Why Wishes Might Fall
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The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. It was a number that wasn’t on my contacts list so I hesitated before answering it. But then again, if this person had called me out of nowhere they must have something important to say and I didn’t want them hanging around until tomorrow just because I wanted some time alone with my thoughts.
So I answered the call without thinking twice about who might be on the other end of the line.
“Hello?” The voice at the other side sounded familiar but I couldn’t place where or when I’d heard it last. “Is this Georges’s cell phone? Is he there right now?”
I froze for a moment as I processed what she said. Then I realized whose voice that was. And why did her name come into my mind like that? She probably knew exactly how much trouble I was going through after seeing those pictures from yesterday night…
“Uh…” My heart started beating faster than usual. What should I do here…? Should I tell her everything? Or would that make things worse somehow?
“Yes,” I finally replied, trying not to stutter too much. “He’s still asleep.”
There was silence on the other side of the line for a few seconds before she spoke again.
“…Okay. Well, thank you very much!” Her tone suddenly changed completely and she hung up abruptly.
What was all that about?! Why did she hang up so quickly? Did she think I wouldn’t answer if she asked me straight away whether George was home or not? Was she afraid that I might try to stop her if she came over? Wait… How could she know that we were together last night anyway? We never told anyone! Not even our parents!
It took me a while to calm down enough to go back to sleep afterward. When I got up later that day though, I found myself wondering more about what happened during that phone conversation than anything else. Who was she?
Where did she get my number from? Had she seen us last night? If yes, why hadn’t she contacted me directly instead of calling him first? And most importantly: Why did she seem so happy after talking to me?
That evening, I decided to ask George about it once he returned home from work. He seemed surprised by my question at first but eventually agreed to talk to me about it. After dinner, we sat on the couch in front of the TV and watched an episode of Friends. As always, I fell asleep halfway through the show.
When I woke up the following morning, I felt better than ever. Maybe it was because I slept well last night or maybe it was simply because I had gotten rid of my worries overnight. Either way, I was feeling great. I went downstairs to find breakfast waiting for me on the table. There was also a note left behind by George telling me that he had gone out shopping earlier today.
After eating, I spent some time tidying up the house. Since I was already awake, I decided to take advantage of the situation and spend the rest of the day doing whatever I pleased. I ended up watching a couple of movies on Netflix, reading a book, and taking care of some chores.
By the time I finished cleaning the bathroom, I was starting to feel bored. I thought about going outside for a walk but then remembered that I needed to pick up my prescription from the pharmacy. That meant leaving the house and walking past the park where I saw that girl yesterday.
As soon as I made up my mind, however, another idea popped into my head. I wondered whether it would be possible to see her again since I doubted that she’d return to the same spot anytime soon. With that in mind, I put on my coat and headed toward the park.
Once I arrived, I walked along the path that led to the pond. I kept looking around carefully in case I spotted her anywhere nearby. However, I only managed to catch sight of a squirrel running across the grass. Eventually, I reached the edge of the water. I looked around one final time before stepping onto the wooden bridge leading to the other side.
Just as I expected, I didn’t see any sign of the mysterious girl. Still, I continued walking on the opposite side of the pond, hoping that I might run into her somewhere further ahead. A little bit later, I noticed a small bench sitting near the shoreline. I assumed that someone must have placed it there recently so I decided to sit down on it for a while.
While I waited, I tried to remember what the girl had been wearing. I figured that she probably wore jeans and sneakers but I couldn’t recall what color they were. All I could picture in my mind was her face which reminded me of a young version of Angelina Jolie.
Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize her hairstyle either. It wasn’t long until I gave up on trying to figure out who she was. Instead, I focused on enjoying the view of the lake and the surrounding forest.
A short while later, I heard footsteps approaching from behind. At first, I thought that it might just be a jogger passing by but then I realized that the sound was coming closer and getting louder with each step. Before I knew it, two girls appeared in front of me.
