Dominic Williams

Clerence is acting strange lately. He seems quiet and his face holds only stoic and cold expressions. I wonder what has happened to him as he'd never tell me what's going on recently.

"Doc!" My shoulders jump a little until I snap out of my thoughts. It seems like Greg has called my name almost with a loud bark. "What's gotten into you? I've been calling you for a thousand and one times," he complains in similitude. His African-American accent reminds me of some funny viners who cooperated with Logan Paul. "And you've been staring at your food for goddamn 5 minutes. Is it because of Clerence?"

Bingo! But-

"No," is my answer, mustered under my calmest voice.

"Obviously, yes." Another busybody freak - Hansel interferes as I tut with an eye-rolling in annoyance. If I have to admit, he is a fucking good observer. In my opinion, his instincts are sharper than Clerence's. Albeit I don't reveal too much of myself towards them, except my roommate, he could still guess almost 50% of my inner thoughts correctly.

I heave out a sigh, still wondering about Clerence. Since I'd lost Suzy, I've become extremely weird. Maybe out of loneliness, I would visit Clerence's room when I have bad dreams about my past relationship.

He is a bad dream banisher as I'm no longer bothered by the nightmares ever since he's secured in my lap. The effects are addictive until the day he snapped at me through messaging. To be honest, that was the first time for me to see- no, at least, feel his frustration bursting through the mobile screen.

I was a little pissed off about him and had stopped replying his message from then on. Also, I ceased entering his room as well, giving a little more space and time for him to calm down.

He is upset, and I am upset too. We both are wounded. But I can't be him to know more about his pain. The least I can do is to observe his mood swings and predict the next episode.

And today, he skipped the whole-day class without any clues. "Maybe he broke up with his girlfriend?" Greg guesses when taking another sip of the chilling Sprite.

"He doesn't even have a girlfriend," I argue while loudering the word 'even' to emphasize the fact.

"Maybe we should follow him," Hansel suggests while I grimace at the unhelpful notion. His jellyfish blue eyes narrow at the sight of my reaction.

"Jeez, I'm not a stalker," Greg disagrees when I shake my head simultaneously. "If you wanna follow him, you're gonna do it yourself, man."

"Maybe we can ask him," I am the one suggesting this time. "Although I can't guarantee him answering us, he still deserves our concern and attention."

The other boys eye me with their stern faces, their ears are almost lengthened like a fairy's in order to distinguish my voice buried amongst the busy canteen. "Doc is right," says Hansel after he clears his throat. "We've been brothers since freshmen, and this is the very first time for us to see the unusual Clerence."

"Yeah, he is the cause of our euphoria every time. And now, it's our turn to return the favour," says Greg ambitiously when I try my best to suppress my laughter. His expression looks somehow funny and this blows away the rain cloud hovering over my head unexpectedly.

***

Clerence Cartwright

The vehicle comes to a halt when the destination is reached. Throughout the car ride, the driver has been telling me stories about a teenage girl which appears to become his favourite passenger of all times. I can't stop wondering who the girl is, so curiosity brings up my courage to ask him the very question, "Do you mind telling me who is the girl you're talking about, uncle?"

The driver sighs with a pitiful smile. "Her name is beautiful - Sasha she is." My eyeballs almost jump out of my eye socket at the answer spoken by the taxi driver.

Seriously, why is everything connected with Sasha?

With multiple thoughts running through my head, I am clueless upon my next step. I can't make out my mind to tell him the person I was crying about, the person whom I'm going to visit later in the general hospital. "Speaking of Sasha, it's been days since she called me to send her off by the way," the driver adds when I wipe the tears away from my eyes, sniffling with my nose turning red.

"You are not okay, kid." The driver furrows his eyebrows at the sight of me sobbing. "Do you mind telling me who is the person you're going to visit soon?"

Sharp pain continues to sting my watery green eyes when I sob even louder. How long have I stopped crying until today? I would never know and it doesn't matter either. The driver is still waiting for my answer when his eyes are turning bloodshot as well. "S-Sasha sh-she is..."

Silence is all I can hear then. The driver says nothing after hearing my answer, but he proceeds on adjusting the gears of the taxi and parks the vehicle at the roadside. The engine dies when he pulls out the car key. "We're going to see her together," he mutters with his hoarse, nasal voice.

