'I'm sick of this life.'
Ryan West stood at the edge of the old, crumbling three-story building behind Westbridge High. His torn uniform clung to his bulky body, flapping a bit because of the wind.
His face was all swollen with multiple bruises. Blood stained his lips and chin. One shoe was half-off. His fists were clenched, knuckles bled.
He smiled, not the smile of someone who was hopeful.
It was broken, hollow—Quietly hysterical.
'Yeah… I'd rather die than stay in this shit-ass world and suffer every single fucking day.'
His eyes drifted shut, the wind started to whisper around him, almost like it was waiting like this for ages.
And then—
***
Earlier that day…
***
The cafeteria was alive with the noises of students. Dozens of students packed every table, eating the cheap food and laughing over the drama, rumors and weekend plans.
A few of them were busy using their phones, others were too busy staring at Sophia Lane to eat.
Ryan sat in the far corner with his only two friends. His tray of fries and nuggets sat untouched. His eyes weren't on the food, they were locked at her…
Sophia.
The girl he'd loved since the first day of his high school career.
Golden brown hair, Model-tier beauty. Effortless popularity. She was surrounded by her usual crew—two girls, two tall muscular guys from the basketball team. She was laughing, eyes were shining, the center of it all.
"She's sitting with the jocks again." One of Ryan's friends muttered. "You still gonna do it, Ryan?"
Ryan didn't answer right away.
"You've been obsessed with her since freshman year." One of Ryan's friends muttered. "You sure that you still gonna do it?"
'I could die because of the embarrassment or maybe worse.'
But today, something inside of Ryan had snapped. Not in a violent way. Just… tired. Tired of being scared of the world, tired of hiding from truth, tired of letting life walk all over him.
He stood up, stomach churning a bit.
Students barely noticed as he walked across the hall, step by step. But when he stopped in front of Sophia's table, everyone turned to look.
Sophia blinked, confused.
Ryan took a shaky breath, scared.
"Sophia, I like you."
Silence…
The whole cafeteria paused after hearing those words come out of the mouth of a Damn Loser.
Then she laughed. Loud, clear, brutal. She stood up from her bench and tilted her head a bit.
"You like me?" she repeated, voice raising a bit. "I would rather date a dog instead of you, shitass."
Gasps. Laughter filled the whole cafeteria.
Her friends snorted, one girl dropped her fork down, wheezing.
"At least the dogs are cute." She said, voice thick and filled with disgust. "You? You're fat, ugly and pathetic. You're not even worth our pity."
Ryan froze.
The laughter spread like wildfire. A wave crashing over him. Students laughed. Some pulled out their phones, others pointed at him and laughed.
Josh, one of the jocks, stood up beside Sophia.
"You serious right now, chubs?" he sneered a bit. "You thought you had a fucking shot?"
Before Ryan could speak, Josh shoved him in the chest.
Ryan stumbled a bit.
Brandon, the other guy, moved in and punched him straight in the gut. Ryan collapsed on the floor, gasping for air.
One to the ribs, another one to the shoulder and the third to his leg.
"Go fucking confess to a cake next time, you fucking pig."
"Should've worn a bra, bro!"
"Hope the floor breaks before you do, shitass pig."
He curled up, crying—real tears, helpless. Every word they said, every boot to the side drove it even deeper. Immense humiliation, shame and despair.
No teacher came, no one helped him in this situation.
When they got bored, the jocks walked away, laughing and high fiving like they'd just scored a match-winning hoop.
Ryan lay there on the dirty floor, blood on his lip, arms trembling.
'I don't want to live anymore.'
***
Now...
***
The wind screamed around him.
Three floors wasn't that tall. But it'd be enough. Enough to break something, enough to end it.
The ground started to rush closer to him as every second passed.
Ryan felt… peace.
'Finally... it's over.'
[DING!]
The sound was clear and loud—like a chime ringing inside his head.
'What the hell...?'
A glowing blue screen flashed before his eyes in midair.
[Awakening Detected.]