Crimson Tears: Letting Go At Midnight (Book 1)

Prologue

 Every day was the same as it was the day before. The cycle of life just kept on spinning and nothing ever changed. I would have preferred it to stay so, anyways. I know it's cliché for a student to love a teacher, a common trope in manga and anime. But for me, it makes my time at college worthwhile. My home life isn't the sort of thing most young adults (like myself) are proud of. My mom works as a stripper and my dad is either at a bar getting drunk or gambling. As for me, I'm a first-year college student majoring in fine arts.

My closest friend, who's like a sister to me, lives right down the street. Honestly, I spend more time there than I do at home. In my senior year of high school, my dad came home late at night in a drunken rage because he lost playing at the tables. I was just getting in from work and happened to be the target. He had blindsided me, breaking my nose. When I got my bearings I beat my dad to near death, throwing my mother to the floor telling her not to touch me. For the first time in my 17 years, I saw my dad cower. After that night I started to avoid going home.

One night a few months later I was sitting on a bench near the park when my friend's mom found me. She had noticed I was skipping classes, tardy, or falling asleep in class. Out of concern for my well-being, she invited me to stay with them until I got on my feet. I declined the offer. It was awkward staying over for a night, but living there?! Not a good idea, not with me liking her the way I do. Aerina and her mom, Eiko, have always been there for me; I love them like family. Well, that's how I wished it would've been, but fate or destiny has cruel ways of showing it.

As it turns out, during my entire life, I have been oblivious to some of the most obvious things. Aerina had been in love with me since her first year of middle school. It happened when some of our classmates bullied her because she wore glasses and was the top student in our grade. I stepped in and told them that just because she wore glasses and was smart didn't give them the right to pick on her. I told them that I, too, was within the top 5 in our grade. All they could say was that we "smart kids" should go out. And that's where it started for Aerina. Me on the other hand, when it came to Eiko; that was an autumn I'll never forget.

I finally gave in to Eiko's request to live with the two of them. One night, Eiko had come home drunk while I had just gotten out of the shower. I had helped her to the couch when she pulled me close enough to could kiss her. The smell of alcohol was off-putting, but the closeness to her set my heart racing. The impulse was strong enough that I had to fight myself not to. Would this one time hurt?