_____

Following my pace, the old driver walks rather unsteadily with his face full of worry and concern, until we are inside the quiet hospital room. Sasha is still lying silently on the bed, her once healthy skin has turned a little dry.

"God is cruel," the driver says, picking his cap off his head in remorse. "She's a good girl, but God would never know."

I listen without answering anything. My brain has been running out of words and there's too much for me to say. Too much until nothing is uttered from my mouth, but everything stuck in beneath my throat.

I can't stop the fear that is slowly engulfing my sanity. "You can say that." My voice holds a lot of regret. I don't even understand why I'm feeling so sad upon Sasha's condition now.

Logically, I don't even know her although we were in the same high school and then the same college, until the day I applied for a job in the bookstore. That was when we officially knew each other.

No, don't you ever say that I'm in love with her. I can never be in love with her. I'm a luck repellant, people around me will never have a better luck when they approach me.

First, Hansel sprained his leg during the basketball practice weeks ago because my leg accidentally hooked around his. Second, Greg lost his wallet after he treated us dessert. Third, Dominic broke up with his girlfriend and lived a sorrowful life afterwards. And then, Sasha fell down from the ladder and remained unconscious until today.

Sasha's case has strengthened my belief about how a hoodoo I am. That's why I begin to avoid the other three idiots, who are now spamming the group chat to lure me out. I bet they are literally too bored and just want to meddle in my affairs.

Now back to my feelings upon Sasha, confusion is the only word that I can use to describe my hodiernal sensations. I assume maybe it is because of my failure in saving the poor girl when she fell.

Yes, that's it. That's why I am upset, right?

But strangely, I'm still not fully convinced. Something is just missing and it might be the fact which I refuse to admit.

***

Sasha Shadows

Second wish, be able to stalk Clerence without being noticed. Since morning, my soul lost its control and it couldn't stop moving towards a certain direction. Out of nervousness and fear, I could feel my heart beating fast, no kidding.

And then, my 'body' stopped in front of a house. The door opened by the time I was about to take my first normal step. "Oh my freaking God, it's Dominic," I exclaimed at the chance of seeing this boy up close. Being fueled with excitement, I took a deep breath before skipping in front of Dominic, hoping to gain his attention but in a way which he won't know it is me.

The whole morning was filled with so much fun when I played around Dominic by letting out extremely cool air all over him. And watching him shivered upon the sudden cold satisfied me as much as treating me a chocolate ice-cream.

Until I managed to enter the house to see the sleeping Clerence, who had yet to prepare for college. But as soon as Dominic's footstep distanced, the boy sprung out of his blanket immediately and raced for the laptop.

And that was how I acknowledged the fact which he is one of my readers. Poor me, my account should be flooded with notification messages from my faithful readers urging me for an update.

Soon, he had done waiting for any of my responses and this didn't stop him from sleeping the computer. Watching as he walked towards the cupboard, the action which he pulled off his shirt let out my gasp in surprise as I turned around and faced him with my back.

Luckily he cannot see or hear me. Or I would be haunted for an explanation. Before he shook his sweat pants off, I managed to glance pass the toned muscles of his upper body. "His body shape is intriguing..." I can't help myself from giving a praise.

And then, I followed him to the bookstore, met with Madam Jesslyn and surprisingly, got into Uncle Daniel's taxi. The fact that he called the same driver as mine to fetch him sent butterflies flying in my empty stomach.

And now, I am standing beside my lifeless body while watching the two gentlemen in sadness. They are depressed because of me, because of my carelessness and recklessness. And deep down in Clerence's heart, I somehow know he would blame himself so much for not being able to save me.

Clerence, don't cry...

My breath turns unsteady as I gulp with my mouth opened wide.

"You're not supposed to be crying now..." I begin to sob as well, my words come out in a whimper until he pauses his action of hunching beside my body. His eyes fixed on my unconscious being and this causes me to think that he's heard me.

"Oh gosh," his dry voice is partially heard. More like a whisper. "She can hear us. Look," he then points at my face with his thumb, his eyes holding Uncle Daniel's. Following his pointing finger, I eventually clamp my mouth with my hands at the sight of the tears flowing down my shut eyes.