They both stopped when they saw me sitting there. One of them turned around and started heading back the way she came while the other remained standing right next to me. She stared at me intently for several seconds before speaking.
“Hi there,” she said. “I’m sorry to bother you like this but do you happen to know where I can find the nearest bus stop?”
She sounded quite nervous and I guessed that she was new to town. Although I didn’t want to make things awkward, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked. Her hair was dark brown and cut very short. The style suited her perfectly and made her look even younger than she actually was.
On top of that, she was dressed casually yet elegantly. In fact, she looked exactly like the kind of woman that I usually fantasized about.
“You’re not bothering me at all,” I replied. “In fact, I think that I may be able to help you.”
The girl smiled happily and thanked me for being so nice. Then, she asked if I wanted to accompany her to the bus stop. Of course, I accepted without hesitation. We began walking together and chatted non-stop during our entire journey.
During the ride, I learned more about her life story and found myself falling in love with everything she told me. When we finally got off the bus, I offered to walk her to her destination.
We took a different route than usual and passed by the park where I saw the mystery girl yesterday. This time, however, I paid close attention to every single detail. Sure enough, I spotted something familiar: a pair of black sneakers lying on the ground.
There was no doubt in my mind that those belonged to the girl I met last night. As soon as I recognized her shoes, I felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. For a moment, I almost forgot why I was here in the first place.
Then, I snapped back to reality. I quickly glanced over my shoulder and saw that the girl hadn’t followed us. I also noticed that she seemed to be staring directly at me. Without thinking twice, I stepped aside and pretended to be busy with my phone. After a few minutes, she eventually left the area.
I stood there for a couple of moments, wondering whether or not I should go after her. I knew that I shouldn’t get involved with anyone else’s problems but I still couldn’t resist the urge to follow her. I briefly considered going back home instead but I ultimately decided against it. If nothing else, I wanted to see the girl once more. Besides, I already knew where she lived.
After making sure that nobody was watching, I hurriedly crossed the street and hid behind a tree. Once again, I scanned the area thoroughly before proceeding. My heart raced wildly throughout the whole ordeal but I somehow managed to keep calm.
Soon, I reached the end of the road. The house was located at the corner of the cul-de-sac. I slowly approached the gate and peeked inside through the window. To my surprise, I saw the same girl sitting on the couch. She was reading a book but she immediately put it away when she sensed that somebody was outside.
“Hello,” I called out softly. “Is your name Emily?”
The girl jumped up in shock and stared at me suspiciously. However, she relaxed when she realized that I was alone.
“Yes,” she answered nervously. “Who are you? Why did you come here?”
For some reason, I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure why but I definitely didn’t feel safe anymore. I was starting to regret ever leaving the safety of my own home. Still, I forced myself to stay calm and answer the questions calmly.
“My name is Alex,” I said. “And I don’t have any ulterior motives. I simply wanted to say hello.”
Emily nodded and invited me into the living room. I sat down on one of the chairs and waited patiently until she finished talking to herself. It only took a minute before she returned to the present and spoke again.
“Are you really okay?” she asked. “Because I’ve never seen you before today.”
I shrugged and tried to act casual.
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” I replied. “What matters is what you need right now. Are you alright?”
The girl hesitated for a second but then nodded.
“Yeah… I guess so.”
Her voice was soft and gentle. Despite her age, she had such a mature tone which reminded me of someone much older. I could tell that she was trying hard to hide her emotions from everyone around her. Even though she was clearly scared, she remained composed and polite.
“Do you know anything about this guy?” she asked. “He keeps calling me and threatening me. He says he’ll hurt me if I refuse his requests.”
I frowned deeply and shook my head.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t heard anything about him. But I can promise that I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”
The girl looked relieved and smiled warmly. Then, she pulled me closer to her face. Our lips touched gently and I felt butterflies in my stomach. Her skin was smooth and delicate like silk. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling of her breath against mine. Suddenly, I became aware of how cold it was in the room. I opened my eyes and saw that Emily was shivering uncontrollably.
