HOPES AND NIGHTMARES: An Ongezellig Fanfiction Side story No.1: Yfke

For what it was worth, yfke is a quiet girl. Deathly quiet. She doesn't tend to say much, as alot of what she thinks about she believes is not worth saying. And anyways, everyone was too focused on Coco to really talk to her. She didn't really mind it to be honest. She liked taking in the air of the world around her rather than blabbing about wether or not koos was flirting with Adam outside the school. It was a strange peace, being surrounded by so many people and yet being calm and unbothered by it.

Alot of the time, Yfke went out of her way to make sure she didn't speak. It was a little challenge she liked to set for herself. If anyone asked her a question, she would either just ignore them, give them what was quite possibly the most dull facial expression on the planet, or write on a note and give it to them. She only saved that for the people she liked, though. Her current streak of silence was going strong for over 10 days, and not a single person batted an eye to it.

Except Cleo. Cleo always knew when Yfke was doing it.

"Again, Yfke? Really?" Cleo Shook Yfke a bit to get her out of that weird dazed trance she always seemed to be in. Her eyes snapped open and recoiled slightly from the touch. When she saw who it was, she relaxed almost instantly.

"Ah!..don't...scare me like that.." Yfke said rather disjointedly. She always sounded like she was out of it, like she was visiting another planet inside her head almost constantly.

"Why are you so damn quiet all the time? Your like Maya, but even Maya speaks sometimes" Cleo replied, a worried feeling building up slightly in the back of their mind.

"Just...thinking, I guess? I don't know..."

"Well...whats on your mind, then?"

Yfke hesitated for a bit before saying something. Conversations were never her strong suit.

"School..I guess...and..life, too?"

"What about em?"

"Ehh..they get In the way too much..I just want to go to sleep all the time.."

Cleo Chuckled.

"Heh he...yeah, me too. You gonna do anything after school?"

"No..not really...besides...y'know..the thing.."

"Again? That stuff is gonna kill your lungs, Yfke. Be careful, for goodness sake."

"I..am!..it's not..like what the Americans have, it's...home grown..no chemicals or anything.."

"Uh huh..." Cleo nodded sarcastically. They never really had a clue wether or not Yfke was telling the truth about any of that stuff, or if she was just trying to avoid the subject. Cleo worried about her. Alot. Maybe a bit too much. They thought that sometimes worrying a lot about someone Is necessary, in order to make sure they're OK. And that time was now.

"Hey, look, do you want me to come over to your house tonight and check up on y-"

"No! No no nonono...it's okay..trust me, I'm a-ok. I'm fine...trust..me..don't you trust me?".

Yfkes house was an enigma. Cleo had only seen it once, and it didn't look in the best of conditions. Yfke used to talk alot about her house, and her mom and dad; but that was years ago. Now it's like they didn't even exist. "Well..uhm..okay then. Can I at least come over on the weekend? I don't have band practice until next week for some reason."

Yfkes mind was rattled with all the possibilities of what cleo would say if they came over. She would have to cook, clean, feed the cats, make sure she looks like she hasn't stepped out of a house fire...

But then she remembered a thing that her father used to do. When it doubt, just say:

"I'll think about it."

"What?"

I..will...think..about it.."

"Your already thinking about it. Wouldn't you have gotten to the decision alrea-"

The bells sharp ringing cut cleo off as it signaled the final lesson for the day.

"Look, Yfke. I'll call you, kay? Just stay safe for me".

"O-ok..."

They both went their seperate ways, with cleo going to her English Class, while Yfke Slowly walked her way to her dreaded maths class. She hated maths, mainly because you had to actively think to get something right. She wasnt in the mood figure out why a triangle was labeled with letters, or why their were tiny little numbers above the regular sized numbers. It was madness! Cleo's closing statement on their conversation stumped Yfke For a while. Stay safe? She was in a school. The most perfectly safe place for kids, disregarding the diagnosed sociopaths masquerading as teachers (which also happened to include her maths teacher). And even if that failed her, She had an even safer place to go. Her brain.

Yfke was as safe as she could be in her own mind. It was honestly fun to daydream about the life she could lead, thinking of fantastical lives that she could never lead, now made possible through her daydreams. She could be there forever, if she'd like.but there's only so much time in an hour. The bell once again rang, and as everyone shuffled out of the class in complete euphoria, Yfke was still daydreaming. Her maths teacher had to poke her before she snapped out of it, which prompted her to book it out of the classroom.

When she got home, she had only the Hazy blue glow of the CRTV in the living room to greet her. Her mother was snoring on the musty old algae green recliner chair, which never reclined and could neither count as a chair for how stiff and uncomfortable it was. Her mother practically lived in it despite its conditions. Besides the tvs glow, nothing else could illuminate her path to her own bedroom.She had to feel her way over to her room completely blind to any light, hopelessly grasping at nothing to find something resembling the feel of a door knob. After being in the dark for an agonising amount of time, she finally found the door knob and twisted it, opening her damp and grayish biege room. Yfke was exhausted to the point that she barely even reached her bed, curling up into a ball and falling asleep with a tattered blanket covering her. Hopefully she could dream as good as she was daydreaming today.