NOVEL WEB Chapter 6: Everyone Else is Alive
June stepped out into the city like a ghost testing the borders of its old haunts.
The sun was out, weak and cold, like it hadn't gotten enough sleep. People moved in streams around her, couples holding hands, students with oversized headphones, workers in uniforms brighter than hers. They bustled, existed. They belonged.
She walked with her hands in her pockets, coat zipped up to her chin, blending into the sidewalk like a smudge.
No one noticed her. That part never changed.
She passed a café window. Inside, a girl about her age laughed over a steaming cup of something expensive and too sweet. Her eyes sparkled. The boy across from her smiled like he'd been waiting to hear that laugh all day.
June kept walking.
The smell of roasted chestnuts hit her next, a cart on the corner, a father buying a bag while his daughter tugged at his sleeve. The girl dropped one. June bent down, picked it up, and handed it back.
"Thanks," the father said absently, eyes never leaving his phone.
June didn't reply.
She didn't expect him to look up.
At the crosswalk near the park, a child stumbled on uneven pavement, flailing just enough to teeter into the street.
June moved without thinking. Her arm shot out, catching the child by the collar and pulling them back.
The mother shrieked, yanked her kid into her arms, and checked them over.
"Are you okay?"
Then, without even looking at June...
"Watch where you're going," the woman snapped.
And then they were gone.
No thank you.
Not even eye contact.
June stood there for a moment.
She looked down at her own hand, then shoved it back into her pocket.
The streets bled into each other. Every shop window looked the same. Every face blurred into the next.
She went into a corner café, not because she wanted to, but because she felt like she should. Like doing normal things made her feel more tethered to something.
She ordered a small coffee. No milk. No sugar.
The barista smiled. Said something. June nodded without hearing.
She held the cup in both hands and sat by the window. Let the heat warm her fingers.
It was nice.
For five seconds.
Then someone bumped her table on their way past. Her elbow jerked. The cup tipped.
Scalding coffee splashed across her lap and her coat. The table. The floor.
The person barely paused. Just a muttered "Sorry," then they were gone.
June stood up slowly. Her pants were soaked. Her thighs burned.
The barista looked over.
"You okay?"
She nodded once.
Then walked out.
She didn't even try to dry herself. She walked home soaked, the wet fabric clinging to her legs, her shoes squelching with each step.
The wind picked up. Cold. Uncaring.
She passed people with umbrellas, friends laughing beneath them. Two girls ducked under the same coat, sharing earbuds.
Nobody looked at her.
She imagined she could fall down right there on the sidewalk, just collapse and people would step around her. Maybe even over her.
She didn't cry. Didn't frown. Didn't smile.
Just walked.
Like part of the weather.
By the time she got home, she was shivering. Her hands were red. Her pants were stiff with dried coffee.
She peeled them off, threw everything in the tub, and stood in front of the mirror.
Her reflection didn't look surprised.
Just tired.
And wet.
"Some people are born background characters."