The day finally ended and I was getting ready to go to my job. Out of all the students attending Saint Mary Immaculate, I’m probably the only one working a part time job. I had no choice though, I didn’t want to transfer to public school. My mom worked hard to make me attend this school and whatever happened, I’m going to graduate from this school. Even if I had to suffer against those assholes, I would finish school.

I boarded the jeep and as expected, it was hot, cramped and damn smelly. I could hear some old ladies complaining about how tight it was. I could tell they were glaring at me, silently blaming me because I’m occupying two people’s seat but I ignored their looks.

I arrived at the restaurant Alyssa owned, which was name after her. It was nothing fancy, just a normal family restaurant with affordable prices and delicious food. Alyssa was an alright boss but she’s too greedy with money and I didn’t liked that about her. Other than that, I had no problem with her.

I changed into my uniform to start working. I start at 5 pm up to 12 am.

I wasn’t a fast guy, obviously, because I’m freaking fat and heavy. I don’t have the charm because I’m ugly as hell but one I do have was determination. I worked extra hard to fill up my weaknesses and I guess Alyssa liked that about me.

While in the middle of work, I encountered a table of people, probably around the same age as I am. They were all wearing cool clothes, like they came out of a fashion magazine or something. The guys were all handsome and the girls were all beautiful.

Were they models or something?

I went my way to get their orders and the moment I got close, I immediately felt intimidated.

There’s some kind of a dangerous aura lingering in the air. I couldn’t explain what it was but it was scary.

“Hi, I’m Paige, I’m gonna be your waiter for this evening. Are you ready to order?” I said in a very shaky smile.

The guy with a blonde-dye hair lifted his head to look at me. We stared at each other for a long time and I jolted when he suddenly gasped out loud.

“I remember you!”

I blinked at him.

“Huh?”

Remember me? Does he know me? Because I don’t.

“You’re the guy in the video, aren’t you?!”

Confused, I muttered, “excuse me?”

The girl with the long brunette hair with a mole under her left eye, gaped as well.

“You’re right!” she exclaimed.

One of them pulled out their phone. He let me see it and every color in my body vanished as I realized that the bullies uploaded the video where I was eating like a pig back at school.

The laughter in the video sounded like an echo in my ears.

I could hear the group talking about the video, how funny it was and how it was becoming viral in Facebook.

My body felt like lead and my sight was getting blurry. I wanted to throw up and I held my mouth to stop myself from being embarrassed any further.

“...I…I’m sorry…I don’t…I’m…I’m sorry!”

I was about to turn around to run to the back room but a deep voice stopped me from doing so.

“Hey, you haven’t taken our fucking orders yet.”

Everyone in the table got quiet.

Looking through the group to find who talked, I found a guy hiding among them. I didn’t even noticed him at first because he was so quiet, with one leg up on the chair he was sitting on. He was wearing a black cap and a black mask that was covering half of his face. His piercing brown eyes felt like it’s cutting through me like a dagger.

I couldn’t move. I was hypnotized. Wait a minute…I think I know that face.

Pulling the mask off of his face, he was scowling.

“Don’t tell me you’re so incompetent you can’t actually take a simple order.”

Some of the guys seemed like they were scared with him except for the two men sitting beside him who looked somehow identical to each other.

“S-sorry, I…I just don’t feel good,” I said, trying to defend myself.

“So? You came to work not feeling good? Is that supposed to be our problem?”

Some of them stifled their laughs.

The guy took the phone out of the hand of his friend who was holding it. My jaw dropped in disbelief when he crushed the phone with his bare hand, throwing it down on the table. Everyone was shocked too.

“Hiro, you ass! You just destroyed my iPhone, bro!”

Hiro? So I was right, he’s Hiro Blaise.

“Shut up, you can buy a new one.”

Hiro stood up and walked towards me. He had a menacing look in his face, easily towering me with his height.

“Are you gonna hide again so that you can squeal like a pig?” he whispered in my ear, “fucking pathetic.”

I watched him walk out of the restaurant, jaw gaping wide open in utter shock.

What the hell was that about?!

I went back home, feeling exhausted, tired and humiliated. What that asshole said in the restaurant kept circling my mind and it was irritating the shit out of me.

I’m so pissed off at him. It’s the first time we met and I already hated his guts. What gave him the right to say those things to me?

He’s better off with those bullies in school. They’re all the same. They say mean things that had the power to destroy a person.

I hate him.

I wish I never see that Hiro guy again.

He’s such an asshole.

