Another four years went by in the blink of an eye. I had become rather quiet and kept to myself as much as I could after that day under the bridge. I stayed away from my friend group just as I had promised, especially after what the leader of my friend group had told me over text. He explained what his actual problem with me was, how he got all that information about me, and threatened me to stay away if I didn't want anything bad like that to happen to me again.
When I found out he was simply jealous of all the things I had, I exploded at him. The exact message I sent back was, "The reason you did all that shit to me was for some simple jealousy? Are you KIDDING ME?! You know what, I thought we were friends, but if you really understood a damn thing about what the hell had happened to me, you would've realized that your stupid plan was fucked up to begin with. I don't wanna be friends with a stupid bitch like you anyways; someone who only thinks about themselves rather than the pain and torture the people around them have had to go through. This is a warning for you. You had better stay the hell away from me or I promise you that I'm going to make you regret it. Don't ever talk to me again you son of a bitch."
And he listened. The guy never even texted me back. I'm sure I had shocked him so much with the message that he might've actually grown somewhat frightened of me. That or he wanted to confront me in real life rather than through text, but quickly thought back on it when he saw me again. After all, I stayed away from everyone back then, and put on a new facade to keep everyone away from me as well. I wore a sharp glare wherever I went and acted like some kind of tough guy whenever someone tried to talk to me.
Of course, it was merely a facade so I could move on with my life without having to worry about the people around me. I still did great in class, and as the years went by, I bettered myself as a person as well, physically and mentally. I exercised and studied on the daily and even began taking classes to become an adventurer. By the time I was a senior in high school, I was tough enough to the point where I could actually be a delinquent of sorts if I really wanted to, to match my tough guy facade.
I didn't know why at the time, but at the beginning of my senior year, a popular girl named Ayano Utsumi started bugging me left and right. Despite all that happened, I cannot forget her, no matter how much I may try. Ayano was the school's idol; very beautiful, smart, athletic, and everything else a girl would need to be in order to become popular throughout the whole school. At first I ignored her, but then as she began getting progressively more annoying, I actually shouted and cursed at her to leave me the hell alone. I thought that had done the trick, but she was back the next day like nothing had happened.
When I asked why she wouldn't leave me alone the next day, she said, "Because I finally got you to talk to me, which means I'm making progress." The smile she gave me when she said that made my heart skip a beat, but I scoffed and quickly went back to ignoring her, figuring that's what it would take to get her to leave me alone. It didn't work at all however, and Ayano continued to bug me throughout the entire next month.
After that month had passed, I was walking through the halls of the school, about to start heading home, when I heard some malicious sounding voices down an empty hall. I couldn't just walk away if someone was getting bullied, so I looked down the hall to see what was going on. It was Ayona, cornered against some lockers by a couple of delinquent girls. They were mocking her, calling her things like "a bratty rich girl" and "a spoiled bitch". Despite the fact that she wasn't reacting to any of it, I couldn't just stand there and watch when they were acting just like how my supposed friend group had treated me in the past for things they didn't even know were true or not.
So, I stormed over, gave the two girls a good scare, watched as they ran away, and then turned to leave, but before I could, Ayano hugged me from behind and whispered a "thank you" into my back. I didn't say anything at first, but after a few seconds it started to get awkward, so I turned around to pull her off, but the smug look on her face stopped me in my tracks. "You really do care, don't you?~" She asked in a teasing tone.
"In your dreams." I pulled her off and then stormed off, to which she chased after me, but I managed to lose her thankfully. My heart was racing the entire walk home however. I decided that staying away from Ayano was the best course of action, but over the course of the next few months, she worked her magic on me. She managed to get me to help her study, help her with some exercise, and even got me to just straight up help her with shopping and running errands. Before I knew it, we had become actual friends, and before long, I confessed to Ayano, and she took many of my firsts from that day forward. I should've known it was all just a lie.
One day I went to her house without telling her. I wanted to surprise her with her favorite flowers and candy since it was our six month anniversary, graduation was coming up soon, and I wanted to celebrate getting into college together with her. What I heard when I approached the front door was an odd groaning sound. I wasn't an idiot, I knew that what I was hearing were the moans of my beloved and another man giving her pleasures that only I should be allowed to give. I was furious to say the least, but I could hear their voices through the door, and my curiosity got the better of me when I heard the man's voice. "So, who's better..?! Me, or that stupid punk we made that bet over?"
"You are obviously...~ I can't believe he really fell for the damsel in distress trick... Honestly, the fact that he was a punk was the hottest thing in the world, but when I found out he was just another nice guy with an edgy complex...biggest, turn off, ever." Ayano stated bluntly.
"Damn, sucks to be him." The guy laughed. "When are you dumping him?"
"Well, we got into the same college together, so I think I'll milk him for all his worth over the next few years and then shatter him once we graduate...~ Ohhhhh! Oh oh! Maybe I'll invite him over, leave the door unlocked, and have him walk in on us~" Ayano suggested.
"Damn, you are such an evil bitch... I love it!~" More moans and the smacking of lips could be heard through the door, but all I could hear at that point was static, tears spilling down my expressionless face.
"I should've known I wasn't allowed to be happy... It's my own fault for putting my faith in some stranger again... If only I was more cold hearted... If only I didn't care so much... If only..." I clenched my fists. "If only I could've been born as somebody else...someone the world wouldn't take out its frustrations on... It's just...so unfair..." As I became lost in my thoughts, my vision went dark, my mind went blank, and I passed out.