He just couldn't face it anymore. Every morning, getting out of bed was a battle. Walking through the school gates felt like entering a war zone. The weight in his chest grew heavier with each step.
His mum kept saying, “You have to finish school, Alex. You need to go to university. Your father’s a professor, you can’t let him down by flunking your exams.”
“But Mum…” he started last week, only for her to cut him off.
“No buts, Alex! We just want what’s best for you.”
He knew they did. But what was the point of a good degree if he was completely destroyed by the time he got there? Alex closed his eyes once more, the darkness closing around him like a suffocating blanket. A single tear escaped and traced a cold path down his cheek. He was so tired. So, so tired.
Alex opened his laptop, searching for the answers. “How to stop bullying at school?” and “How to overcome depression?” he typed, hoping for solutions. He stumbled upon a website offering help to teenagers in tough situations. He read:
“YOU ARE NOT ALONE!”
The words caught his eyes.
“YOU WERE BORN TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!”
A message followed:
“You can help those who need you. Meeting tomorrow at 6 PM in the abandoned house.”
Alex hesitated, a mix of fear and hope welling up inside him. Could this be the answer he was looking for? Or was it something else entirely?
Emily was running away, trying to escape from herself and the illusion of her family.
That evening the kitchen light cast a harsh glare on her father. He was slumped at the table, a half-empty bottle of whiskey glinting beside him. Crumbs of bread and bits of chicken lay scattered on the newspaper in front of him, though he wasn’t eating now, just drinking. Mum had moved into her room weeks before, and every night the girl could hear her muffled sobs through her dream.
He hadn’t always been like this. She remembered… well, she tried to remember better days. But the alcohol seemed to have washed them away, leaving only the ugly present.
The dam broke last Tuesday. Mum couldn't take it anymore. Emily understood now that it was dangerous, too dangerous to confront the drunk. But her nerves snapped. She stood in the doorway, her voice rising with each word.
“I wish you were dead, you monster!” she screamed, her face red and blotchy. “I hate you! You've ruined my life!”