"Damn it, wake up Leora! If I end up late again because of you, I'm going to tell mom," said my older brother.
He had been knocking on my door for five minutes already, trying to wake me up. He knew I was not a morning person, but he didn't care.
"Just five more minutes, please," I said, adjusting myself in bed. I pulled the blanket over my head, hoping he would leave me alone. I had a hard time falling asleep last night, thanks to the loud music coming from the apartment next door. I hated living in this noisy neighborhood, but I had no choice.
It was the only place I could afford with my part-time job at the bakery. Then, a loud noise was heard, and I opened my eyes.
I saw the door of my bedroom flying off its hinges and landing on the floor. Jules had kicked it open, again. He had done this before, when he was angry or impatient with me.
"Jules, you've broken my bedroom door again," I said, quickly getting up to assess the damage. I had just fixed the door last week.
"I wouldn't have broken it if you had gotten up, and besides, I remind you that we have class in five minutes, and you were still sleeping," he said, as if it was my fault. He looked at me with a smug expression as if he had done nothing wrong.
He was wearing his usual outfit: a leather jacket, jeans, and boots. He thought he was cool, but he was just a jerk. I couldn't take it anymore. I felt a surge of anger and frustration, and I jumped on him to hit him. I didn't care if he was bigger and stronger than me.
"Get off me, crazy girl," he said, trying to fight back, but I ended up putting him on the ground and looking at him menacingly. I had him pinned down, and I was ready to punch him in the face.
"That's enough, you two," Lise's voice made me release my brother, whom I was strangling.
"It's him who broke my door," I said, getting up and fixing my hair as if it would change anything about my sorry state.
"Alright, I'll leave you with your 'best friend'; I'm out, goodbye, crazy girl," Jules said, before running to the exit.
Then I saw Lise laughing before approaching me.
"Hurry up and get ready, please. I'll try to do something about the door," she said, and I hurried into the bathroom to get ready.
I had to wash up and change, before I was late for class. I didn't want to miss the lecture, even though I found it boring. I had to keep up with my grades, or I would lose my scholarship.
I couldn't afford to lose that, or I would have to drop out of university. And then what would I do with my life? Another day where I would have to go to university and be bored.
I chose to study science because I had always wanted to work in a laboratory, but now I was tired of all these boring classes. I had to memorize facts and formulas, and do experiments that had no meaning to me.
Now, I only found joy in cooking and fencing, the two things I was best at. I quickly finished showering and stepped out with a towel around my waist. Lise had tried to put the door back in place, but since it wouldn't hold, she used tape, surprisingly it worked.
I opened my wardrobe and grabbed a simple outfit consisting of a plain white shirt and a black skirt. Chic outfits were never my thing anyway. I preferred comfort over style, unlike Jules, who always dressed to impress.
"Thanks for the door, Lise," I said, letting my hair down. My hair was red and very difficult to manage. It was curly and frizzy, and it never stayed in place.
"You're welcome. Do you need help with your hair?" she asked, and I nodded yes.
Lise started working on my hair, and with just a few strokes of a comb and some hair ties, she managed to make a beautiful ponytail for me. She was good at styling hair, unlike me.
"Thanks, Lise. What would I do without you?" I said with tears in my eyes, and Lise couldn't help but smile.
"You're welcome. After class, I want one of your meals; they're really excellent. You should probably open a restaurant, Leora," Lise said, how many times had she told me that? She loved my cooking, and she always praised me for it.
She said I had a talent, and I should pursue it and that I could make a lot of money, and be happy, if I opened a restaurant. I thought opening a restaurant would require too much money; I don't have the necessary funds for that.
"Alright, let's go," I said, grabbing my school bag. I walked to the university every day; it was only a 10-minute walk from my apartment. I had managed to find my apartment after a lot of struggles.
The university I attended was quite large and welcomed over 10,000 students every year. It was one of the most prestigious and competitive universities in the country, and I was lucky to get accepted there.
"I'll see you for lunch," I said to Lise before heading towards the classroom where I was going to have a class.
I opened the door, and the class had already started; every student was focused and they all looked up when they saw me. I felt their eyes on me.
"Late again, Miss Leora. Go sit down and make sure not to disturb my class anymore," the teacher said, and I found a seat in the back of the room, deposited my belongings, and began to follow the lesson.
The teacher was a middle-aged man, with a bald head and a thick beard. He was strict and boring, and he didn't like me just because I was always late and loved to ask question.
The classes went by very quickly, and after 3 hours, it was time for me to return to my apartment. I didn't have any more classes for the day, and I was glad. I didn't want to stay at the university any longer than I had to.
Once I arrived, I changed into a simpler outfit and put on an apron before washing my hands. I lived in a small and cheap apartment, not far from the university. It was the only place I could afford with my part-time job at the bakery. I worked there every evening, after my classes, and every weekend, when I had no classes.
"Today's menu will be hamburgers," I said aloud as if I had an audience. I loved pretending I had an audience while I cooked; it always encouraged me to make excellent dishes. I imagined I was a famous chef, and I had a show on TV, and I had millions of fans.
I imagined I was happy and successful, and I had a purpose and a meaning. I imagined I was someone else, someone better. I took out the buns, then the meat, and the sauce for the burger, but while searching in my fridge, I noticed that there were no salad greens, and salad greens were really important to me.
"Well, I'll just have to go buy some salad at the supermarket," I said before taking off my apron.
I went to my room and took my wallet; the supermarket wasn't very far, so they must have seen me in the worst possible outfits.
I locked the door of my apartment and walked 5 minutes to reach the supermarket. The supermarket was quite large, and there weren't necessarily many people who came there, and that's what I loved, being able to choose my ingredients without too much noise.
I opened the door and was immediately noticed by the cashier. He was a young man, with short brown hair and green eyes. He always greeted me, and chatted with me, and complimented me.
"So, what are you going to prepare today?" he asked; it was a habit every time I came here.
"Hamburgers," I said with a smile before heading towards the fruits and vegetables aisle.
In this supermarket, there were always good fruits and vegetables, and very quickly I spotted a very good salad that I took. I also took some tomatoes and onions, and some cheese and bacon, to make my burgers even more tasty and filling.
I loved adding extra ingredients to my dishes, to make them more complex and flavorful. I loved experimenting and improvising, and creating new and original recipes.
I headed towards the checkout to pay and then leave the supermarket. I put my items on the conveyor belt, and the cashier scanned them. Then I leaved.
"I'm going to make the best hamburgers," I said a little too loudly and startled a man who was standing next to me at the green light.
I was waiting to cross the street until the light turned red, and after a few moments, the light turned red. I crossed without waiting any longer, followed by a few people, but I walked much faster than them; I couldn't wait to get home to cook.
I heard honking and shouts, but I was too distracted to listen to them, then a car that was driving much too fast hit me. And then no sound, and everything went black. I felt a sharp pain, and then nothing.