My Romance Life System-Chapter 74: I can’t be a bystander anymore.

I leaned back on the bench and thought about how complicated my life was now, because while it was fun sometimes, it also felt like I was about to be swallowed whole.

I know I know, it’s boring to think about my life this much, its almost crazy in a way but, I can’t help it, I cam a long long way.

So yeah, that’s my life now.

A few weeks ago, the most exciting part of my day was finding an extra flavor packet in my instant noodles, and now I’m the commander of a failed romance mission, the reluctant hero in a sad girl’s backstory, and a guy who has a girl who is a ’pillar’ in my life. It’s a lot.

My life went from a boring, black-and-white manga about nothing to a full-color, multi-genre mess, and I’m just trying to keep up.

Sitting here on this park bench, watching these kids fail at flying a kite, it’s the first second of quiet I’ve had all day. It gives me a chance to think about how I’m not really that overthinking loner anymore, and it’s weird.

I talk to people now. I talked to the old lady, I talked to the cashier at the grocery store, and I even have text conversations that last longer than two messages.

’Who am I even becoming?’

It’s not a bad thing, I guess, just... different. Every day used to be a copy of the one before, but now I wake up and I have no idea what’s going to happen. Maybe Nina will tease me about my hair, maybe Jake will have a new crisis about talking to Ruby, maybe I’ll end up in detention for being a good person.

It’s exhausting, but it’s not boring.

I’ll take it.

After about thirty minutes of just sitting there, watching the kids finally get their kite airborne, I figured it was probably time to head home. The sun was getting lower, and the park was starting to empty out.

I stood up from the bench, feeling a lot more settled than when I’d gotten there.

I was just about to start walking when I saw her.

On the other side of the road, walking in the opposite direction, was Thea. My first thought was that I was just seeing things, but it was her. She was walking slowly, with a slight wobble, like she was tired all the way through to her bones.

Her clothes were the same ones from school, but they looked even more rumpled now, and smudged with dirt. In her arms, she was carrying a single, unwrapped loaf of bread.

’Just a loaf of bread? Is that her dinner?’

I just stood there and watched her. She kept her head down, her messy hair falling into her face, and she didn’t seem to be looking at anything but the road in front of her. She just looked so... small. And completely alone.

Seeing her like that just made me feel this heavy, sad feeling in my chest. It wasn’t pity, not really. It was just this deep, quiet sadness for her whole situation. The fight at school, the dirty uniform, the empty look in her eyes, that rundown house with the peeling paint.

It was all one big, ugly picture, and she was stuck in the middle of it.

’I should just go home. It’s not my problem.’

But I didn’t move. I just watched her get smaller and smaller down the street. It felt wrong to just turn my back and walk away, to just let her disappear back into whatever crappy life she had waiting for her.

I started walking, keeping my distance. I stayed on my side of the street, just following her path. I told myself it was just to make sure she got home okay, that no one else bothered her.

It felt like the least I could do.

She stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, and I saw her look over her shoulder, a quick, paranoid glance. She didn’t see me. She was just checking. Like she expected someone to be following her, to start something again.

’She can’t even walk down the street without being scared.’ The thought made my hands clench in my pockets.

When the light changed, she hurried across the street, that single loaf of bread held tight against her chest like it was something precious. I waited a few seconds and then crossed after her, making sure to stay far enough behind that she wouldn’t notice me.

She turned onto her street, the one with the sad, quiet houses. I watched from the corner as she walked the last few feet to that little house with the peeling blue paint. She fumbled with her keys for a second, then the door opened and she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her.

I just stood there at the corner, staring at the house. The pinwheels in the neighbor’s yard were still spinning, but they just seemed kind of sad now.

’This is so messed up.’

I knew I couldn’t just knock on her door. I couldn’t fix her life with a friendly conversation or a good deed. It was way more complicated than that. But just walking away and pretending I hadn’t seen any of it felt wrong, too.

I finally turned and started walking home for real. The sun was setting, and the whole sky was turning that orange and purple color. It was pretty, but I didn’t really notice.

My brain was just stuck on one thought. I didn’t know what I was going to do, or even what I could do. But I knew one thing for sure.

I couldn’t just ignore this.

---

The next day, I wasn’t going to be a bystander anymore.

Nina met me at our usual corner, her smile as bright as ever, but she must have seen the look on my face because her own smile faded a little.

"What’s wrong? You have your serious eyebrow face on again."

"I’m going to the principal’s office."

Her eyes went wide. "What? Did you get in more trouble? Was it Ronnie? I swear, if he—"

"No, it’s not for me." I started walking, and she fell into step beside me, her expression a mix of confusion and worry. "I’m going to talk to him about Thea."

She was quiet for a second, processing that. "Are you sure that’s a good idea? They’re just going to tell you it’s none of your business."

"It’s not about the fight," I explained, my hands shoved in my pockets. "It’s about everything else. Her uniform, her house, the way she looked so scared just walking down the street. Something’s wrong. And the teachers aren’t going to do anything unless someone makes them."

She just looked at me for a long moment, and then her face broke into this small, proud smile that made my chest feel warm. "Okay. Let’s go."

"No, not us. Me." I stopped and turned to her. "This is something I have to do myself. If we both go in there, it’ll look like we’re just a couple of kids trying to start drama. But if I go in alone, as just some guy who saw something, maybe he’ll actually listen."

She didn’t like it, I could see it on her face, but she just nodded. "Fine. But I’m waiting outside for you. That’s non-negotiable."

"Deal."

This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