Drowning In Color | ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Six

Okay, everyone. From here on, the story will be from Luka's POV!

=====

Sometimes I wish I could just quit my job, or take more off days. But that's not fair to my boss. And I need the money, ever since Mom decided not to give me anything. Heck, I'm even the one giving her allowance now. But then again, I live in her home, so I just take it as rent.

Goddamnit. I can't stand being away from Violetta for so long. I texted if she wanted me to buy anything on the way home. Not that I expected an actual answer, seeing how tired she was. If she doesn't reply and gets hungry later, I could just cook something anyway.

As a precautionary measure, I bought some sweets in case she wakes up before 9. When I opened the door, I realized that Mom hadn't came home yet. Must be working late. I headed upstairs to see my lovely Violetta. I wonder if she had woken up yet.

Still in bed, I see. She remained silent as a log as her cheeks shone under the evening light through the curtains. It does make me wonder though, why she wouldn't close it beforehand. But it's probably my fault for not doing so. But either way, she seemed to remain undisturbed.

I tucked her long hair behind her ear as she slept on her side. I hide my face all the time, but she's too much of a beauty to do so. Not wanting to wake her up, I sat at my desk and continued reading my novel. My head turned back every time I heard a slight movement from her. The longer she remains asleep, the longer I can admire her.

I don't even understand why I started liking her. Ever since I entered this school when we were in our freshmen year, I was always drawn to her. Her flowing red hair; her clear blue eyes. Already she's one to grab anyone's attention, including mine. And with her little shy, introverted personality, she may as well be perfect for me.

I wanted to be her friend. I really do. Except, she already has one—one who won't let anybody else come close to her.

That friend of hers was bland. Pretty outgoing, but extremely fierce. She's the reason why I couldn't even find out anything at all about Violetta, other than her name and the fact that she's always glued to her phone. She must be living a satisfactory life with an entourage like that. Or so, you'd think at first.

I sat behind her in class every day, watching her every move without suspicion. To be completely honest, it was a pure coincidence. And a blessing at that. That's when I realized: she totally sucks at school.

I wonder, if I become more known in school, would she finally gain some interest in me? Pft, fat chance. I mean look at me. I'm the shadiest creep you can ever find. Besides, I don't want to be noticed. It's not worth it.

Whenever I'm alone in school, I'd be pulled back by a bunch of jocks. That crazy ass bitch must be paying them or something. She's gorgeous, I'll give her that. And smart too. But she'll never get me to like her. Not that she'll try anyway.

"We still haven't forgotten what you and your brother have done, Lukie," Joanne spoke. I sighed at this feud that's been going on for years.

I spoke nothing. What's the point? They won't believe me if I tell them that they've got the wrong person. To them, looks are all that matters. And so long as I look like my brother, they're just gonna keep on mistaking me for him.

"Make it quick," I said, spreading my arms out with my eyes closed, preparing for them to hit me.

They did. And it hurt so bad. It didn't stop after several dozens of hits. It just kept going until the adults call them off of me, or until I felt like I'm close to death.

Damn, among all the schools in town, why did I have to end up with them? Heck, what does it matter? That bastard made himself a public enemy no matter where we went. No matter where I go, there'll just be somebody coming after me.

I collapsed onto the floor. Before I could tell what's happening, my head hurts, with blood dripping down my face. They're my tears of red. The nurse's office became my second home.

The cycle just keeps on repeating. I don't understand why I bother leaving the house every single day. Man... Fuck that, I can't even tell how I'm even still alive anymore. I'm just a portable punching bag for them. It's not even surprising anymore.

Then one day, everyone just stopped. A full day without punches or kicks. That's it. The day I've been waiting for—the day they've grown tired of me.

My body became so desensitized to all the pain. I became a master of masking my emotions. Eventually, they simply got bored and decided that it's not worth it. That I can agree. For, Joanne, no matter how much you hurt me, you can never bring your brother back.

Even though they finally got off my back, I believe they'd gotten to used to exerting their anger on others. Their next target: her. There's just so much you can make fun of her for. Her grades, looks. It's unusual. Or unique, depending on how you see it.

I could show how much I care about her, just to draw them back to me. But is it worth it? Is it really worth getting my ass beaten up again?

"Leave us alone, punk! I'm not gonna let any of you hurt her," her friend spoke. The only reason why nothing much happens to her. And the reason why she doesn't know how the world works.

Honestly, Violetta may as well be having a babysitter following her around. As far as I heard, she rarely leaves the house to go out, other than the mall, and never alone. Any attempt to bring her out is futile. She has no interest, and those two girls prefer to keep to themselves. Well, I don't like going to parties either, so it's pointless in me trying to be noticed. And yet...

I keep hoping, hoping for the day when she'll finally lock eyes with me. When she actually notices me and we'll have conversations together. At the moment, all I could do is just continue reading my novels. It's okay if I stay a ghost. So long as she's protected by that dependency she has for that friend of hers, I'm cool with that.

It's all until I realized, she's different from what I thought her to be. Quiet? Psh, you'd wish. Not so much cool and collected, but slightly jumpy in a cute sort of way. And a video game geek.

She's dorky, I'll give her that. Constantly living in her own world, but I still love her. Her naivety is a bit of a drawback, though I don't blame her.

She's a precious little gem, and I want to protect her no matter what. I want her to remain as the dreamy little princess that she is. When she changed her entire self to match me, I'll admit that I was a little disappointed. But if that's what she wants, the least I could do is to show her what I like to do.

"Luka?" she called me in a soft, tired voice as she just woke up. Her black dyed hair flowed messily down to her waist. "You're back from work already?"

"Yeah. I'm here." I realized that I had spent 30 minutes in my chair without progressing through a single page. I closed my book, making sure to mark the page with a ribbon first, and sat beside her. "Oh, how I miss you so much, my love," I said in an exaggerated voice. Totally fake, I know. But I believe she finds it amusing.

She took a look at my weirdness and shook her head while sighing. "Well, I stayed here till you're back. So can I go home now?"

It hadn't occurred to me that I made her waste her time at my place while I wasn't there. I thought about it for a while, then checked her bag. My reply to her was a 'no'. She hadn't finished her homework yet. And since neither had I, it's the perfect opportunity for me to spend a bit more time with her.

=====

Okay, so Luka has finally revealed to us a little bit more about his past, and there's more to come

Sorry if it seems messy... But believe me, I wrote it as best as I could come up with >.<

And if you want to see real suddenness, you can check out my other story, Myself For You. But I do hope you'll enjoy it too ^v^"