It's 2:00 PM
The afternoon sun beat down relentlessly, casting long, weary shadows.
Suzumi was done she dragged herself toward the gate, Her footsteps on the gravel sounded like a bag of chips being crushed by a steamroller.
At barely twenty-two, she looked like she had already carried the weight of a lifetime. Her shoulders were slumped, her gaze fixed on the ground, and her body moved with a lifeless, mechanical rhythm.
Every ounce of energy had been drained from her, leaving behind nothing but a quiet, aching exhaustion.
She reached the entrance, her hand trembling slightly as she rapped against the wood.
KNOCK.KNOCK.
"Mom... I'm home," she shouted, though it sounded more like a weary ghost asking for a refund on life.
Suzumi was an ordinary girl with an extraordinary drive. A hardworking journalism student by day and a hobbyist artist by night, she lived for the truth. Though she carried herself with an introverted shyness, her tongue was a razor. She was brutally honest and fiercely blunt, never bothering to sugarcoat her words—regardless of how others perceived her.
She wanted to be a world-class reporter, mostly so she could get paid to tell people exactly why they were wrong.
After a long, heavy pause, the door finally creaked open.
Her mother stood there, a warm, beaming smile radiating a brightness in the sweltering afternoon heat. "Welcome back!"
Suzumi didn't mirror the warmth. She simply stared back, her face a lifeless mask. With her eyes squinted against the light and her expression a flat poker face, she looked entirely unimpressed—as if her mother's greeting was just more noise in an already exhausting day.
"Suzumi, honey, you look like a zombie that lost its morning coffee," her mom urged, her voice concerned enough to fill a swimming pool. She leaned in, trying to scan Suzumi's face for signs of life. "What's the reason? Is it the university? The news agency?"
Suzumi didn't even slow down. She brushed past her mother like she was dodging a telemarketer. "Don't worry about it, Mom. You wouldn't understand. Even if you did, it's not like you have a magic wand to fix my GPA or my boss's attitude."
She began stomping up the stairs, each step a mini-protest against the universe.
"But still!" her mom called out, trailing her like a persistent puppy. "If you just tell me what's eating you, maybe I could help? A mother's intuition is a powerful thing!"
Suzumi paused at the top of the stairs, turning just enough to deliver a look that could wilt a cactus. "If your intuition is so powerful, then it should be telling you that I'm starving. If you actually want to help, than make me some food. Fast."
SLAM!
The bedroom door shook on its hinges, ending the conversation with a thunderous bang.
Inside, Suzumi threw her bag onto the floor and layed down on her bed on the other side staring on the ceiling and fan above her head for some seconds and lost in her own mind.
Than close her eyes.
She had the classic arrogance of a brat who had spent twenty-two years being "brutally honest" without ever getting punched in the face for it. To Suzumi, everyone else was just a background character in her stressful drama, and she wasn't about to waste her precious energy being "polite" when a good yell was so much more satisfying.
There was a reason for her wierd behaviour.
From an average person perspective, Everything in her life seems going perfectly
As she was doing absolutely good in academics her future was ahead in front of her she has loving caring parents.
but deep within she has her own issues to deal with which for most people may not be a big problem but for her she thinks about it as a big hurdle.
But inside her house peace wasn't a common occurrence, it was a luxury she only experience when her parents aren't there or when only one of them was there but still the silence of the home haunts her with the echo of their fighting yellings which she still could hear from with in the closed walls as they had absorbed all their voices inside.
Her father is a very controlling kind of person
Who doesn't tolerate anything happening within his family and house without his permission and approvals and her mother was no better than her father she doesn't much understand her problems either or even try to understand but, instead she just forcefully insist and enforce her own perspectives and concerns making her believe on her even when she doesn't even make sense in first place.
Her entire house-hold was no less than messed up chaotic asylum in which she felt herself as trapped from which she wanted to escape. But she couldn't as the she wasn't fully independent or have stable income through which she could live on her own.
Pretty much explains everything itself why she inherited such low temperment with zero tolerance towards her no-nonsense attitude.
And also her lovelife was a complete mess, her long time boyfriend had just cheated on her a month ago with one of her own friends.
Her life is completely upside down for her not only she has been tolerating her parents everyday sharp arguments against each other but, now she is heart broken too, no one is now closed to her to held her in that difficult time to provide her a supporting sholder to lean on.
She has developed some resentment towards men in general due to her father and ex boyfriend in her life but she also envies them due to so much freedom they enjoy Without being worried about their safety.
THUD
A sudden heavy knock on her door wake her up from her nap opening her eyes abruptly.
"Aaah", she left a silent yell and than stood up from her bed and opened her door.
Her Mom was there holding a tray of noodles, omelette and coldrink.
She grabs the tray and closes her door again
and than put it on her study table and pull out the chair beside to sit on the table.
"Ha! god why such things are happening to me all of a sudden, she left out a low voice with frustrated exhaustion, "my life looks nothing less than a tired tragedy now,
"Can't you make my life little easier than this God" she yelled while writting something in her personal diary sitting on her chair in her room.
"Why didn't you gave me birth in a better place away from all the chaos where my parents wouldn't fight and argue all the time, she urged.
She felt an uneasy pain and cramp between her legs below abdominal area, she looked at her belly, "oh this period again gonna start" she snaps "boys are so lucky in this matter, they don't have to go through this every month". She gasped "oh wait!" Her voice high "they don't even have to ask permission from anyone to go anywhere, they can roam free whenever they want" she grinded her teeth in frustation,
Than let a deep breath out relaxing herself than leaned back to her chair closing her eyes and letting her muscles free and body relax than murmured to herself "it would have been much better if atleast I was a born a boy no one would ever object why and where am I going what am I doing
I could easily go anywhere without worrying about my safety and can beat the shit out of anyone if somebody bothers me and it wouldn't even tarnish my reputation because it's okay for boys to behave wild.
Am tired of behaving in a certain manner society wants and expects from me as a girl to follow otherwise i am bringing shame to my family my home or loosing my respect in front of people, boys life is so easy.
Oh god life is already so tuff and you made me a girl in this pathetic life.