Chapter 32: A Piece of Advice

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I tie my shoes
I tried to tie it tight
One layer,
Two—
But it's messy
I tried to fix it
But it end up almost loosening

Fuck it, I said
So I walk
...
And I run

But for the first time in my life,
I go past it
I chose a different route
A route I once thought about
A route I never thought I'd try to pursue
And when I pass by the house I was so familiar with—in this point of view,
It looks different for the first time
It looks crowded,
But it feels lonely

So I look away
And I run
Thinking I might be doing the wrong thing
Thinking I might be wrong all this time
Thinking I might be choosing the wrong path that time
Thinking how everything crumbles
Thinking how I didn't mean everything I said
Thinking how I might be a fucking liar
Thinking how I might be wrong
Thinking how I might be right either—

And I walk
And I walk
And I walk
I ran away

But here I am
Heading head first to the place I'm too familiar with
Once again
I'm heading back home

In the end—


I'll always be back home

Afternoon sunlight filters through the sheer curtains

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Afternoon sunlight filters through the sheer curtains. Carefully, you yank the curtains, letting the warm glow transpire beautifully across the room. Closing your eyes.. you take a deep breath, feeling the scent of freshly-cut grass melt through your systems. Now you're sitting on your bed, gazing absently outside.. to the window you've known all your life.

But he's not there.

"Emily~ How's your run?"

As you're lost in thought, your dad breaks the silence—entering the room with a cheeky smile, fully understanding why you're staring at the window. Startled, you snap your head back to face him, finding him already sporting his trademark raised eyebrow—a silent challenge in his gaze. "Hi dad.." you greet him with a small smile.

"I think I might have to cover your window so there won't be any intruders climbing through, whaddaya think?" he suggests with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, clearly teasing.

However.. you're too.. tired to give in to the usual banter. With your head lowered, you sigh—fidgeting with the edges of your sleeve. On ordinary days, you'd have a tickle fight. But right now.. you're just too.. exhausted for that.

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