I'm Not Always Perfect

Coincidence? I believe it's Fate.

Speech: 'hello'
Thoughts: 'yeah?'

Prologue:

The house was silent. Everyone was asleep.

As I should be.

The only light in my room came from the faint glow of my phone screen. I shifted slightly, cracking my neck and knuckles as I leaned back against the headboard. On either side of me, my two littlest—Toshie and Angie—were curled up against my waist, their small arms locking me in place.

No escape. Not that I'd want one.

This... is my every night.
My kids sleeping peacefully beside me while I scroll through endless hate comments online, trying to pretend the words don't sink into my skin.

I always end up falling asleep way too late.
And waking up way too early.
Most nights, I get maybe half an hour. An hour, if I'm lucky.

Sometimes, I wonder how these people—these strangers with keyboards and bitterness—manage to find so much time to spread toxicity. But never enough time to handle their own damn lives.

Still, it is what it is.

At least I'm on leave for a few weeks. Perks of having Abby—my best friend and personal assistant—who caught me overworking again and forced a break onto my schedule.

Even so... the job of being a mom never really stops. Not for my seven, and not for the others who look up to me.

I sighed, gave a few polite replies to some comments, then switched over to Twitter.
Scrolling through the feed, I tossed out some love messages, liked a few fan posts, and left replies under the ones that made me smile.

MTx—my fandom—was as active and chaotic as ever.
They were honestly the best part of this job.

Then, a new notification popped up.

I tapped it.

And instantly, a wide smile broke across my face.

My favorite boy band was coming to my city.
Live. Concert. This weekend.

Without hesitation, I made a quick post to my fans, announcing I'd be at the venue to meet them.

The response was instant.
Comments, likes, retweets—flooding in like a tsunami.

Seeing their excitement made me smile even more.
For a moment, all the hate disappeared—drowned out by love, joy, and shared happiness.

I typed out a soft "Goodnight" to my fans, then finally set the phone aside.

Toshie shifted in his sleep and snuggled closer. Angie sighed and drooled slightly on my shirt.

And just like that, exhaustion pulled me under.

Tomorrow would be chaotic.
But tonight?

Tonight, I was at peace.

Morning ~

(Author: This is my literal alarm to wake up!)

My favorite alarm tone—"Lacie"—played gently from the music box on my nightstand, the kind of melody that made mornings feel just a little softer.