Chapter 2: The Unfortunate Guy
A light moan escaped from his pale and cracked lips. He had slept late the night before because he works a night shift in a book café near the school. It was only one of his part-time jobs. The next one would be starting in thirty minutes, so if he didn't move his butt now, he'd be sure to be late.
"Ugh, sucks to be poor," he murmured. His eyes were still half-closed and blurry, so he did not notice a piece of screw on the ground.
The old man next door was just having a fine morning, with his salad and a cup of coffee from Starbucks, when he heard a loud scream and strings of profanities from his neighbor.
"He must have stepped on something again," the old woman who lived in the unit on his right said as she casually flipped through the daily newspaper.
After uttering all the cursed words he could think of, he was finally able to enter his bathroom without incurring any more damage. He had been unlucky since birth, and it must be the reason why he was still alone and miserable.
Who would even want to stay with a poor, depressed college dropout? Only foolish people would stay with another fool. He picked up his toothbrush, and a high-pitched scream escaped his mouth when he saw a cockroach on it.
He immediately clamped his mouth shut before his neighbors could think he was being assaulted and call the police.
"What in the heavens are you doing on my toothbrush?!" he silently scolded the cockroach, as if it could understand human language. When the cockroach flew toward his face, he was able to dodge it, but unfortunately, his bathroom floor was slippery.
As he dodged one attack, he fell into a trap and ended up with a small bump at the back of his head. Before more unfortunate things could happen to him inside the bathroom, he hurriedly brushed his teeth and washed his body using dishwashing soap. He couldn't afford to buy proper soap and shampoo right now.
He wore his black hoodie and paired it with worn-out jeans and shoes. The teenager grimaced at the sight of his appearance in front of the mirror. The person staring back at him looked stressed and pale. His long black hair was all over the place, and his eyes looked dull and tired due to the lack of sleep.
If it were Halloween, he could pass as a male ghost at a Halloween costume party. The boy brushed his hair to the side using his fingers as a makeshift comb.
"You look ugly and depressed. Hide your face."
"Your eyes are scary. Why don't you just close them for the rest of your life?"
"You look plain stupid."
"A monkey's face is still better to look at than you," the tormenting voice in his head sneered.
"I should cover it," he muttered, combing his hair to conceal half of his face. Finally, the tormentor in his head stopped.
Leaving his unit, he nearly tripped over the doorframe.
"If it ain't Mr. Unfortunate." A red-headed girl suddenly appeared in front of him. Her eyes were sharp, her nose upturned, and her lips full. She looked beautiful, but he'd never tell her that. After all, this red-headed girl got too high from compliments easily.
"Well, good morning to you too, Aries," he greeted plainly, his face devoid of emotion, as always.
"Ugh! Come on, Cave, that's why girls aren't flocking into your arms. You're too cold even to your bestie," she teased as she kept pace with him.
Aries had short legs, so she had to walk faster if she wanted to be side by side with Cave. He noticed this and decided to be merciful today.
"Did this cold block slow down so we could walk together?" she quipped, a small smirk appearing on her face. "He looks cold, but he's actually pretty considerate, huh."
"Off to work today?" she asked. She had been living in the unit above him for a year now, but she had never seen him with anyone. It seemed like he was living alone. He had no friends and no girlfriend either. Lastly, he only left when it was for work or when his groceries ran out.
And then, there were his multiple part-time jobs. She couldn't help but be curious. Why was he working so hard? Did he have a large debt to pay off? Or had he borrowed from loan sharks as the rumors suggested? Although she proclaimed she was his best friend, in truth, she knew nothing about him. He wouldn't even talk to her unless she initiated the conversation.
"Yeah," came the plain reply once again. She rolled her eyes. It was always like this. He wouldn't say anything more after answering a question. It was so hard to converse with him.
However, she couldn't help but talk to him. After all, despite his icy demeanor and terse responses, he was the only person who wouldn't call her names and judge her like everyone else.
Once they reached the ground floor of the condominium, they had to go their separate ways. But before Cave could head to his destination, Aries grabbed the back of his hoodie.
"What?" He asked without turning around.
"Well, you know, when I said that we're best friends, it's not just empty words. So, uh, you can tell me if you have any problems. As long as it's not a money problem, I could help. If there's anyone bullying you, tell me and I'll kick their butts. Just, my unit is only above you so yeah. Ugh! I'm rambling but you know what I mean, right?" When she came back to her senses, she noticed that he was being silent.
'Am I being too nosy?',
"Ahh, nevermind that. Anyway, I have to go - " before she could finish whatever she had to say, Cave already turned around. Although his hair was blocking half of his face, she knew that he was looking at her.
"Okay," he said with a light smile on his face. He turned around again and left, leaving her stunned on her toes.
"So Mr. Unfortunate knows how to smile too. It's kinda cute, yes," she said, nodding to herself like someone who had lost her marbles.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Yoon_Min_4671
Yoon_Min_4671 Great! Another character! Her name is Aries. She's short but don't think too lowly of her because she can definitely kick your butt.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone