THE OTHER SIDE. aa

neunzehn.

     WHEN THE NIGHT FELL and you just got out of your shift, your phone beeped with a notification. it was a text message from none other than reiner, asking if you were going to visit the beach after work. when you asked why, he replied about wanting to hang out on the beach and so he could nag you to go home early. upon reading his message, you could only stare at it with a frown, unsure of what to answer. you didn't want to hang out with your friends today, you'd rather stay up late with armin while reading him the historical novel you borrowed from the library. it might sound harsh but you've been with him since morning and had the time to hang out every single day, one day without being together wouldn't hurt his pride.

     and if reiner knew you would come, either way, he'd ruin your meeting again...

     taking a deep breath, you typed out your response. sorry, my shift extended. that would work, right? of course it would. 

     as you walk towards your car, your phone dinged again. you brought it up and saw reiner's reply. sighing in relief and climbing on your car, starting the engine before pulling out of the driveway. luckily, reiner was going to sleep early after finding out you wouldn't be able to come. you're safe for the night.

     you quietly drove towards your destination. you stopped at a red traffic light and you leaned your head against the window, closing your eyes for a few seconds before opening them back up again. you shook your head to stay awake and gripped the steering wheel tight, focusing on the traffic light as it slowly changed to the green color.

     you let out a tired sigh, squinting your eyes to hide the sleepiness that continues to eat you up. however, you tried your hardest not to let it get to you, knowing that you might get in an accident if you succumbed to your conscience. you didn't notice that you were so tired that you could sleep for a year. 

     should i head home? you asked yourself, biting your lip. no, you promised armin you'd read him a story and you weren't going to break that, even if you knew that he would be alright with letting you skip your meetings to rest.

     usually, you'd find time to nap during your classes but when you're basically cramming a project you were supposed to do when you got home, you found yourself more stressed and angry than usual to even nap.

     your nap on the beach that night scared you shitless, having to wake up somewhere after thinking that you were in your room, but armin was there to somewhat calm you down and remind you that you were at the beach, no one was killing you, and that it was time to head home.

     that you did, driving as quick as you could when you felt fatigue washing over you. that nap back there definitely made you more tired rather than refreshed. so, when you got home, all you did was go to your room and fall asleep without even taking a bath, forgetting about the project you were supposed to do when you got home.

     and when you woke up, you were in a rush. your peaceful morning wasn't achieved ever since then. you planned to finish some of your projects first before going to school, fuck it if you were late, but annie and reiner needed to be picked up so you grudgingly placed all of your things in your backpack and left the house in a hurry.

     you didn't talk to the two when you were driving towards college. sure, there was the 'hello's' when they got in but that was the only conversation you carried on. you weren't in the mood to talk, mind muddled with the problems and conclusions you already had for the project and the two luckily picked up on that. the only problem was that you needed to finish it quickly. good thing that the project was before dismissal so you had plenty of time to finish it.

     the sky also didn't help with your mood that morning. it was full of dark clouds, no sun could be seen, and it looked like it was about to rain.