Proxies...?

Out of the Ordinary

I was a normal everyday teenager like the rest. Although, other teens find me a bit...weird. I was the only one who was set aside, like some unwanted toy in a toy store. At times I would try to talk to them when I gathered enough courage, but I always end up being pushed aside. All I wanted was a friend amongst those who are the same age as me. Luckily, there was only one person who understood me and was just like me. Her name was Laira. She was always there for me when I cried, and when I was being bullied. She was the greatest person you could ever ask for.

One time we both came to school at the exact same hour, usually there would be a happy vibe between us, but this day was on the lowest level. "Hey! Great seeing you again Laira!" I greeted her with a smile that people would rarely see from me. Laira didn't seem to be happy at the time, and me knowing her, she wouldn't be like this. We didn't talk that day, which is unusual for us because, we'd always laugh and joke around about things. What happened to her? Did I do something wrong...? Or did something happen that she's not telling me? School ended and I happen to be cleaning the classroom like I usually do everyday. Laira happened to pass by the classroom, so I took the opportunity to ask her what was wrong. She just gave me a smile and said everything was fine and that she wasn't feeling well. I knew she was lying.

I was on my way home when dusk fell. The cold night winds blew and the city streets were filled with the nightmares anyone could possibly imagine. As I stopped by the convenience store to buy my usual snacks like soda and biscuits, a guy walked in and he looked as if he saw a ghost or something. I was heading to the check out after picking out my items and it seemed the guy was in line right behind me. "Can you hurry up already?!" the man shouted. At first I was pretty much confused why he would be in such a hurry, but knowing myself being the nice person I am,  I let him go first. "You can go ahead mister, I'm not in a hurry but if you are you can go ahead." I said as I went behind him to let him first in line. The guy just looked at me with disgust and went ahead to pay for his items. I wasn't bothered by this because I get that attitude at school everyday. The man finally left and as I paid my items, I looked outside and noticed he was standing outside smoking. Since it was almost night time, it was pretty much dangerous to be out on the street. I took my items and exit the store walking past the guy in a hurry. 

As I was walking down my street towards my apartment, I got the feeling that someone was following me. I stopped in my tracks to look back to check if I was being followed, nobody was there. I sighed in relief and continued my merry way towards my apartment. The building was 4 stories high and didn't have much people to occupy the apartment rooms, so it was nice and quiet. As I went inside closing and locking the entrance door behind me, Sebastian, my neighbor, greeted me on the stairs like he usually does. "Hey Absinthe! I see you're home from school, though why are you late?" he asked "Oh, I cleaned the classroom like always and stopped by the store to buy snacks." I replied giving the same smile I give Laira. He chuckled and rubbed my head as if I was a child. I head upstairs to the fourth floor where I live alone in apartment 402. It was a cramped space and didn't have much furniture, but it was the best place to stay in.

Midnight was approaching and I was just happily sitting on the roof of my apartment enjoying the view of the night sky. It was a Friday, so I didn't worry about being late to school and since I worked the afternoon shift at a small store around the block, I had a lot of free time to myself. As I was happily watching every car pass by, I noticed a guy standing across the street of my apartment who looked a bit suspicious cause he wore a Yellow jacket and a mask of some sort, so I couldn't really see his face. I didn't mind it at first cause I thought it was just a random man waiting up on his friends to go to a party, but he was there for a while. It was 1 am, the man still hasn't left his spot. I got a bit scared at this point. I went back inside to go in my apartment since it was nearly 2 am. I locked my door with the 5 locks I usually had on them since I lived alone and that I'm a girl, it's something to avoid random people coming into my apartment. So once I locked up for the night, I went into my bedroom, changed into my night dress, laid on my bed and scrolled through my phone. The usual stream of notifications from various apps I had welcomed me. Though I didn't have time to view them, I charged my phone at the side of my bed and slept away.