Suddenly, a message popped up in the group chat. They named the group “yunaz,” which was a fitting name for them as lackeys. People knew the group by that name too. They had invited me to the group chat, but they never sent a single message.
I guessed they must have another group chat that I wasn't in. Yuna was the one who sent the message in that group chat. She invited me to go to the amusement park, saying our classmates had planned it so we could have fun. Apparently, they'd decided to invite me too. Who knew what they were planning?
I simply replied to their message with “okay.” It was better to wait and see first. What could they even do? I thought about tomorrow, then started gathering the things I would bring. The weather had been changing so quickly lately—it could be scorching hot one minute and suddenly start raining the next. That was what worried me. Especially since the amusement park we were visiting tomorrow was outdoors.
I packed a portable fan, a folding umbrella, and a wallet full of money. Even though most payments could be made with a phone these days, I brought cash just in case. I went over what else I should bring tomorrow. It was better to prepare everything today so I could just leave tomorrow.
They said we were leaving at eight in the morning. We would meet at school at seven-thirty so we could go there together. They were used to riding motorcycles together, but I had no idea how that would work with me. They knew I took the bus to school, and that I took it home too.
I went downstairs for dinner. I'd only been drinking until then. I hadn't even realized what time it was. If Aunt Nur hadn't called me down to eat, I might have skipped dinner altogether today. There was my favorite fried chicken. Every time I told her I was having a hard time, Aunt Nur would cook fried chicken for me. This time, I hadn't even told her anything. Maybe after being together for so long, Aunt Nur already knew me well enough to understand my personality.
Had my face looked upset earlier? I couldn't stop thinking about it. But it was better to start eating. Otherwise, the fried chicken would get cold from sitting untouched and neglected for too long. When I ate it, it tasted as delicious as ever. Even at expensive, famous restaurants, I'd never found fried chicken better than Aunt Nur's.
After eating, I went back to my room. I brushed my teeth and quickly washed my face. My bed seemed to be calling me, so I collapsed my exhausted body onto it. I hadn't done any hard work today, yet it felt like I'd done so much. Maybe my mind had been carrying a heavy burden, and I just hadn't realized it.
My body felt as though it were being pulled deeper and deeper inside. I fought against it with all my strength. I couldn't breathe. I woke up with sweat pouring down my body. I'd been having a nightmare. Whenever something stressed me out, I always ended up having nightmares.
It was probably because I'd always slept alone since I was little. My parents were always busy and never had even a moment to keep me company. Once, I had to stay home alone while I was sick because Aunt Nur wasn't home—she'd gone back to her hometown. I was seven years old when they left me there. Maybe “forgotten” would be more accurate. Ever since then, whenever I felt like I'd had a terrible day, a nightmare like that one would appear when I slept. I felt like I was used to it by now. I checked the time and saw that it was still nighttime.