Inside an apartment complex, in a certain hallway on the third floor of the building where a female janitor is sweeping the floor, a door creaked open.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A girl with silky, jet-black bob hair and charcoal eyes came out of the door. The girl carrying a white school bag around her left shoulder can be seen wearing red wireless headphones around her neck.
Her attire consists of a white button-down shirt, black blazers with a gold dragon embroidered on its chest pocket, a necktie and pleated skirt with the same black and white pattern, a pair of black stockings, and slip-on shoes.
The female janitor stopped sweeping the floor as the girl with a stoic face approached.
The female janitor looked at her wristwatch. "Oh, going to school this early? What a diligent student~. That's not a compliment." She looked at the girl with a sarcastic smug.
"I'll take it as one anyway. Thank you for your hard work." Unfazed, the girl closed her eyes as she walked past the janitor.
"Girl, you're no fun." Remarked the female janitor. "You need to learn how to show some emotions at least once. And be careful on the way!"
The janitor watched the back of the girl disappear as she took the stairs at the end of the hallway.
Lyrica Ley Rael, a 16-year-old high-school student who lives alone in a cheap apartment complex where a female janitor would always speak to her whenever they encounter each other in the morning.
At first, Lyrica didn't pay much attention to the female janitor and her sudden comments that are meant for Lyrica to react in any way possible. But as time passes, Lyrica figured that the woman isn't going to stop, and eventually gave in. Since then, they've been exchanging words with one another.
Lyrica entered a public high school situated near a small gadget shop where she worked part-time and is a couple of blocks away from where she was currently living.
"Algebra and PE..." Lyrica sighed before her expression turned gray. "Today's going to be another troublesome day."
She excelled in most fields other than math and physical activities which she disliked doing. However, to keep her scholarship, she had to maintain a beyond-average mark in both math and physical education. And thus, she participates in PE and studied math diligently, even though it's against her will.
"Look, it's Lyrica!"
"She's cute today as usual."
"She's rocking that bob-cut hair!"
"Think she has a boyfriend?"
"She doesn't hang out even with the other girls in class."
"So, she's a loner, huh?"
"What a waste..."
Lyrica is widely known in school for her knowledge and appearance. Everywhere she goes, there's always a group of people who would start gossiping about her and even steal glances from her.
"This unwanted attention is so troublesome." She cursed in her thought as she picked up the speed to get out of the cafeteria immediately.
"Lyrica!"
But then, a male student with the looks stood right in front of her, stopping the girl in her tracks.
"Care to hang out with me and my friends?"
"Ha?"
"You see, we're hoping to become friends with you and get to know you more, so if you would like..."
Lyrica looked into his eyes and saw him ogling at her. When he realized he was caught, his awkward grin almost made Lyrica puke with disgust.
"Sorry, but I have no time messing around with monkeys. Excuse me."
Lyrica walked beside the man as naturally as she mocked him along with his friends.
"Dang... Another one got rejected."
"And he's cute, too."
"Was he the 11th person who tried approaching her?"
"I heard that last day, Lyrica turned down three guys all at the same time."
Her grades and appearance aside, Lyrica is infamous for distancing herself from other students. And those who dare approach her were met by her cold and blunt attitude. Of course, the teachers in school, the principal, the female janitor, and elders are an exception. But that being said, Lyrica had no friends in Metro Manila.
One might think that she has the life of a lonely person. But for Lyrica, being excluded from the crowd of people gave her peace of mind.
"Guess I'll listen to Phoenix on the way to work."
Lyrica turned on her wireless headphones that immediately connected themselves with her mobile device and attached it to her head. Then she went for a stroll across the busy side-walk full of clamoring people with their voices fading away as the headphones started blasting with music.
"This is better."
Lyrica's way of life is by going through the day without getting into trouble. As much as possible, she would avoid doing anything that will cause her trouble, even if it means she has to distance herself from others. That is because, whenever she finds herself into one, she's being reminded of her parents whom she hated the most.
It all started six years before she cut her ties with her parents and started living alone in Metro Manila. Lyrica was the only daughter of a family of three including her mother, her father, and Lyrica herself. They all lived in the municipality of Rizal in the Philippines.
Her mother was a beautiful woman who work as a saleslady in a supermarket while her father is a hard-working journalist who work at a news media company.
They had no quarrels and have no issues surrounding their family. They are what people would consider being a normal happy family. But due to some unfortunate events, the stature of Lyrica's household began turning upside-down.
Lyrica's father lost his job in the news media company as the said company lays off 10% of its workforce due to its declining revenue. On the other hand, Lyrica's mother faced the same situation as the supermarket started relieving some of their employees to stay in business. Fortunately enough, Lyrica's mother kept her job in the supermarket. The only downside is that her salary got a cut for her employer to let her stay in her work.
Of course, she accepted the agreement. It was better to have a source of income instead of aimlessly looking for another job that gives better pay, after all.
But from then on, problems appear one after another.
"Seems like they don't need an extra journalist in their company." The man who appeared to be Lyrica's father spoke with a long face.
"I see..." Replied the woman who is Lyrica's mother.
The father clenched his fist full of determination. "Well, I still got one more interview tomorrow. I'm sure it'll work out."
In a world where things kept increasing in value, having long-term work is a must to support you and your family. However, finding such a job isn't as easy as it was back then, and Lyrica's father made it apparent so.
After getting dismissed from his job in a news media company, he immediately went on a search for a new source of income. But in every news company he tried to get in, he either gets rejected or that the job had already been occupied by another person.
Unsure whether he'll be able to find a stable job at the rate he's going, Lyrica's father resorted to taking all the side jobs he can get to compensate for the lack of long-term work.
"How much do we have left? Do we still have enough for the rent?" Lyrica's father asked.
"We have the budget for the month's electricity and water," Lyrica's mother responded monotonously while stealing a glance towards young Lyrica at the dinner table, eating. "But we're a little short on our month's rent."
The father took a deep breath before making a response. "All right, I'll do something about it."
Both of Lyrica's parents knew that their current income combined isn't enough for all of their expenses. If things don't change, especially for Lyrica's father, things will get a lot more problematic.
At that time, Lyrica was just 10 years old. She was clueless about what happened to her mother and father, and the current situation their family was in.
"Someone got ahead of me again." Said Lyrica's father with gloomy eyes.
Lyrica's mother took her husband's bag, then she tried to cheer him up. "It's going to be all right, dear. I'm sure you'll be able to find a job soon. Come, let's eat."
Lyrica noticed her father, seemingly getting back home from work with a worried and disheartened expression on his face for a few days now. She also noticed her father often talking to her mother about someone seemingly getting ahead of him, or someone taking the spot before him over and over.
"Father, Mother, is there something wrong? Why do you look so troubled?"
Out of curiosity, she asked them what they are talking about in the middle of their dinner. But the two who seemed to be in a panic after they were asked what the problem was, told Lyrica that it's not important, and his father immediately finds a way to change the topic by pulling out his mobile phone.
"Lyrica, come here."
"Father?"
Lyrica jumped out of her chair and rushed toward her parents.
"Whoa...!"
From her father's mobile phone, an image of a beautiful flower field can be seen. The moment Lyrica got her eyes onto the picture, they immediately started sparkling like stars shining brightly into the night sky.
"So pretty!"