“You’re freezing!” I exclaimed. “Why don’t we go somewhere warmer?”
She nodded eagerly and grabbed my hand. Together, we walked upstairs and entered the bedroom. I turned on the heater while Emily changed into her pajamas. When she finally came back downstairs, I made her sit next to me on the bed. We talked for hours and shared our thoughts freely without fear of judgment. Eventually, the sun began to rise and I told Emily that I needed to leave.
“Thank you for everything,” she whispered. “But please don’t worry about me anymore. You deserve better than this.”
I promised her that I would think about it and left the house shortly afterward. Before doing so, I stopped by the park and picked up the black sneakers. They were covered in dirt and mud but they weren’t too bad overall. I cleaned them as best I could use water and soap. I also bought a new pair of socks since hers smelled awful. As soon as I got home, I placed both items on top of the kitchen table.
When I arrived at school the following day, I found out that the girl was missing. Nobody knew where she went or even what happened to her. Apparently, she was supposed to meet a friend yesterday afternoon but she never showed up.
After searching all over town, the police eventually declared that there was nothing more that they could do. A few days later, the girl’s body was discovered near an abandoned building. According to the coroner, she died from hypothermia after wandering aimlessly around the city during the night.
***
A week passed and I still hadn’t been able to forget about the incident with Emily. Every time I thought about her, I couldn’t help but wonder whether I should have done something differently. Maybe I could have saved her life.
Or maybe I shouldn’t have interfered in the first place. The truth was that I didn’t know what I was capable of. All I knew was that I had to find a way to deal with these feelings. Otherwise, I might end up hurting someone else unintentionally.
After class, I decided to visit the library. I spent most of the evening reading books about psychology and self-help. At least, that was what I told myself. In reality, I was looking for answers. I hoped that I’d be able to figure things out once I understood the root cause of my problems.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to come across any useful information. Instead, I read countless stories about people suffering from mental disorders. Some of those cases sounded similar to mine. Others seemed completely different.
Most importantly, none of the authors mentioned anything about supernatural abilities. That meant that I probably wouldn’t get any help from the government anytime soon.
As I was leaving the library, I bumped into Mr. Jones. He was wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. His hair was neatly combed and he wore a smile on his face. It took me a moment to recognise him because he usually dressed casually.
“Hey, Alex,” he said. “How are you doing? Is everything going well?”
I nodded and forced a fake smile onto my face.
“Yes, sir. Everything is fine.”
Mr. Jones’ expression suddenly changed. He stared at me suspiciously and raised one eyebrow.
“Is everything alright?” he asked. “Did you run into some trouble again?”
I sighed heavily and shook my head.
“No, not really,” I replied. “It’s just… Well, I’m having a hard time dealing with my emotions right now.”
“That sounds serious,” he remarked. “Are you sure that you want to talk about it?”
Before I could answer, a young woman approached us. She was tall and slender with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a white dress and carried a small purse in her hands.
“Alex! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed. “This isn’t your usual hangout spot.”
I glanced at Mr. Jones before answering.
“Actually, I was hoping that you could give me a ride home,” I explained. “My parents aren’t available today.”
Ms. Andrews frowned and crossed her arms.
“What did you do this time?” she muttered. “Your father will kill you if he finds out that you’ve been skipping classes again.”
I shrugged helplessly and tried to explain the situation calmly. However, Ms. Andrews refused to listen and started yelling at me instead.
“You’re such an idiot!” she shouted. “Why can’t you ever learn from your mistakes? Do you enjoy getting yourself into trouble like this?”
She grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the exit. When we reached the parking lot, she opened the passenger door and pushed me inside. Then she slammed the car doors shut and drove away without saying another word.
Once she pulled up outside my house, she turned off the engine and looked at me expectantly.
