august 11
9:56 p.m.

it was raining again. much to her dismay.

she looked at her phone to check the time.

the bus should be arriving soon.

she took a seat on the bench, silently waiting for the bus.

mum

today 8:56 p.m.

i'm on my way home
read 9:01 p.m.

do you need anything?
read 9:01 p.m

the girl let out a sigh.

"left on read again, huh," she muttered, switching her phone off.

a bright light shone in her direction, the sound of engine nearing her.

narrowing her eyes, she spotted the bus.

she stood up from her seat as the bus neared.

it stopped in front of her, the doors opening. she quickly made her way onto the bus, the rain splattering on her for a split second.

the vehicle was almost empty, except for the two old couple in the front seats.

she made her way to the back of the bus, taking a seat next to the window.

"wait!" a faint voice shouted from a distance.

she looked out the window and noticed a boy running towards the bus.

it was the same boy from last night.

he managed to get on the bus, panting heavily, he thanked the driver before making his way to the back where the girl was seated.

he sat on the other end of the seats, letting out a relieved sigh, he leaned his head back with his eyes closed.

"oh, it's you."

the girl turned to look at him with a raised brow.

"oh, i'm sorry, did i get the wrong person..?" he mumbled.

"no, you didn't."

"oh, thank god. that would've been so embarrassing," he laughed, shaking his head.

she simply nodded, staring back out the window.

"you left under the rain last night?" he spoke again. his voice smooth and calm.

"yeah, i didn't feel like waiting."

"that was a good idea, i thought waiting would do but the rain didn't stop the whole night, i ended up walking back home under the rain as well," he smiled.

she didn't know what to say, simply giving him another nod.

after that, he stopped talking, minding his own business.

even though the girl was hoping he would stop talking to her due to how awkward it was. she felt a little upset that he actually stopped.

strange. what a weird way of thinking.

when the bus arrived at her stop, she didn't bother saying goodbye, not even looking back, she got off the bus and made her way home.

mum
today 10:21 p.m.

i'm home

what time will you be
coming back?

do you need me to cook
dinner?

dad
today 10:22 p.m.

hey dad i just got home

do you need me to cook
dinner for you?

she placed her phone down on the table. she got the ingredients ready and started boiling the pot of water.

this was a nightly routine where she'd cook her own dinner and sometimes for her parents.

before she proceeded to start cooking, she checked her phone to see if her parents had replied.

mum

do you need me to cook
dinner?
read 10:34 p.m.

dad

do you need me to cook
dinner for you?
sent 10:22 p.m.

was it really that hard to answer a "yes" or "no" question?

placing her phone back down, she decided to just cook for herself.

"ah, we ran out of eggs," she spoke to no one in particular. "i should go buy some tomorrow."

being alone all the time meant she had no one to talk to. she developed a habit of talking to herself, or saying things out loud.

just the sound of her own voice made her feel less lonely.

it's kind of stupid when you think about it.