The sound of laughter filled the room again. Not the warm kind. The kind that sticks to your mind, to your skin, and never leaves. I smiled anyway—because that's what I do.
I'm used to it by now. Used to being the introverted kid everyone clowns on, for what I like, for what I do. I ignore them. Escape. My room becomes my world. I close the door, open my phone, and suddenly… I'm not a joke. On social media, I'm respected. A kid who dreams of being a superhero, who gets the girl, who lives happily ever after.
But real life? It doesn't work that way. There are no superpowers. No capes. Only heroes who risk their lives quietly—police, firefighters, doctors. They're real. They protect, they save, they fight.
And me? I'm still here. Watching. Dreaming. Waiting.