Ep 4

Episode 4

The next day, I came to school earlier than usual. Not because I was being diligent, but because I wanted to catch him. The guy who was sitting at the school garden yesterday. The owner of the account @dark.boy.__. I’d already made up my mind—today, I had to find out everything.

By 6:30 AM, I was already sitting at the corner bench in the school garden—the same one as yesterday. I pretended to read a book, but my eyes were watching every step that passed by. The morning sunlight was still weak, but strong enough to cast long shadows on the ground. I heard sparrows chirping on the school roof and the swish of the janitor’s broom sweeping dried leaves.

Then, he appeared. Same gray jacket, same cap pulled low over his eyes, and the same hands busy swiping on his phone.

My hands instantly went cold. I stood up slowly and walked closer, my heartbeat pounding harder and harder. It felt like I was about to run a race, but my legs felt as heavy as stone.

“You’re the owner of the @dark.boy.__ account, right?” My voice was a little shaky. I stood right in front of him, trying to look brave even though my knees felt like jelly.

He looked surprised for a second, then closed his phone. His gaze was calm. “So what if I am?”

I took a deep breath, trying to stay composed. “Why did you make a fake account and DM me? You think that’s funny? Making someone feel happy and then just disappearing like that?”

He was silent for a few seconds, then gave a faint smile. “Funny, isn’t it? You feel hurt. But you're just like me. A liar too.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

He kept going. “Who do you think you are? An IG princess? Your feed’s neat, your face glows, your captions are all deep. But it’s all just a filter. You’re not being honest with yourself either.”

I glared. “I… that’s none of your business. Everyone edits their photos.”

“But not everyone sells lies. You pretend to be happy, but you're empty inside. You smile, but you’re just like me. Just want to be accepted.”

Thud.

His words hit hard. I wanted to snap back, but my mind went blank. He stood up, gave me a small smirk, and walked away—leaving me frozen in place.

I stood there for five whole minutes. Confused. Shocked. And a little ashamed. Because… he wasn’t entirely wrong.

That day felt unbearable. I couldn’t focus at all. In class, I kept my head down. But apparently, I wasn’t the only one who knew about the darkboy account.

During lunch break, I was walking toward the canteen when I passed the hallway near the Grade 10 classrooms. Three girls from that class were laughing together, and one of them suddenly approached me.

“Hey, Rena! Has your face been filtered yet?” she said, glancing at her friend. The others burst into laughter.

I just kept walking. But then they stopped me.

“Why so quiet? Don’t wanna take a photo for your IG story? You know, to look super happy like always…”

I tried to walk away, but one of them yanked my bag. I nearly fell. Their laughter got louder.

“Ugly and still trying to act pretty on IG. That’s just sad, Rena. Wanting to be famous but so fake.”

A small plastic bottle was thrown at my feet. “For you—maybe this’ll make your face fresh. Who knows, maybe you’ll actually glow for real, not just with filters.”

I quickly walked away, holding back tears. But the pain… wasn’t just physical. It was mental too.

When I got home, all I hoped for was to tell Mama or Papa. But, as usual, the house was empty. No one was home.

Mama was still at the shop and I don't know where Dad works. Lunch had already been set on the table, but it was just rice and fried tofu. There was a small piece of paper: “Eat, okay? Mama will be home late.”

I ate with no appetite. The spoon felt heavy. It felt like I was being fried too, just like the tofu. Empty. Tasteless.

In my room, I sat in front of the mirror. I opened my phone camera, staring at my reflection. No filters. A zit on my chin. Dark circles under my eyes. Uneven skin tone. I gently touched my face.

“Is this really all I am?”

I opened my gallery. All the edited photos. All the forced smiles. All the sunlight I used to fake happiness.

I took a deep breath. Opened the drawer and grabbed a small knife from a craft project. Plastic blue handle, still sharp at the tip.

I held it. Cold against my skin. Heavy in my hand.

I sat on the floor. Stared into the mirror.

“If I disappeared… would anyone notice? Would anyone care?”

Suddenly all the memories came rushing back. Darkboy’s words. The mocking laughter. The judgmental stares at school. The always-empty house.

I inhaled quickly. My hand started to tremble.

The knife was still in my hand.

And I stared at my face in the mirror.

To be continued…

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