Mariah's POV
"Look, kid, you need to take your meds if you want to heal," the doctor said, her voice soft but insistent. She looked like she was trying every possible way to convince the patient in front of her.
"I wanna die. I just want to give up on my dreams… and die."
That line. It hit me. It sounded like something straight out of Attack on Titan. I've watched the anime, read the manga. I'm waiting for the next update, but even just hearing that felt too familiar.
"Why? A lot of people are praying for your recovery, you know."
Hah. The doctor doesn't get it. She thinks this girl needs medicine. No. She needs something else. She's broken inside. Just like me.
"Hah? As if!" The patient's voice bounced across the white room like a scream no one wanted to hear.
"Look, you're lucky to have people who care."
That's what everyone thinks, right? Lucky. Blessed. People looking out for you. But no one ever really looks closely. They see what they want to see. They hear what they want to hear. They never look deeper.
"Are you kidding me?" The patient laughed bitterly, her voice low, mocking.
"You should thank them."
Thank them? For what? For judging? For pretending?
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! NOTHING! YOU'RE JUST MY DOCTOR—SO SHUT UP!"
"I might not know your pain, but… look outside. Your friends. Your family. Everyone cares for you."
"How dare they. How dare they act like they care when I know they pray for my downfall when I'm healthy? How dare they beg for my life now, when they're the very reason I'm like this? They dragged me down, all of them. Every single one. And now, what? They want me back? So they can have their punching bag again? So they can break me again? I'm done. Please… just let me rest."
I exhaled. I've watched this scene countless times, but it still stings. Maybe because it's too close to home.
I can relate. Too much, maybe.
⸻
Tok tok tok.
"Come in," I called out. Probably Manang. My parents? They barely show up. I see them when I'm up at 2 a.m., binge-watching a series or cramming for exams. Otherwise, I'm alone in this house.
Manang walked in, smiling softly. "Paborito mo talaga yang palabas na 'yan, ano?"
I laughed. "I like it. But it's not my favorite, Manang."
True. I love watching Doctor's Encounter, but not because it's a masterpiece. More like… it speaks to me. Another is my favorite anime, honestly. The plot, the tension, everything. But even that doesn't quite match how this show feels.
"At least you're smiling now. Kanina lang parang binagsakan ka ng langit at lupa," she said, patting my shoulder. Manang's like my second mom. She's been here since I was a kid, practically raising me while Mom and Dad built their empire. She's more family than they are.
"Stress lang po sa school," I lied with a small smile.
Because the truth? It's not just school stress. It's hell.
Most of my classmates treat me like garbage. Punching bag. Bank account. Shawn's personal toy. Merida's servant. Name it—I've been it. Lexi's group doesn't touch me much, but I know she's got her own agenda. And Merida? She's the devil in designer shoes.
Manang tilted her head. "Nak, napansin ko lang… bakit di na bumibisita si Merida dito?"
Bullseye.
We used to be best friends. Since elementary. But after my family's company exploded in success, she cut ties. No more sleepovers. No more "bestie" photos. Just cold shoulders—until the day she sent me those photos.
Naked. Vulnerable. I don't even know when or how she took them. Hidden cameras, probably. She threatened me: do everything she says, or she'd leak them online.
And that's when my life became her game.
I hate my life. Always have. Sure, Lexi clashes with Merida and it shields me at school, but the second the final bell rings, Merida strikes. Always.
Sometimes, I even fuel their war—Lexi versus Merida. The Lioness versus the Hyena. It's ugly, but it keeps me alive.
When they're too busy tearing each other apart, no one's touching me.
It's manipulative. It's pathetic. But it's survival.
And if I didn't play the game?
I wouldn't have lasted this long at Chevalier.