Malaika - Italics

Harry - Normal underlined

Five days, twenty three hours, ten minutes and thirteen seconds. That was the amount of time I hadn't heard anything from William. We were supposed to video call the night he went missing but he didn't show up online. I'd fallen asleep with my phone clutched to my chest on the kitchen floor. The next morning had been a painful one with all my joints aching. I had texted him a few times and even tried to video call him but it was useless seeing as his last seen was ten minutes after our last talk.

I knew he hadn't blocked me since I could still send messages to him so I definitely hadn't done something to piss him off enough to cut me out of his life. I had even downloaded Tiktok again but he wasn't online there either. He usually posted every two days but he hadn't posted anything in a week.

I was worried about him and so were a few other people on his Tiktok. What if he had been in an accident or worse and what if he had died? The thought of him being dead made my heart ache. He wasn't dead because if he was it would have been posted on his account by his family but that didn't rule out the injured part. Or what if he had been kidnapped?

I felt so useless seeing as I was continents away from him and didn't know any other way of contacting him. I was pacing holes in my aunt's kitchen phone clutched in hand praying for a miracle. Suddenly it dawned on me what I had to do and I stopped pacing. Why didn't I think of it before?

I opened my Tiktok app and went to a video William had posted with his friends. I almost shouted in joy when I realized that he had tagged them. I clicked on Harry's account and found his Instagram since I couldn't inbox him on Tiktok since we weren't friends.

As if the heavens were on my side he was already online. I paused for a few minutes thinking about what to text him. He didn't know me so I had to be careful about how I approached him. William had told me that Harry was the papa bear of the group and was very protective of his friends. He wouldn't give up the information so easily. I didn't know if William had told his friends about me but he had told me about them. I really hoped they knew about me, it would make texting him so much easier. I decided to just go for it, like ripping off a band aid.

Hi Harry, I'm Malaika and I just wanted to ask about William. He hasn't been online in a few days and that never happens so I just wanted to check up on him.

It took him a few minutes to reply. I was chewing off my nails the whole seven minutes.

I told you girls to stop texting me. Leave me alone. If he really was your friend you'd have his number and you would know what's going on just like everyone else who is an actual friend of his. I'm not telling you shit.

Don't cuss.

Who are you to tell me not to cuss?

I'm Malaika.

Is that Chinese or something?

😅😅 You're funny. William said you like brooding but maybe he doesn't know you so well.

I don't brood.

Yes you do and you just did.

Who are you again?

You can just read the text you know but I'm Malaika.

And how do you know William?

Now that was a hard question. Who was I to William? Friend? More than friend? We had a very complicated relationship. I decided to just answer simply.

He's my friend. We've been talking online for a few months.

William talks to a lot of people online.

I had to admit that statement hurt but he was sort of an online celebrity so of course he talked to people. What could I say to make him believe me?

Well he calls me Angel.

Oh shit! You're really Angel... His Angel.... Williams Angel?

Yes... And don't cuss.

Sorry he told me you hate it when people do that.

Can you tell me about him now?

Yeah sure but what I need to be sure it's really you.

Okay as long as it makes you trust me enough to tell me about him.

Where are you from?

Nairobi Kenya in Africa.

How did you two start talking?

I commented on his post and he inboxed me on Tiktok, then we moved to Instagram a few days later.

Okay... What's his favorite color, ice cream flavor and food?

Black, strawberry and pizza.

Last one.. Tell me something he told you that he's never told anyone else.

That was a hard one. It was hard to know what he had told me that he hadn't told anyone else because we spoke a lot about a lot of things. But I really had to think of something and fast before I lost Harry's trust.

When you guys were seven years old Louis broke his arm and had to get a cast. He wanted a pink one but was too embarrassed. So you guys got pink casts too so he didn't stick out.

I wasn't so sure about that story but it was one that had made me smile and see that William had a good heart from the beginning.

You really are Angel. Seriously you're all William talks about its almost sickening. I can't believe I'm actually talking to you, he never lets us read your texts or see that folder he has of screenshots from your video calls.

That's nice but will you tell me where William is now?

Sorry I got distracted and yes I'll tell you. He got into a skateboarding accident a few days ago and hit his head hard on the concrete. He had to get a minor surgery but he was still left with some swelling in the brain. The doctors put him in a medically induced coma to give him time to heal. He's okay now and they are pulling him out tomorrow.

I felt relieved that he was okay but I was still worried about him.

Ask him to contact me as soon as he gets better please.

I will but knowing the effect you have on him, you'll be the first person he will want to talk to once he realizes how many days it has been.

You really care about him don't you?

Yes I do, he's important to me.

You're important to him too.

Thank you Harry.

Anytime Angel.

Malaika or Lelo for you.

Sorry 🙃🙃 Malaika.

Much better, say hello to Louis for me.

I will. We can trust you to keep the pink cast secret right?

Of course 🙂

🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥🥥

Cracked open like a coconut. 😅😅😅. See what I did there? He fell and..... No?? Okay.

I'm twenty one years old and I've never fainted or broken a limb and I thank God for it. What's your story about broken limb and fainting?