Just Keep Breathing(We The Kings)
Riku, the perfect guy to be around if you needed some cheering up. The guy who could make a joke out of everything with a straight face. The guy who didn't even know he was that funny. Everyone thought he had the perfect life since the fact he always seemed to lighten the moods around him. The truth is, he wasn't. He wore a fake smile everyday so others wouldn't be let in, having them think he was OK.
On weekends, he'd sleep in until the late afternoon, wasting the entire day. He just lay in his bed, watching the world pass him by. He had dreams, but threw them away and lost all hope. He had always wanted to go to college, but nobody could no longer support him and he was barely making it by himself with tiring hours of many jobs.
His mother died years ago, nobody knew. He wouldn't let anyone into his personal life. He thought that the more people he kept out, the better it was for everyone. He didn't need pity.
He had promises made to him. Promises of love and that it would last forever. They were broken. Twice.
He felt alone after his father went out to war to some country that he couldn't even pronounce. Being an only child, he lost his only source of family when he got the notification that his father had died.
He told himself every morning to just keep breathing. Everything will get better. But, whatever he had left of hope was slowly dying every second that passed. He could say those words all he wanted, but nothing was changing. Nothing at all.
Currently, he was lying awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling, questioning his existence. The clock read '2:00 AM'. It was normal for him to stay up this late without one second of sleep. His past kept greeting him every time he shut his eyes. The moments of his father, telling him some stories of his own childhood, his mothers warm embrace. He replayed those moments over and over, treasuring each one.
He missed his old life. It wasn't home anymore without his parents. Every morning he'd wake up in an empty home surrounded by memories of them. He didn't touch anything after they had passed; he kept it just the way they left it. He felt alone with nobody to release all this weight too. Then again, he didn't want to. He didn't need others to feel his sorrow as well.
He knew there were other people in this world going through much more difficult things than him but he still felt awful. He wanted what everyone wanted; a normal life.
"Just keep breathing; everything will turn out for the better." He told himself quietly. It gave him a bit of confidence at first, but when his thoughts and doubts started to gather, the confidence and hope was lost.
He told himself to let the past go and move on. But it was harder than it sounded. He tried conversing to his best friend about his problems, but he regretted it the first few seconds and walked away.
Maybe if he'd just let it all out to someone, he'd feel better.
I think many people can relate to this chapter, not with the family deaths but hiding the tears behind the smile.
the nobody 0: No problem and thanks so much for reviewing!
Cloaked Memories; Thanks!
DecidedFate13: Glad you enjoyed it! It was my favorite as well :)