"Hey bro, wake up."
My eyes fluttered open to the sight of my best friend staring at me with a troublesome smirk.
"Five more minutes," I mumbled.
Bobby, being the asshole he was, tossed a cup of ice-cold water in my face. I shot up, gasping from the shock.
"No time," he said, laughing. "The girls are here."
I wiped my face and turned to the right, suddenly realizing where we were—outside my girlfriend’s parents’ house.
Then it hit me. The plan.
We were finally doing it. Crossing the border, leaving everything behind, starting over somewhere new. No more rules. No more parents breathing down our necks. No more being called screw-ups.
"Daniel, look! They’re coming," Bobby whispered.
Up on the second-floor window, the Rose sisters were climbing down. Emily, Bobby’s girlfriend, moved first, quick and confident. Stacy, my girl, followed right behind her. Their backpacks were slung over their shoulders, and in Emily’s hand, she held a bottle of wine.
They landed with soft thuds on the grass, then took off running toward us, grinning like they had just pulled off the greatest heist.
Bobby tossed me a beer can, still grinning. "Told you they’d come through. Now, let’s hit the road before someone notices they’re gone."
I caught the can and wiped the last of the cold water from my face. "Yeah, let’s go."
We all piled into Bobby’s old, beat-up car.
Stacy slid into the backseat with me, leaning in close. "We’re gonna party so hard once we get some privacy," she whispered, her breath warm against my ear.
Emily sat up front, sharing her drink with Bobby as he turned up the radio. A loud rock song blasted through the speakers, making my head throb.
"Onward to adventure!" Bobby cheered as he hit the gas, speeding off into the night.
I cracked open my beer and took a sip before asking, "How much gas do we have?"
Bobby snorted. "Enough to get us past the city. Then we’ll fill up. Relax, man—we’re finally doing this!"
I wanted to relax. I really did.
But something felt… off.
Maybe it was the way Bobby was gripping the wheel too tightly. Or how he kept swerving slightly, like he was fighting to keep the car straight.
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"Bobby," I said slowly, "you good?"
"Never better," he slurred.
My stomach dropped. "Bobby, tell me you’re not—"
Before I could finish, the car jerked violently.
The world spun.
Tires screeched.
Emily and Stacy screamed.
Metal crunched.
Glass shattered.
Pain exploded in my skull as my head slammed into the window. My vision blurred, blood warm against my forehead.
Everything faded.
Then—
Nothing.
---
When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by darkness. A deep, endless void.
It finally happened… I died.
Figures. Bobby was wasted. That idiot. It’d be a damn miracle if any of them survived the crash.
Damn it. My parents are gonna find out. If this gets reported, they’ll see everything.
Not like they’ll care.
What were my last words again?
Oh, right. "You should have swallowed when you had the chance."
Fantastic. Real poetic.
Come to think of it… when did my parents stop talking to me?
Was it after they told me to stop hanging out with Bobby? Or when they caught Stacy warming me up a little in their bed?
No… it was probably when I didn’t show up to Grandma’s funeral.
Not my fault, honestly. I just got tired of hearing the same crap from everyone.
"Why do you have tattoos on your body?"
"You know you have too many piercings."
"When did you get such an attitude?"
"What happened to your black hair? Now you look like a delinquent with that blonde dye job."
It never ended. No matter what I did, they always had something to say.
"Do you regret your choices?"
A voice.
Soft. Familiar.
I looked around, but there was nothing. No one. Until—
A boy stepped forward.
A younger version of me.
Four years younger, to be exact.
I stared at him, then sighed. "Let me guess. My afterlife is gonna be spent with you lecturing me about all my mistakes?"
The darkness around us shifted.
Suddenly, I wasn’t in the void anymore.
I was in my old bedroom. Four years ago.
The same action figures scattered on the floor. My textbooks. My VR set.
My younger self sat on the chair by the bed, watching me with golden eyes.
"Big me," he said. "Do you like your choices?"
I looked away. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t."
He chuckled. "If you could have a new life… would you take it?"
That made me pause.
A new life?
Hell yeah.
Maybe I’d get better parents this time. Maybe Bobby and the others would be there too, living it up.
I turned back to him. "Honestly? I’d take that offer in a heartbeat. Even if it meant selling my soul to the devil himself. I’m tired of living a crappy life."
His golden eyes gleamed.
He patted the bed beside him.
I hesitated. "Do I have to lie down?"
He nodded. "Just close your eyes and rest. If you ever need me, reach out."
That sounded weird, but whatever. What did I have to lose?
I lay down.
The bed felt… warm. Soft. Like I was being held by a thousand feathers.
Relaxing.
Peaceful.
"Good luck over there, Nero," my younger self murmured.
Everything faded to black.
---
Voices.
I could hear voices.
Slowly, the words became clearer.
"Nero, my baby boy."
A woman’s voice. Soft. Loving.
My eyes blinked open.
The first thing I saw was a beautiful woman with white hair and striking blue eyes.
And her chest was really close to my face.
Damn. She had a good pair on her.
"Sometimes, I wish your father wasn’t working the kind of job he does," she sighed, stroking my tiny hand. "But somebody has to keep us fed and healthy."
Wait. Tiny hand?
I looked down.
My arm was small. Chubby.
A baby’s arm.
The woman let me wrap my fingers around hers. She smiled. "Is it normal for you not to cry? Or maybe you’re just different from the rest, Nero. Either way, you’re my special baby boy."
Nero.
My younger self wasn’t joking.
I’ve been reincarnated.
I’m in a new world.