much so that I don't even recognize myself anymore.

I got out of bed, grabbed the water bottle from my bedside table, and walked over to the window. The night sky was warm and calm, with scattered clouds and a bright, glowing moon hanging in the middle. It reminded me of her. Wait, what am I even thinking?

Leaning against the window, I found myself drifting back to the first day at school and tracing every moment up to now. Time blurred as my thoughts consumed me, and before I realized it, the night had slipped away, and morning was here.

I wandered into the kitchen, still lost in thought. And there she was.

Now, normally, I wouldn't say this, but you won't believe who my first love was. It was her—my mom.

I know, you probably think I've lost it, but hear me out. There's this old picture of her as a kid that I found once. She looked like any ordinary girl, but there was something about her. I don't know how to describe it, but she was precious—far more precious than anything else I could ever imagine.

Anyway, I ate breakfast, got dressed, and headed to school. The usual. Except this time, I saw her again. My heart did its stupid thing, and I found myself punching my own thoughts in the face. I pushed those feelings aside, moved to my seat, and pretended nothing happened.

The day dragged on. Nitesh introduced me to his group of friends, and I faked interest in their boring conversations just to pass the time. Eventually, the day ended, and I found myself back at home, sitting on the couch with my brother, watching Pokémon.

During a commercial break, I turned to him. "So, how's elementary school going?" I asked.

He grinned and said, "Way better than your boring school. I've got more friends than you'll ever have in your whole life!"

This little punk was making fun of me. I looked at him calmly and said, "Is that so? Well, have fun with that."

We had dinner together, and then it was off to bed.

As I lay there, the broken record in my mind started playing again. The same thoughts, looping endlessly. I told myself, I successfully ignored her today, pretending I had moved on. But the bitter truth was, it wasn't me ignoring her—it was her ignoring me. Not that I minded.

At least, that's what I told myself.

Thinking about all this, I eventually fell asleep. And as I did, a single drop of water trailed down my eyelashes.