I returned home and was greeted by the sight of my sickly grandma sitting on the rocking chair in front of the house. She was trying to thread the needle.

She squinted even with her prescription glasses. Her hand trembled, trying to thread the needle. So I approached her and crouched in front of her, “Let me help you, Grandma.” ​​

“Ah, Emmy, you’re home….” Grandma smiled at me and let me thread the needle for her. After I did it, I gave it back to her.

“Thank you, Emmy dear,” Grandma took something out of her pocket, a ten dollar bill, and then gave it to me. “This is for you.”

“Grandma, you don’t need to.”

“It’s your pocket money, now go and eat some snacks. Your Mom will be late,” Grandma said.

I smiled and kissed Grandma’s cheek, “Thank you, grandma.”

Grandma was my last living family after my Mom’s death. She had fragile health, but after my Mom’s death, her health worsened.

I never told her about my suffering in school, afraid it’d deteriorate her health even more.

I spent a lot of time taking care of grandma until she couldn’t hold on for much longer and died in her sleep. She left everything for me, so at least I still had a roof over my head.

I was depressed for so long because I felt like a failure. I tried my best to care for my grandma, acting all tough because I didn’t want her to worry. Only for me to discover her cold body when I returned home, bruised all over after being beaten by those wretched subhumans.

…

I went inside and had a snack. I prepared for dinner, something that I was used to because my Mom was a terrible cook.

When the dusk came, I helped my grandma to enter the house and had dinner with me.

“How’s your school, Emmy?” Grandma asked.

“Perfect, grandma. I made many friends,” I lied through my teeth, just like what I did in the previous life. I pretended that I made friends, even a few boyfriends. As if I was some hot stuff in the school, while I was actually bullied daily.

“That’s good. You’re gorgeous. I’m afraid that some people will get jealous,” Grandma said. “How about a boyfriend?”

“…”

Hmm… let me count my only interaction with the boys so far. I bumped into that rude rich kid who would be my pottery club buddy in the future, and also Mason.

Mason was simply out of the question. I didn’t even want to talk with him. It was all coincidence.

And that rude rich kid was also out of the question. So no, I had no potential boyfriend, and I didn’t plan on getting one either. They were nothing but useless, sloppy creatures that smelled like wet socks most of the time.

“It’s too fast for me to date, Grandma,” I replied.

“Oh, Emmy, you’ll find someone that you love and love you. But boys are trouble, and you’re still so young, be careful, okay?”

I nodded. I knew that boys were trouble. Unless I could find some use in them, I would never take one as my boyfriend.

I put a portion of dinner in the freezer for my Mom’s dinner as she had an overtime today.

I helped to guide my grandma to her room and returned to my room.

I took a bath and did my homework, but my eyes kept checking the table clock in front of me. I had expected Kristen to scream, curse, and sending death threats to Cerise soon. Maybe Kristen was doing it right now.

Ah, I was really excited to see what kind of crazy shits Kristen would say towards the paranoid Cerise. I predicted it would take Cerise around one hour until she started contacting me.

09.00 PM.

Ding!

I snatched my phone and saw a text from Cerise.

*Cerise: Em, I’m so scared.*

*Cerise: Kristen is out to kill me. She will definitely kill me.*

Perfect. I replied to her chat. I didn’t want to miss the good stuff.

*Emmy: What?! What did she say? Oh, Cerise, I think you’re just paranoid. I don’t think Kristen can be that mean to you. She looks so kind.*

*Cerise: No, Em, she is out to kill me.*

*Emmy: Then screenshot what she texted, then I will believe you.*

Ding!

I checked the screenshot that Cerise sent to me and raised my brows when I read the screenshot.

—

*Kristen: Didn’t I tell you to shut your shit-stained mouth? Did you tell someone about my secret?*

*Kristen: Bitch, answer me! Did you tell someone about my secret? I swear you shit mouth, if someone else knows about it, I will make sure to break your neck!*

*Kristen: And I’m not joking, shit girl.*

—

I was still quite surprised that Kristen could say something so vulgar. But it only made the show even more enjoyable. Thus I texted Cerise;

*Emmy: I… I really didn’t expect her to be that mean. I thought she is a nice girl. Can you just block her?*

There was no reply from Cerise for a while until she texted me again;

*Cerise: Fuck, Em, she is calling me!!!*