Chapter Text
I sat staring at the exhausting view of my favorite coffee shop window. The glass had fogged at the corners, the rain outside turning the world into a watercolor blur. My reflection wavered faintly back at me: a sad lump of a girl slouched in a dim-lit booth, clutching a cup of what barely passed for coffee.
This was my life, wasn’t it? A grayscale bubble of pure boringness.
It wasn’t like my life was complete shit. I went out sometimes. I had friends. But it was never the life I imagined I’d have. As a kid, I dreamt of living in the city, of chasing stories as a journalist, breathing in the bustle, and letting the glow of streetlights keep me awake with possibility. Instead, here I was — drinking watery coffee, scrolling through nothing, and feeling twenty going on eighty.
Lately, I hadn’t even been complaining. That was the scary part. I’d just… accepted it. Kept to myself. Let time pass like a body floating down a river. Socializing drained me, and when I did drink, it wasn’t fun anymore. It was drowning. I wasn’t living — I was recycling days.
That was when the clacking of footsteps broke through my spiral.
“Athena, hey! I knew I’d find you here.” Lisa slid into the booth opposite me like she owned the place. Her smile was blinding, pulling warmth into my chest whether I wanted it or not.
“Welcome to my little burrow of boringness. I never leave,” I muttered, already bracing for whatever glamorous story she was about to tell. Lisa wasn’t cruel, but her life was a parade of shiny people and expensive outings that left me feeling like a misplaced extra.
“Oh, don’t sound so down! I—being, you know, the sweetest, kindest best friend alive—am taking you out tonight!” She gave me her million-dollar grin, and just like that, I was doomed.
I wanted to say no. I had a nine a.m. lecture, and more importantly, I knew myself: one drink and I’d spiral into a blur. But Lisa rarely asked. She knew I preferred to wallow, and she usually let me. Tonight was different.
I stared at her for what must’ve been a full minute, spiraling through excuses before I sighed.
“Athena?” she nudged at my sleeve, her perfume a sweet, dizzying cloud. “What do you say?” I gave a slow nod and downed the last of my coffee, now cold and bitter.
Back in my apartment, I sat cross-legged on the bed, staring down my closet like it had personally wronged me. Too much felt like trying too hard. Too little felt criminal. Around Lisa, even my favorite sweaters turned into proof of how unremarkable I was. She walked into a room like a spark. Me? I was the rainstorm that followed.
Lip gloss half-dried on my mouth, a loud knock rattled the door.
“Just a sec!”
When I opened it, Lisa’s eyes widened. “Wow—you look…” Her words broke off into a squeal as she tackled me with kisses on the cheek. My face flamed.
“SO hot! When did you get this? You sexy devil! Everyone is going to stare tonight.”
“Stop, you know that’s not true.” I pulled back, embarrassed, just in time to spot Mingi hovering in the hallway like Lisa’s silent shadow.
“Hi, Athena. How are you?” he asked, gentle, polite as always.
“I’m okay. Thanks. Just let me grab my bag and we’ll go.”As I turned to snatch it, a weird prickle slid down my spine. For half a second, the reflection in my bedroom mirror didn’t match me. My lips moved slower. My eyes looked… older. I blinked hard, and it was gone.
Probably just the lip gloss fumes. Or lack of sleep.
Still, I slung my bag over my shoulder a little faster.