It had been a long day. Too long, really. The kind of day where everything seemed to weigh heavier than it should. And yet, it wasn't the world that was too much to bear—it was his own life, his own failures.
Jayce Feindveil sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor with empty eyes. His heart thudded painfully in his chest, like the beat of a drum he couldn't escape. His parents had just finished yelling at him. Again. The same thing, every time. The same words.
"Why can't you be more responsible?" "Why are you always messing things up?" "We just want you to try, Jayce. Why is that so hard?"
It felt like they were suffocating him with their love. They only wanted the best for him, sure—but the weight of their expectations felt like a mountain pressing down on his shoulders. Every word they said dug deeper into his heart, and every silence between them became a chasm that separated him from everything they wanted him to be.
He wasn't what they thought he should be. He wasn't the smart, diligent son they dreamed of. He wasn't the person they could depend on. He didn't have the answers, the drive, or the courage to meet their expectations.
Jayce stood up abruptly, his head spinning. He had to get out of there. Away from their eyes. Away from their disappointment. He needed to breathe. He needed to feel... something other than this crushing weight of failure.
Without a second thought, Jayce grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, the sharp sting of the cold air greeting him like an old friend. His footsteps were heavy as he walked down the empty street, away from the house, away from the life that seemed to be closing in on him.
The fight. The words his parents had said, the way his mother's voice trembled when she tried to hold back tears—those memories clung to him, dragging him down like chains. His father had shouted at him again, accusing him of wasting everything they'd given him. But Jayce didn't know how to change. He didn't know how to make them proud. And it hurt too much to admit that.
The bus stop. Jayce stopped walking and found himself standing in front of the familiar bus stop, though the streetlights seemed more distant tonight. The city felt colder, more alien than usual, like a place he didn't belong anymore.
He stared at the oncoming bus, the headlights glaring into his eyes, and for a moment, he just stood there—motionless. He didn't even hear the sound of his parents' voices in his head anymore. All he could hear was the distant, almost comforting hum of the approaching bus.
The thought crossed his mind. What if everything just stopped? What if the pain of disappointing everyone... of never being enough... just disappeared?
His breath hitched in his chest, and before he could stop himself, he took a step forward, closer to the street. The world around him felt like it was on the verge of shattering, the weight of his failures pressing down, overwhelming him.
The blaring sound of the horn pierced the silence, and in that moment, Jayce didn't move. He didn't dodge. He didn't step aside.
The world went dark.
It was quick. No pain. No feeling of impact. Just a sudden and overwhelming sense of weightlessness, as though everything he'd known had been erased.