The Alien Next Door

1 - Life really did me like that

POV: Jake
I had moved into my new apartment today, new beginnings and all that I keep telling myself. Only, I know that I can never have new beginnings. There's never a fresh start when you're me, never.

No matter how many places I live in, it's always the same. I get beaten black and blue and get sick of it, move and deal with it again. It's a continuous cycle that I have to live with until the day I die. How fun!

When you have a facial disfigurement, you're more susceptible to being a victim of hate crime. I'm more than fully aware of this. I'd say that by now it's a part of my life, but it sure as heck doesn't get any easier.

I'm 23 and it still hurts deeply when things like that happen.

All my stuff was unpacked, there wasn't much of it due to this being a furnished apartment, and I just needed to go get food for the cupboards. Time to leave the flat and hopefully return in one piece.

Whenever I leave the house, I wear a hoodie to hide my face. I don't have to, but it helps a little. Most people think I'm bad news so they stay away from me but at the same time it means I have no friends in my life. I only speak to my family and even that's on the rare occasion, even some of them can't stand seeing me.

Life really did me like that.

It's a weird feeling being so cut off from society, I exist but it feels like I don't. I'm just continuously floating through a bubble trying to not get attacked. It's not always physical abuse I encounter, people love verbal abuse too! Who knew?

I manage to find the shops and get food without any issues, thank god. Leaving the house is something I don't try to do very often. I return back to my new place and put everything in its spot.

I make some pasta for dinner and eat it whilst watching Netflix on the tv. Don't ever watch five feet apart unless you're wanting to cry more then once in the span of an hour and a half. Goddamn does it hit you in the feels, I learnt that today.

I shower and end up in bed, my laptop screen the only source of light in the room. I put on Brooklyn nine nine and try to get to sleep.