august 10.
1:26 a.m.

the rain was pouring heavily. water droplets splattering onto the concrete pavement with force. a car or two would pass by every twenty minutes or so, other than that, the road was empty.

a sigh left her cracked lips as she clasped her pale hands together. the wind was harsh and loud, blowing pass her shivering frame. she would have been easily mistaken for a corpse from a far.

her body was unmoving as the coldness of the night slowly overwhelmed her.

the sound of her heavy breathing filled her red tinted ears, another sigh leaving her lips.

how long has it been? her phone had died and so she was unable to check for the time, or even inform her parents about her whereabouts.

she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm herself up, her soaked shirt clinging onto her body uncomfortably.

the rain was too loud, blocking out the surrounding noise. even as a pair of footsteps neared her, she didn't notice.

"shit!"

the sudden voice caused her to jump in her seat, she looked up from the floor to the side where she heard the voice.

she watched as a boy took a seat not too far away from her, he let out a groan when he came into contact with the wet bench.

"damn it..." the boy mumbled under his breath, wiping his phone with the sleeves of his hoodie. his black hair that had a natural curl to it was dripping with water as he looked down at his phone.

she dropped her gaze, turning to the road in front of her.

minutes passed, the two teenagers sat there in silence. the boy was typing on his phone while the girl stared aimlessly into the night.

"excuse me, may i know what time it is?" her soft voice broke the silence.

the boy didn't seem to hear her, as he continued staring down at the screen.

must be the rain.

"excuse me," she said a little louder this time.

the boy looked up, turning to her, "what? did you call me?" he asked, lifting a hand to push his wet hair out of his face.

"yeah, what time is it?"

he took a quick glance at the screen before replying. "it's one fifty eight."

"i see, thank you."

"no problem."

that was the end of their short conversation. the girl decided to wait a little longer, in hopes that the rain might stop.

but it didn't. instead, it seem to have gotten heavier.

after much thinking, the girl got up from her seat and left.

she walked away from the useless shelter of the bus stop, leaving the boy behind.

if the rain wasn't going to stop, she figured she'd just go home under the rain, since she was already soaked.

it was a long walk back, her nose and  fingertips had turned a bright pink colour by the time she arrived at her house.

she entered the small compartment, expecting her parents to be awake and worried about her.

but she was met with darkness and silence.

they must have fell asleep already.

perhaps they didn't think it was a big deal that their daughter had came back at such a late time without telling them where she even was.

this shouldn't have surprised her, it wasn't the first time after all. but she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

and once again, she had to remind herself to stop getting her hopes up over such little things. her parents were very busy people, working the whole day and only returning around midnight.

she shouldn't have expected much from them. but it was only natural for parents to care for their children. seeing other adults care for their kids must have made her think her parents were loving like them.

what a silly thought. her parents had stopped paying her much attention ever since she got into middle school. she should have gotten used to this treatment by now.

she hated how her life was playing out.

not even trying, she then regrets once the results are out.

there was never a day where she lived without regrets. such a simple thing could be changed if she had just put in some effort.

but she was afraid. afraid to face her problems and deal with them. she'd rather turn a blind eye and avoid them.

running away from her problems and responsibilities.

what a pathetic way to live.