Why do people even like him?

Sure, he looked handsome, cool and I guess any girls would like him only because of what he looked like which was pa-the-tic.

I’d rather choose someone who’d accept me for who I really am, not because of my physical appearance.

I fastened my pace but it felt like I wasn’t walking any faster than I was before. Our house was two more blocks from where I was but I’m tired of walking anymore.

In fact, I’m tired of life.

Why do I have to go back to that house. My step-father would only beat me up when he’s in the mood of being dramatic again.

What’s the use?

I stopped walking and looked down on the ground.

I’m glad no one was around the road because I began crying my hearts out in the middle of the street.

“Aaaagh! Why is life so unfair?!” I screamed out of frustration but quickly regretted it after hearing someone screaming back at me to shut the hell up.

I quickly ran (well, more like tried to run) back to the house.

When I arrived back to the house, I was mentally rejoicing after seeing my step douche-bag sleeping in his room. I tippy-toed to my room but because I’m a fat-ass, I still made noise while walking. Good thing the bastard didn’t wake up or else, he would throw something again at me for no good reason and I’d have to clean up his mess.

I closed the door of my room, locking it and making sure my step-dad wouldn’t be able to open it, It became a habit to barricade my door with my cabinet just so my dad wouldn’t barge in the middle of the night while I’m sleeping only to beat up the shit out of me.

I dropped my bag on the floor, feeling exhausted as hell.

I didn’t have the strength to change my clothes and wash my face so I just went straight to the bed.

Sleeping was one way for me to forget reality.

If only I could sleep forever, I would.

I buried my face on the pillow. I wanted to forget about that guy, Hiro but I couldn’t. His smug face kept appearing in my head and it was irritating me.

Just sleep, Paige. Forget about everything, about the video, about that asshole, everything.

I’m sure tomorrow’s gonna be a better day.

I snorted.

Yeah, right.

I went to school early to experience another day of hell. I went straight to the classroom and waited for the assembly bell to ring. I was sitting alone in the corner of the room, reading a random recipe in my phone. I wanted to try doing a Korean delicacy but the ingredients were too expensive and I couldn’t afford eating anything fancy. Besides, I’m the one that’s feeding my step-father as well and I’m also the one responsible for paying my tuition fee.

Eating was one of my hobbies and whenever I have extra money, I always spend it on cheap food. As much as I wanted to stop eating too much like a pig, just like what my classmates say, I couldn’t. It’s just so hard to resist it.

Besides sleeping, eating was also a way for me to relieve stress.

“Seriously? You’re looking at food so early in the morning?”

I jumped out of my seat when Sandra, one of the bitchiest, most nastiest girl in my class, commented. She was standing behind me while her friends who were loitering in the classroom, waiting for the assembly, watched us in amusement.

I hid my phone and sat up straight.

“You’re really a pig. You’re so gross. Look guys, he’s so oily you can basically fry an egg on his fat face!” Sandra teased and her posse laughed out loud.

I lowered my head, mentally killing her in my head. What’s so wrong in looking at recipes of food? It’s not like I’m the only one who browse Facebook pages of food recipe in their free time. I saw Sandra do it too while we were in the middle of class.

What a hypocrite.

Just because she’s thin like a branch doesn’t mean she had the right to look at food while I’m not.

That’s a stupid logic.

She’s stupid.

“I feel bad for the girl you’re going to marry,” she mocked, grinning at me, “oh wait, it’s not like anyone’s going to marry a fat pig like you!”

I bit my lip.

That hurt.

I know no one’s going to like me for who I am.

But to hear it from someone.

It hurts.

It really does.

We finished assembly and we were now going back to the classroom. I wasn’t in the mood to study but I had to.

While in the middle of Ms. Gomez’ History class, I took my notebook out that served as my planner. It was a tattered, leather notebook that my mom gave me a few years ago. Before she died, I didn’t have any use of the notebook. But when she left me, I realized that mom gave me that specific notebook so that I could write down my thoughts and feelings. It was perfect because I didn’t have anyone to talk to.

It was hard getting over my mother’s death. When my dad died, I had my mom. But when mom died, I had no one. My step-father became abusive and I was alone.

I was so close in ending it all but I was scared of feeling the pain of dying.

I opened the notebook and began reading the goals I had in life that I wrote a long time ago.

-graduate high school

-find a good part time job

-enter college

-live alone

-find a good job that pays well

-be successful

-never give up

I smiled after reading it.

Somehow, it gave me strength.

