Catharsis (A Darkromance Story)

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I spent hours rearranging my room just to make enough space for my old laptop on the bed. The room was a disaster, the light barely penetrating the gloom, accompanied by a faint buzzing. Returning to my desk, I glimpsed at the pile of homework due tomorrow, knowing I'd probably skip it—though risking another call to my mom from school was not an option.

As I waited for nightfall, I lay on my bed, catching my reflection in the mirror: tired, puffy eyes begged for sleep, jet black hair covering my forehead. I'd shed a lot of weight, no longer the chubby girl I used to be, but food was the least of my worries now.

After spending ages on this damn computer achieving absolutely nothing to improve my situation, I log into my account, "el.aine." What a dumb username; it's hard to believe I chose it. As you can probably guess, my name is Elaine. It's funny; you don't get to pick your own name, and if I could, I'd choose something different.

I had honestly anticipated my screen to be filled with discussions and messages, but to my surprise, there was nothing—no one seemed interested in whether I was alive or dead. However, there's this one guy, Niko. I'm not even sure how I came across him, but here I am, chatting with him since I created my account not too long ago. He's not the most talkative person, but there's something strangely... intriguing about him.

He never shares any pictures or voice notes, and he only starts talking to me after midnight. I even wondered if he might be a werewolf, but turns out, he's just a nice guy. I haven't had many experiences with men before; I guess they're not really my thing. But this one, he feels different.

He begins with the usual "Heys," and I kinda wish he'd skip that part. I've never been a fan of formalities, but hey, at least he's polite. Honestly, not knowing what he looks or sounds like is kinda... intriguing, maybe even a bit of a turn-on, but I'm not sure if he realizes the extent of my twisted fantasies.

I hear some sounds coming from outside my room, probably my mom pacing back and forth in the corridor like a caged animal, making the walls shake. She doesn't know I'm talking to guys online, and she'd be furious if she found out. But these nights feel really strange, like someone's keeping an eye on me. Maybe it's just the loneliness messing with my head a little too much.

Niko was the only person I felt comfortable sharing these things with, where I could be a bit more open than usual. But he, on the other hand, didn't share much about himself. I mean, I don't know if he feels anything for me, and honestly, neither do I.

It's 3 am now, and I'm still chatting with him. I'm surprised the conversation has lasted this long, but I had school tomorrow and i needed to get that snooze in. My sleep schedule was fucked up, but I had to make the most of the little time I had. I quickly log out, bidding him goodbye. He seemed a bit annoyed that I was going to bed so early; usually, we chat till morning but this time, I just didn't feel like it.

I set my laptop aside and shut my eyes, feeling like I hadn't slept in weeks. When I open my eyes again, I hear birds chirping, and sunlight is already streaming into my room.

Great, my alarm didn't even go off, and now I'm late. Thankfully, I don't live far from school, though I'm not exactly thrilled about it. I quickly gather my things, throwing on some baggy clothes to hide my curves, hoping the guys in class won't pay me any attention.

I stumble towards school feeling as wobbly as a sailor on shore leave, but there's something else, something unsettling gnawing at me. As I quicken my pace, I can't shake the feeling that I'm being followed, each of my hurried steps echoed by another set of footfalls. I glance around anxiously, but there's nothing in sight. Chalking it up to fatigue, I press on, trudging my way to school, resigned to yet another monotonous day.

As the dreaded teacher begins to inspect our homework, I mentally prepare for the inevitable embarrassment of getting called out in front of the class once again. But then, amidst the sinking feeling in my stomach, I stumble upon a forgotten notebook buried beneath my textbooks. Its presence is a mystery to me—I can't recall ever bringing it to school. Yet, as I flip through its pages, I discover that all the required assignments are neatly written inside. It's like stumbling upon a hidden treasure just when I needed it most.

But even as relief washes over me, there's a lingering sense of unease. It's hard to shake off the strangeness of the situation, as if something isn't quite right about this stroke of luck.

I sit there, puzzled by the mystery of the notebook's sudden appearance in my bag. The voices of my classmates and teacher fade away, leaving me in a quiet bubble of contemplation. Time seems to slip by unnoticed until the end of the school day, and I find myself back home, still mulling over the strange occurrence.

As I step into the familiar surroundings of my house, a sense of anticipation tingles in the air. Little do I know, there's another enigma waiting for me just around the corner...