“Well?” she demanded. “Aren’t you going to thank me for saving your ass?”
I hesitated briefly before nodding slowly.
“Thank you, Ms. Andrews,” I whispered. “For everything.”
Her lips curled into a satisfied grin.
“Don’t mention it,” she replied. “Now hurry up and get out of my car. Your dad will be waiting downstairs.”
The next morning, I woke up early and headed straight to the gymnasium. There, I met Mr. Jones and several other students who were also training. After warming up, we began our regular workout routine. We worked out until lunchtime when we all went back to school. During the second period, I sat down beside Emily and waited patiently while she finished writing a letter. Once she was done, she handed it over to me.
“Here you go,” she said. “I hope you’ll forgive me for being so rude yesterday. I promise that I won’t say anything to anyone unless you tell me otherwise.”
I smiled warmly and thanked her. Then I placed the note in my pocket and returned to my seat. The rest of the day passed quickly. Before I knew it, it was already time to leave. As always, Mr. Jones picked me up from school and drove me to the gym.
This time, however, he didn’t ask me any questions or make any comments. He simply kept driving until we arrived at the gym. Once we got there, he gave me a quick hug and left.
After changing into my uniform, I walked through the hallways and entered the cafeteria. Most people had already eaten their lunches by then but I still found plenty of food to choose from. Today, I decided to eat something light: a bowl of soup and a slice of cheese pizza.
While I ate, I watched as everyone else talked amongst themselves. Some kids laughed loudly while others argued heatedly. A few girls giggled and flirted with each other. Others played games on their phones. All in all, it seemed like a normal day at school.
However, I noticed that no one paid much attention to me. They spoke to me only when they needed help with a problem or wanted to share information. Even though I was sitting alone, nobody bothered to sit near me. Instead, most of them chose to stand around me and stare at me curiously.
Occasionally, someone would walk past me and whisper something to their friends. Usually, these conversations revolved around rumors about what happened between me and Ms. Andrews last night.
When I finished eating, I packed up my tray and made my way to the front entrance. I stepped outside and breathed deeply. It felt good to finally be free after spending almost two hours trapped inside. My body ached slightly and my muscles were sore from exercising earlier. Nevertheless, I forced myself to smile and waved cheerfully at the students passing by.
As soon as I reached my bike, I hopped onto its saddle and pedaled away. Soon enough, I was riding along the road leading to town. At first, I rode slowly. But once I reached the outskirts of the city, I sped up and increased my pace.
By the time I reached the main street, I was flying down the hill at full speed. I held tight to the handlebars and leaned forward to increase my momentum even more. In seconds, I reached the bottom and continued racing down the empty streets.
Eventually, I slowed down and stopped at the end of the block. From there, I took a right turn and followed the sidewalk until I reached my destination. I parked my bike against a wall and locked it securely. Then I climbed the stairs and knocked gently on the door.
A moment later, the lock clicked open and the door swung inward. Mr. Jones stood in the doorway wearing his usual black suit and tie. His eyes widened when he saw me standing there.
“Good afternoon, Michael,” he greeted me politely. “How are you feeling today?”
He led the way into the living room where he poured himself some coffee and offered me a cup too. I accepted gratefully and sipped the hot liquid. For a long minute, neither of us spoke. Finally, I cleared my throat and asked him how things were going.
“Not bad,” he answered. “We’ve been busy lately but nothing major has come up yet. How’s school? Are you enjoying your classes?”
I nodded.
“It’s okay,” I admitted. “My teachers seem nice and the work is easy enough. However, I’m not really sure if this is the best place for me anymore.”
Mr. Jones looked surprised.
“Why do you say that?” he wondered. “You’re doing well here. You have lots of friends and you enjoy learning new skills. What could possibly be wrong with that?”
I paused briefly before answering.
“Well… I guess it doesn’t matter now,” I sighed. “But let me explain…”
The End