𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

story #O1

Haven't you ever looked at a stranger and wondered what that person's life had been like and why they might be walking on the cement path, or why they may be driving on that specific highway? Sometimes when I look at people, and their face hold no emotion, I question what may have previously happened, what they might be thinking about, and it's interesting to know that no matter how many times a person attempts to reassure you of how they honestly feel, you will never really know the truth.

"What are you thinking about?" Questioned my mother, in a rather raspy and stern voice. You'd think her voice would only be raspy during the morning, but since she used to smoke cigarettes as a teenager, it caused a fair bit of damage to her vocal chords. She doesn't sound like the friendliest person, and she can be justly stubborn, but her heart is just as beautiful as the models you see in magazines. "Just another shower thought," I responded with a half-hearted laugh, picking my bag off of the ground. She proceeded to pick her purse up as well and joined me at the doorway. Today is one of the unlikely days that she would walk me to school. "Do you mind telling me what your so called 'shower thought' was?" She asked, raising a brow in suspicion.

"Well, did you know that your brain named itself?" Grinning stupidly, I waited upon her response, to which I only got her to shake her head. "With such a serious expression, I doubt that's what you were thinking about," said my mother, followed by a light chuckle. Replaying that whole conversation only reminded me of what I had truly been thinking of, causing my smile to subconsciously drop. "You know you're never alone, right?" She smiled softly, running her fingers through my messy, short locks. "My son, you have many people around you who cares for you."

"Yeah," I replied with an equally polite smile. 'Or do I?' I thought, staring into the distance.

There are many different kinds of 'lonely'. The loneliness I feel is when I hang out with people to get rid of the fact that I know I'm still lonely, whether they care about me or not. I am a singular, individual person; I am lonely. I am a 'stand out in a crowd' lonely, yet I am an unnoticed lonely.

Arriving to the school gates, my mother kissed the top of my head and waved me farewell. As I looked up, I see one of my friends. "Life sucks," is all he says, causing me to smile from ear to ear. It makes me glad to know that I'm not lonely alone. Sometimes it's nice to hear the blunt truth.