But...the dream. I must help her! I must. I was now completely convinced that I should put forth more effort on other people. After all, that's probably why I practically had no friends, right? Because I am too self-centered and too lazy to put effort into any of my friendships. So, no one cares about me. Sure, they can say they do, but they don't. Not really. It's all my fault, and now the only other person I know, she's slowly killing herself. I feel so guilty, like I need to do something. But, in the end, I can't force anyone to do anything they don't want to. After all, who am I? I'm just a high school student going through life, barely living it, and hoping to one day do something that has value. I can never do that if I just keep to myself and never do anything to change.
So, I decided to work on myself. As for Tabetha, well, she kept on giving me money each week until eventually she owed me nothing more. I never saw her after that. I made enough to move out and I was, by all definitions of the word, lonely. I mean, I was lonely before, but after high school, I seldom saw anyone. It was fine at first. I mean, I didn't really like people in the first place, so the solitude was welcome. Plus, if I needed some human interaction, I just went shopping or went to the gym or something. That was enough. However, as the months went by, I found myself needing more and more. And the more I wanted, the more I isolated. I've become a hermit and, additionally, I've become quite frugal to the point where I was able to live off the money Tabetha gave me for a few years. On occasion, I would wonder what ever happened to her. I would try to text her, but she would never respond. If I tried to search for her online, nothing would come up. At times, I would wonder if she was ever even real. Eventually, though, I discovered that she was indeed real, and her name was 'Ashley Henamanema.' I felt bad for her, I really did. And I really wanted to help her, but at the same time, she had a point. If her self-destructive behaviors would cause me harm, I wanted no part in that. A year ago, I had nothing to lose and, honestly, she could have taken me down all she wanted. But, now? No, now I had a life. I mean I was a lonely hermit, but I still felt an odd feeling of purpose. I don't know what it was, though. I didn't work. I didn't have any friends or family. I didn't have a girlfriend. I didn't have anyone, save a few online friends I would occasionally play games with. I was living my best life with no worries about the future. I had a very clear identity and, ultimately, I was content with myself.
Or that's what I thought.
YOU ARE READING
as the way comes
General Fiction[redacted] is a 17-year old kid in high school. He is sort of a lonely kid until one day, he meets an attractive young woman who saves him from the feeling. He decides to go with the flow and see what happens. That is, until he doesn't.
