Lily hears a notification and fishes out her phone from her bag to check it immediately. It's only a text. She reads it before staring at it, her eyebrow raised. She turns it off and shoves it in her bag as if it were a mere toy.

Her bag on her lap, she sits at the root of a palm tree, the leaves blocking the sun's rays and she contemplates the text. A cool breeze hits her which calms her, and she looks at the view in front of her; mesmerized by it.

The air is awash with scents of salt and sand capable of bringing anyone to ease. The soothing sound of the waves colliding with the wet sand on the beach is like a beautiful melody playing in the breeze. She admires her surroundings and even to the fluffy clouds in the sky, enjoying the gentle breeze as it blows her hair to and fro.

But even then, Lily can't get her mind off of the message she just read. She grips her bag as she grits her teeth, only one question popping in her head over and over again. What is up with him?

*Lily's POV*

I came here to the seaside to relax. Take my mind off of things and just be in nature but it's always the perfect time for him to bother me. My best friend, Mason. Why the heck is he even in my house anyway and did he really have to inform me with that unnecessary information? I tuck my blonde hair behind my ears and stare at my phone. Can't I just... have some time to myself? I decide to head home and luckily, the beach is a walking distance to my house so it isn't too much of a bother.

Once I get home, I see Mason chatting away with my mom and he smiles brightly as he does so, shoving a hand in his blue parachute pants. Since Mason and I grew up together, my mom still sees him as she quotes, 'The cute little boy I raised!' and it's no surprise since he sees her as his parental figure which I don't mind.

"Good morning mom," I call out and the two turn to face me, Mason's eyes lighting up.

He smirks afterwards, playing with his black baggy shirt before walking up to me, "And if it isn't my favorite person," he states. "I know life is really boring without me, so... here I am."

Unfortunately for him, I don't look his way; my attention focusing on my mother. I sigh tiredly and fiddle with my shirt. I just want a break. My mom then excuses herself, saying she has work and all.

I see Mason observe me from the corner of my eye and I continue to avoid his gaze. Once my mom leaves, he walks up to me, crossing his arms.

"Can we talk?"

I glance at him before biting my lip, my gaze landing everywhere but on him, giving him the same answer I always did.

"No."

I've always questioned my friendship with him especially after what he said that day. For me, he is that annoying guy who's stuck in my life and sometimes, I wonder if he actually sees me as his friend.

Sitting on my couch, I listen to music through my earpiece. Mason watches me closely as he sits next to me, obviously trying to read me. I honestly didn't know his motive behind coming to my house after what he said. After all, he did cause our relationship to become awkward after and... I actually prefer it to stay that way. Right after that, he left me with silence, so I did the same.

"How's life?" he asks, his eyes still on me.

He is left with yet again, more silence but he should have guessed what awaited him due to what he had done. Mason sighs and fidgets with his hair. "I can explain everything-"

"Maybe you should leave," I interrupt. Sometimes he can't seem to get a hint that I just want to be by myself. He sits there speechless before giving me a nod and saying goodbye to which I do not reply. I might have been a bit harsh but I just lost touch with whatever we had in our friendship after what he did that day. It was something I can never forget.

I go to my room and look over at my wall decor. Memories start flooding back as I remember when Mason and I decorated the wall with a collage of photos of us, album covers, CDs in covers and band posters of various sizes. On top of it, we hung fairy lights, lighting them up at night which is absolutely beautiful. My fingers traced them as a smile then a frown appeared on my face. If only we could go back to those days.

I look around my room and realize almost every decor reminds me of him. From my bookshelf to my desk. Heck, even my bed's decor. It all started with a simple bet. Even if I did lose by just not interacting with others, it was definitely all in my benefit because at the end of the day, I realized Mason is actually good at decorating. He had gone for a vintage aesthetic and not only did he make it match my cream painted wall but made me feel like I'm at home.

I look at my new bedding which is of course fluffy and laugh when I remember how serious Mason was when picking it. He even helped me set up a bookshelf for my birthday and all I could do was look at him with gratitude and I am glad he had gotten the message.

