Dead Memories

Prologue: The night, before the night.

Sometimes I used to feel like I was not a part of anything. I had my fair share of friends, and they did their own things, hang out with their own friends, and that's okay. Most of the time I would spend my weekends at home, whether it was drawing, writing, playing video games, you name it. I know I had done some amazing things by myself, but I reached that point where I can't help but notice that those who tell me to do things didn't understand how I felt. Because instead of being told "Do this," or "Do that," nothing would make me happier to hear someone say: "Let's do this together".

I guess that's why I find it so hard to trust people. I've clung on to the notion that if I let people in they'll hurt me, even family. I'd like to think there's good in other people, but I can't help but remember the past. Sure, I've met astonishing humans and I admire them truly, but then there are those who deceive. They damaged my trust, so I stayed hidden from them. My family always asked why I never went out with them and why I refused their invitations. If I told the truth, I think they would have been sad, because I was actually disappointed in most of them. I had a hard time relating to them, mostly because I felt uncomfortable opening up to them. Just imagine, my own sister wouldn't have known things about me if she wouldn't snoop on my phone when she got the chance. Still, I felt more compelled to be the best I can be to myself rather than wait for someone else to be.

So this is me: Gabriel Ulises Saez. By then I was only eighteen, first year college student, and sad; because in all this time, nobody did any effort to try to understand me. Sure, my family worried about me, I do acknowledge that. But it's not that they don't try, the fact is that for some reason I can't see any motive for me to trust them. They always seemed as they expected me to be some charming intellectual dude instead of a lazy geek.

These thoughts swirled around my mind as I washed my face; for some reason water helps me reflect and have clearer thoughts as to myself. Regardless, I proceeded to the mirror, which was foggy. I exhaled, ran my arms through it, but when I looked up, the reflection in the mirror startled me: a mildly light brown skinned Hispanic man with brown and dreaming eyes, wavy hair that twisted and turned on itself, and the scruffy and barely kept stubbles growing on my face. "When will this beard grow in?" I kept questioning myself. As I reached for a toothbrush and small towel, my thoughts were interrupted with an annoying knock on the door.

"Gabriel! Your phone's ringing!" yelled my sister Valerie.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get it in a moment." I muttered with a toothbrush in my mouth.

After my teeth were cleaned I stormed out of the bathroom and into my humble cave which was just across the hallway. My phone, which apparently wasn't ringing anymore, lay in my bed aside of my laptop, where I would spend countless hours trying to write my stories, or watch videos. As I leaned in to check the missed call I realized that it was from Junior!

"Shit, Junior called!" I whispered as I rushed up and called him back faster than the speed of light.

The phone rang for a moment and suddenly he picked up, his name is Efrain: my uncle and probably about the only person I trust in this world. "Hey!"

"Hey, sorry for not picking up I just woke up, ha-ha" I said with a smile on my face.

"Well you got to do what you got to do." He replied.

"So what's new in your neck of the woods?" Junior asked

I thought about what to say as I looked around my room, usually I'm always up to something, whether it's playing the piano that's to my left, or drawing as usual. However I was lost in thought.

"Hmm, well I've been working on this new drawing of a character I came up with, he's a demigod who wields fire." I said with enthusiasm.

Junior laughed briefly, "That sounds interesting."