It's been a while since I last picked up my guitar. The strings feel foreign against my fingertips, like they belong to someone else. Someone who used to be me but now feels like a distant memory.
I can still see the scars on my body, reminders of the accident that changed everything. Shizuka is always there, by my side, even though I push her away every chance I get. She blames herself for what happened, but deep down I know it wasn't her fault.
I don't remember much from before the accident; just bits and pieces of a life that no longer feels like mine. People tell me stories about who I used to be - kind-hearted, sweet Jake - but all I see in the mirror is someone angry and bitter.
The red hair that once made me stand out now feels like a curse; a constant reminder of what was lost in that crash. Sometimes when Shizuka looks at me with those sad eyes, I catch glimpses of familiarity in them - as if she sees through this facade and remembers the person I used to be.
But most days it's easier to just shut everyone out and drown myself in self-pity and anger. It's easier than facing up to all the memories that haunt me - both real ones from before the accident and imagined ones created by well-meaning friends trying desperately to bring back what was lost.
There are moments when something stirs inside me; an echo of emotions long buried beneath layers of resentment and regret. But those moments fade quickly, replaced once again by bitterness towards anyone who dares try breaking through these walls around my heart.
Shizuka keeps trying though; she never gives up on getting through to this broken shell of a man standing here today with nothing left but scars etched into his skin as lasting reminders of yesterday's pain.