_____

Again, I follow the boy back to his rented house and sit with him on the single bed, though he won't notice my presence. He is replying his friends', a.k.a the other hot boys' message with his expression unchanging. I know curiosity kills the cat but I still tilt my head to lean onto his shoulder while peeping at the contents they are texting about.

GAYBOY: you finally appear dear Clery!! Where have you been?

STAYSINGLE (ME): Of course at my house for now. You think I can sleep everywhere like you?

GRETELHUS8AND: Tell us now, or we're gonna kidnap you and extort a confession from you.

GR8G: That's a fucking good idea, Hans.

GRETELHUS8AND: @GR8G you're welcome ^^

STAYSINGLE (ME): you sick ass bastards. I be this nice to you since freshmen and this is wot you all repay me?!

So many emotions are presented through Clerence's message. Yet, his face never changes. "Are they really, really concerning about my situation or they just wanna know about my juicy secret with Sasha?" I freeze with a startle gasp as he utters my name. "Wait, they don't even know about Sasha yet." He is talking to the ceiling although he knows no one will respond.

Looking back to the screen, a few more messages has popped out.

GAYBOY: Answer please, bud. You wanna get fucked up by the three of us or just tell us in a nice way?

STAYSINGLE (ME): Fuck off, Williams ==

GRETELHUS8AND: Let's count down then. 3

GR8G: 2

GAYBOY is typing...

STAYSINGLE (ME): FINE! I'll tell you tmr TT

GAYBOY is typing....

GRETELHUS8AND is typing...

GR8G is typing...

GAYBOY: Good boy, Cartwright!!!

GRETELHUS8AND: Good boy Cartwright ^^

GR8G: Good boy, Cartwright XD

STAYSINGLE (ME): ==+

One word to describe their attached relationship – adorable. Although I know that 'eavesdropping' is not a good example, I admit that I can't help myself. Subconsciously, though in my spiritual state, I glance at the clock placed on the wall which its ticking second clock hand is telling me how fast the time flies.

The duration of my second wish is almost over. And that is when I turn around, everything related to Clerence's room is gone.

No more him, no more text messages, no more smiles.

Just me standing in my own house, in the living room with streak of tears still brimming on my cheeks.

ᴴᴱᵞ ˢᵀᴬᴿᴿᵞˢ ᴬᴺᴰ ᴿᴱᴬᴰᴱᴿˢ, ᴴᴼᵂ ᴰᴼ ᵞᴼᵁ ᶠᴵᴺᴰ ᴬᴮᴼᵁᵀ ᵀᴴᴵˢ ᶜᴴᴬᴾᵀᴱᴿ? ᴵ'ᴹ ᶜᵁᴿᴵᴼᵁˢ ᴬᴮᴼᵁᵀ ᴬᴸᴸ ᵞᴼᵁᴿ ᵀᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀˢ. ᶠᴼᴿ ᴹᴱ, ᴵ ᴬᴸᴹᴼˢᵀ ᵀᴱᴬᴿ ᵁᴾ ᵂᴴᴱᴺ ᴱᴺᴰᴵᴺᴳ ᵀᴴᴵˢ ᶜᴴᴬᴾ ᵂᴵᵀᴴ ˢᴬˢᴴᴬ'ˢ ᴾᴬᴿᵀ ˢᴵᴺᶜᴱ ˢᴴᴱ'ˢ ᵟᵁᴵᵀᴱ ᴰᴱᴾᴿᴱˢˢᴱᴰ ᴬᵀ ᵀᴴᴱ ᴹᴼᴹᴱᴺᵀ.

ᴾᴸᴱᴬˢᴱ ᴰᴼᴺ'ᵀ ᴮᴱ ᴬ ˢᴵᴸᴱᴺᵀ ᴿᴱᴬᴰᴱᴿ, ᴵ ᴸᴼᵛᴱ ᵀᴬᴸᴷᴵᴺᴳ ᵀᴼ ᵞᴼᵁ ᴳᵁᵞˢ ᵀᴼ ᴮᴱ ᴴᴼᴺᴱˢᵀ 😊😊😊