Dare to love

Hanna stared in disbelief as Jacob was being asked out by Michelle, the most popular girl in school. Jacob noticed Hanna running away. “There’s no way he would have loved me anyway,” she whispered, wiping her tears. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist. She looked back—it was Jacob. He didn’t give her a chance to speak. He pulled her close, his hand on her neck, and pressed his lips against hers. “Eeeek!” I yelled, kicking my feet in excitement. That was the latest chapter of the online novel I was reading. Oh—sorry for the confusion. I’m not Hanna, as much as I wish I was. I’m Serene, a hopeless romance reader who lives inside her own head. Yep, you guessed it—we’re that kind of nerds who aren’t exactly nerds. Anyway, back to my story. I somehow sat up and stretched my arms and back. This is exactly how I start my weekends—waking up and reading novels because I’m too lazy to get out of bed. My college life starts tomorrow. My entire school life went by without me having any kind of love story because, as you probably know, pretty girls have strict parents. But that’s not the only reason I have unrealistic expectations for dating. You just know how guys in high school are! This has to be a universal thing—how are they so mature and charming in novels and manhwas but the complete opposite in real life? It’s honestly heartbreaking. Sorry, I got distracted and started rambling again—back to my story. I got out of bed and stepped into the shower. I closed my eyes as the cold water splashed over my body. I did what you usually do in the shower—I’m not going to make it sound all dramatic. After about twenty minutes, I got out, put on a black T-shirt and beige cotton shorts, and went downstairs. My family was already eating breakfast. I had just sat down when my mother started scolding me. “Oh look, the queen finally woke up! I, the servant, should prepare everything while you just play games all night and eat and sleep. I’m so tired of you. Do you think of me as a servant?” She went on and on for what felt like an eternity. I just hummed to myself, pretending she didn’t exist. I spread some butter on my bread, ate quietly, and went back upstairs to lock myself in my room. I know I’m not exactly the golden child, but do I complain that she’s not earning enough money? Why is it always so one-sided? I swear, one day I’m going to run away—just wait till I start making money. I hopped onto my bed and opened i********: on my phone. I scrolled for about fifteen minutes, then opened Mobile Legends—it’s a multiplayer online battle arena. A random guy named “Fyne” followed me. Out of curiosity, I checked his profile. We were definitely in the same town; it’s small enough that the places were easy to recognize. He had a pretty decent win rate and played assassin—kinda impressive, huh? I followed him back, and two minutes later, he invited me to his lobby. After our third match, I finally received a message from him: Fyne: Hi Wisp (me): hi Fyne: Do you live in HJK Colony by any chance? Wisp: Nah, do you? Fyne: Nah, I’m at my cousin’s place. The game said you’re nearby. Wisp: I see. Fyne: Mm… nice game, by the way. Wisp: You too. Fyne: Let’s play next time. I’ll have dinner now. Wisp: Alright, cya. I closed the app and went back to i********:, scrolling through reels. An ad popped up for one of those typical “bossy CEO” novels. Normally, I wouldn’t read it, but since I’d already watched the entire reel, curiosity got the best of me—and I ended up reading it. By the time I finished, it was already 8 p.m. (yes, I wasted my entire day doing nothing). My stomach growled, and I remembered that food exists. But I didn’t want another lecture, so I had dinner in my room while watching YouTube videos. By the time I finished eating, everyone else was asleep. I washed my plate and went back upstairs. I checked my phone—two of my friends who are also joining the same college had texted me, asking if I was attending tomorrow. We chatted for a while and decided to meet at the front gate in the morning. I set an alarm, plugged my phone in to charge, and slowly drifted off to sleep.