I’m Someone Else

Chapter 31

Irieson’s University of Technology had been elated when they first heard the news of Thomas being the top scorer in his SATs. It had been a long while since Irieson’s University of Technology had any top scorers in their school—many of the talented and smart students had gone to other local universities. Right when Irieson’s University of Technology was celebrating the recruitment of a top scorer, they received the shocking news of Thomas giving up on his opportunity to study. They were devastated to hear that Thomas was going to enlist in the army instead.

Meanwhile, Veronica, who had been in charge of recruiting students, turned into the university’s scapegoat. She ended up being punished by the university for this incident. The university’s harsh treatment left a deep scar in Veronica’s career even until current times. “You b*stard! You’re the reason Veronica was punished by the university, and you’re the reason she hasn’t gotten a promotion in years!” Ophelie grew increasingly emotional as she spoke. She picked up the glass of wine on the table before splashing it in Thomas’ direction.

“That’s too much!” Norman slammed his palm against the table as he got to his feet. His eyes were wide with fury, and he raised his hand up as if he were about to give Ophelie a slap. Ophelie was simply too rude. How could she be so rude to our guest? She’s embarrassing us Pearsons!

“Dad!” Ophelie never expected Norman to get mad at her over someone like Thomas. Ophelie had always been a rather spoiled, entitled character who rarely reflected on her own actions. She put all the blame on Thomas instead. We wouldn’t face so many issues if it wasn’t because of Thomas. If looks could kill, Thomas would’ve been murdered by Ophelie a few days ago. “Hmph!” Ophelie scoffed before she turned and headed upstairs. Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Clifford. My youngest daughter is way too spoiled. I’m going to teach her a lesson later!” Norman hurriedly handed Thomas some tissue, and Thomas merely wiped his face without making any comments.

“This has got nothing to do with you at all. My sister, Veronica, was punished for many reasons—there were a lot of external factors that led to it. Your change in mind to quit studies was probably just adding oil to a fire that had already started.” Norman explained himself. Ophelie was still young when Veronica was punished, so she had limited information about the events.

Thomas heaved a sigh and shook his head to indicate that he was fine. He hadn’t expected his decision to enlist to have brought harm to another individual. He genuinely felt guilty over this matter. The moment Olivia gazed at Thomas, she could tell how guilty he felt, so she quickly spoke up. “Don’t overthink this matter, Thomas. This isn’t related to you at all. My sister is just too immature—don’t take her words seriously. She graduated from Irieson First High School as well, so she’s technically your junior,” Olivia uttered.

He nodded. My junior, huh? She slapped me the first time we met, and she continued to cause me trouble after that. She even splashed alcohol over me today. I don’t think I want a junior who’s like her. After the whole commotion, the Pearsons decided to call it a day. They wrapped up the celebratory dinner before Thomas drove Olivia home. Once that was done, he returned to his own house.

In the meantime, Norman sat on his couch with his brows knitted tightly together. He was recalling all that Thomas had done that day. The more I think about Thomas, the more he seems like a complicated man. Just the way that he had remained calm after Ophelie splashed wine all over him earlier shows how unique of a person he is. He isn’t just any regular man.

The rented house was pitch black when Thomas entered. He listened to the sounds in his surroundings to recognize Chloe’s soft snoring coming from the room. It seemed like she had been asleep for a while. He tiptoed his way to the bedroom before lying down to get some rest. However, he tossed and turned in bed as he couldn’t seem to fall asleep at all.

“Can’t sleep, Thomas?” A playful voice sounded right beside Thomas’ ear. All of Thomas’ muscles tensed up as he turned around to find a young man dressed in a camouflage uniform. There was an

innocent grin on the young man’s face as he stared at Thomas.

“Zachary!” Thomas widened his eyes as he stared at the man in disbelief. Thomas would’ve never expected to see his best friend, Zachary, here. Isn’t he dead? How could he be here? Am I dreaming?

Thomas bit down hard on his bottom lip, and the sharp pain jolted him awake from his sleep. “Phew!” He took a deep breath as he thought, I knew it. It was just a dream.

“I always knew that you were harsh toward your enemies, but I didn’t know how harsh you were toward yourself, Thomas. Didn’t it hurt to bite yourself like that?” the voice said.

Thomas jumped out of bed as he looked around him. What’s going on? Why can I still hear the voice? I’m sure it’s Zachary’s voice. I would never forget the voice of my brother from another mother!

“Stop looking around, Thomas. I just came to visit because I was worried about you.” As Thomas was looking around puzzledly, he heard Zachary speaking again. “Stop standing around like an idiot. Take a seat. I just want to talk to you—we haven’t spoken in a while,” the voice said. Thomas tried his best to calm himself down as he took a seat on a chair. He pulled a cigarette out to take a smoke.

“We’re brothers, so I know what’s going on in your mind. You should stop feeling guilty. I’ve never blamed you for anything,” the voice uttered. Thomas simply shook his head without saying anything. “This isn’t good for you, Thomas. You keep everything to yourself, and you carry all your burdens on your own. Aren’t you afraid that you might have mental issues in the long run? Do you think I should hate you?” the voice asked.

Thomas let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Zachary. I was the one who killed you. Now, I know that I might have also harmed and hurt a lot of other people…” Thomas muttered.

“Don’t be silly, Thomas. Back then, I would’ve died even if you didn’t kill me. My death would’ve been an even more painful one if you hadn’t. Do you remember what I told you before our mission? If I had a choice, I would rather you be the one to kill me,” the voice said. “Do you understand me? I have no regrets. I found meaning in my life after meeting you, my friend. You need to stop blaming yourself for this. What matters now is that you live life to its fullest. You’re much more impressive than I am. I was just a regular military observer while you were the famous and almighty King of Marksmen! Haha, wait, I’m not just a regular military observer. I was the military observer of the King of Marksmen. That itself is something I can brag about!” the voice chuckled.

“You were no regular military observer; you were my Eagle Eye. You could’ve had a bright future ahead if it weren’t for my mistakes,” Thomas uttered. ‘Eagle Eye’ was Zachary’s nickname. In some ways, Zachary was Thomas’ eyes, and Thomas only performed so well because he had an outstanding and sharp military observer like Zachary.

“Why are you beating yourself up again, Thomas? I died because the mission was a failure. How could you bear full responsibility for the team’s failure? I’m content to know that you’re caring for my family. Alright, times up; I should leave now. I just want you to remember that I’ll always feel proud for having had a friend like you. Always!”