But out of all times to remember what he had done, it's just when I'm remembering our good times. Feeling sad without his presence, I lie on my bed and listen to a song called 'Somewhere New' in a special playlist I named, 'Helping through hard times'. Even though the playlist didn't solve my problems, it did at least make me feel better. Wanting to talk to someone, I paused the music and scrolled through my contacts.

"Mom... dad... phone repairer..." I mumbled. My finger stopped when I saw the only contact that belonged to someone my age.

"Mason..." I blurt out. I hate him for what he did that day. I can't believe he expects our relationship to go back to normal. He's the definition of an asshole.

I drop my phone on my bed and sleep to skip through the day, wishing I will wake up and all my drama will be gone. I know that will never happen but I still fall asleep, my problem haunting my dreams.

•••

Somehow, I find myself in my school hallway and walk up to my locker. The lights flicker and my steps produce creaking sounds, the deafening silence leaving me anxious. As I grab my things and my books from my locker, I notice some students start pointing fingers at me, laughing hysterically. 

"Just look at her. Does she really think she can assume she's in a relationship with a guy?"

"He probably just helped her once and it might have messed up her brain somehow"

The lights continue to flicker; with them only appearing in the darkness. I realize the circuit connected to the light switch must be loose for some reason. But there is just one problem; I don't know the area where it got loose.

They continue to ridicule me and I back up against my locker, my eyes darting to the one person and I can trust to prove my innocence. Eventually they notice me and I feel relieved. They stare at me for a moment and I wait for them to take action. Just then, an evil smirk forms on their face and I'm left shocked. My heart quickens its pace; my hands sweating profusely. I suddenly feel the walls around me close thin, finding it hard to breathe, my eyes darting across the room. I run, looking for any exit to escape from them but all I do is run into a dead end. I drop my things on the floor and look around for an escape route.

As I did so, I felt a tightness in my chest, clutching my shirt tight as I tried to breathe. Wait... how do I... breathe? The students follow and mock me as I curl into a ball while I lean against the wall.

"Fuck off!" I yell but it does nothing but stir them even more. Tears begin to leak from my eyes as I listen to all their criticism. If only I could just bury myself in a hole and never come back to the surface.

Suddenly, I jolt awake to the sound of my alarm ringing, grabbing the sheets of my bed as I tried to catch my breath. It was... just a dream. But it felt so real that I still feel my body shake uncontrollably. I calm myself down and turn off my alarm. As I wipe the tears off my eyes, I realize I feel really tired and it is a reason I will always have some sort of hate towards Monday mornings. I get up from my bed and get ready for school. Putting on a white baby tee and blue jeans, I later grab a blue oversized denim jacket, hoping I don't overdress or underdress. Just as I start packing my bag, my mom comes into my room with a plate of waffles, her brown hair packed in a messy bun.

"Good morning sweetie! Are you walking to school with Mason today?"

Stopping in my tracks, I turn around to my mom, seeing my mom's honey eyes shining brightly despite today being a usual Monday. How doesn't she notice my dissatisfaction with him being around? She has been bugging me with questions; wanting to give Mason her homemade food but I'll keep giving her an answer that'll never change. I shake my head, trying to put on the saddest face I can make.

"No. He's busy," I answer honestly. He won't even have time to talk to me in school anyway. I finish packing my bag and eat my food in a hurry. My mom gives me a confused look, crossing her arms in the process. I glance at her before eating slowly, a soft smile forming on her face. Once I'm done, I give her a goodbye kiss on the cheeks, jump on my bike afterwards and head to school.

The wind blows through my hair and I feel relaxed. The street connected to my house, which is not usually busy, helps a lot to lighten my mood. I play and listen to a song called Windy Day with my earpiece, it's slow and beautiful melody that is perfect for this weather and time of the day. It makes me feel relaxed as I ride my bike at a normal pace and soon enough, I reach school. I park my bike at a bike rack but then freeze in place when I remember my dream. I slap my cheek to collect myself before walking through my school courtyard, hoping nothing goes wrong.

——————————

Lily's Playlist

•Windy Day by Helios Relaxing Space