Unlike that Hiro guy who’s so negative and mean and rude and everything not nice.

Ugh, I really hate him.

I wish I won’t see him again.

--

I stared at the person I loathed the most, sitting in one of the chairs inside the restaurant.

Why’s he here?!

Just as I was thinking that I didn’t want to see him again, ever, he appeared.

Great.

I was hiding behind a pillar, peeking at Hiro. He was with friends and like yesterday, he was wearing an all black shirt and ripped pants, converse shoes, cap and mask. The hell, why’s he covering his face? Was he afraid people will flock him if they see him in public? He’s not an artist, damn. I’m really annoyed at how arrogant that asshole was.

He was slouching on his seat, both hands inside his pockets while his ears were plugged with earphones.

I noticed Hiro was the only one not having a conversation with any of his friends. He was just looking straight ahead, as if he was some kind of statue or something.

He looked creepy if I had to be honest.

All of a sudden, all the hair in my body stood up in horror when his eyes moved to where I was standing.

I froze. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t move a muscle because of fear.

This guy’s definitely not normal.

His eyes, they do not belong to a senior high school student.

And I’m pretty sure he’s the same age as me. Thanks to the girls who kept on talking about him in my class.

Hiro narrowed his eyes at me and it was like a knife was slitting my throat.

“Hey!” a senior waiter who’s name was Gerald, nudged my arm to get my attention, “what are you waiting for? There’s a lot of tables to buss.”

I woke up from the horrifying trance. I pushed the rug at Gerald’s house and in panic, I said, “I - I’m not feeling good, kuya [brother] Gerald! I n-need to go to the bathroom!”

I didn’t wait for Gerald’s reply. I quickly went to the bathroom, slammed the stall’s door closed and sat on the toilet, all the while calming myself.

Take it easy, Paige! Nothing bad happened, okay?

He just looked at you.

I hugged myself, rubbing my arms to stop myself from shivering even though it’s like 40 degrees Celsius in here.

Everything’s gonna be alright, Paige.

“Hey, pork belly!” a guy in my class called, pulling me up so that he could throw me against the wall, “stop getting in our way with that big body of yours!”

“What?! What’re you gonna do about it, huh, pig?! Come on, eat it on the floor!”

“I feel bad for the girl you’re going to marry,” she mocked, grinning at me, “oh wait, it’s not like anyone’s going to marry a fat pig like you!”

“Are you gonna hide again so that you can squeal like a pig?” he whispered in my ear, “fucking pathetic.”

I’m alright.

I’m alright.

You’re alright, Paige.

Everything’s alright.

--

It was the end of the shift and Alyssa called me to the office to talk to me. Gerald freaking snitched me out. I didn’t had enough strength to be annoyed at him. I just watched Alyssa ran her mouth about how I’m always slow, and that I’m not taking my job seriously. She was threatening to fire me too but I begged her not to.

I was apologizing non-stop and in the end, she got fed up and told me she’s not going to fire me.

I went home, feeling even more tired than yesterday. The sleep I had last night didn’t help me recover my strength this day. My exhaustion’s been piling up and sooner or later, I had to pay it off.

Walking back to the house, I was feeling dizzy. Maybe because I haven’t had dinner yet.

I want to eat.

I want to die.

I don’t even know what anymore.

I wanna see my mom and dad.

I gasped out loud when I tripped over my foot. I landed on the cold, hard ground and I scraped my elbows and knee.

But instead of immediately getting up to avoid humiliation from the passerby, I remained on the ground.

Mom, I don’t wanna go home.

I don’t wanna go back to Jon.

I wanna see you.

Closing my eyes, I sighed.

I’m really tired.

--

“ -aige.”

What the -- ?

Was that mom’s voice?

“Paige, wake up.”

My eyes twitched as I struggled to open my eyes. I was expecting to see mom beside my bed, softly shaking my shoulder to wake me up but no one was in the room when I did.

I got up, realizing that I was lying on my bed, inside my room.

How did I get here? I clearly remember I passed down on the street last night.

“...what?”

I turned to the left to search for my phone but the first thing I noticed was a black, credit card sized note lying on top of the desk next to my bed. I grabbed it together with my phone lying beside it and read the print on the card.

Black Dragon

09XX XXX XXXX

Ext. Corp - NV

I stared at it.

Black Dragon?

Did I receive this card in a mall somewhere? I can’t remember accepting this.

The dragon design printed on the card seemed familiar. I’m sure I saw this before but I couldn’t remember where.

Hmmmm.