The streets are wet, the downpour only pausing to take a breather then resume once more, the rain seems endless. My shoes are caked with mud and my hoodie's already wet. There's no tricycle to be found. No matter, I could always walk.
The jeepney is crammed. Luckily, I have a thin figure. I pay my fare and turn on some music on my earbuds, drowning the background noises coming from the passengers and the steady droning of the jeep's engine. Everyone is practically brushing each other's shoulder. So close yet so far, we were all caught up in each other's bubble.
Downtown is caught in a torrent of rain. Everyone is scrambling, trying to find shelter to avoid getting wet. The sidewalks are filled with vendors and people trying to get somewhere. The roads are starting to flood. Filth and garbage start to fill the road but no one's more filthy than me.
The plaza, a place where the damned gather, is almost empty except for street children, cutthroats, thieves and beggars, God's forgotten children. A few meters away lies the church, where none of the above will find sanctuary.
The mall is full of people, it's to be expected. Various shops and restaurants are scattered all over the place. The poor trying to dress themselves to look rich and the rich dressing themselves to look poor. It's a place where boys look for girls and vice-versa. It's a place for escape, both from society and yourself. I should know, I've skipped school plenty of times. In the end you're not really escaping anything, you can't escape time.
The jeepney is crammed once more, the downpour had now become a light drizzle. In front of me is a pretty girl in a school uniform, her black hair is wet from the rain, her skin the color of alabaster. She's busy tapping away on her phone, unaware of the number of male eyes drawn to her, mine included. I looked away, perhaps she's faking it, tapping away on her phone like she doesn't care. To be both a woman and a beautiful creature in a world such as this, where a lot of men are ruled by their nether regions, must take a lot of courage.
The tricycle driver maneuvers through the puddles of mud and potholes. Once more, my head is pounded by the sound of music, the world seemed to be miles away. I look at my shoes which were already coated in a thick layer of mud, then I start to walk not caring where I was stepping anymore. There are just things you can't avoid no matter how hard you try.
Sounds of cats purring and a dog barking greeted me. I smile and laugh, no weather dampens their affection. Dinner's ready and my parents tells me to grab a plate. I change into dry clothes, sit down, eat and make conversation. Laughing, talking and smiling in all the right places, I've had a lifetime of practice.
I go up in my room, connect to the internet and scroll down through Facebook, browsing through people's lives, status, photographs and memories. The whole world is filtered through a smartphone's camera, a memory is a digital image and self-worth is the number of people liking your status.
My bed is comfortable enough but tonight sleep would not come. Instead, I feel the cold and the numbness creeping through. I am helpless, knowing what it is doesn't do anything other than make me feel cornered. I get up, grab a book and play some music, anything to hold it off. Finally, I exhaust myself enough that I can no longer think and fall asleep, unconsciously wishing never to wake up.
Story