Simon

"... and then we will also discuss the life of Chaucer." The professor closes the reader, and looks at us students. "I hope you all are almost done with the assignment I have given you."

I groan inwardly and look over my shoulder towards Winnie who's shooting daggers at me with her eyes.

There goes another chance to ask her out. I think to myself as I smile at her, trying to tell her that its almost done. But I think the smile got interpreted as it'll all go into the dump, and Winnie blows invisible fire out of her nostrils.

"I would like them all given to me this Monday." The professor adds. "No delays."

There. The wretched man just made life harder for me.

"You may all leave now." He says, walking around his desk to gather his papers.

I get up and swing my bag over my shoulder, waiting for Winnie to quickly come along and yell at me, so that my wait for her to cool off can begin.

But turns out, the professor hasn't finished with his part yet.

"Mister Oisin, Simon?" He calls out. The students around me giggle and snort.

"It's pronounced Oh-sheen, sir." I correct him for the hundredth time this semester.

"Oh. Well..." the professor, shrug's lightly and motions me to come to him.

I look over at Winnie to find her already at the exit door. This class room is smaller than the rest on campus, she made it out quickly. I make a mental note to talk to her later. It doesn't feel so good to have her glare at me like that.

As the class filters out of the room, I make my way through the students to the teachers desk.

"Yes sir?" I ask him.

The balding man in his fifties doesn't look up at me from his papers.

"You're required to go and meet Mister Garfield right away, young man." He says, pocketing a flash drive and placing a pen on top of a pile of sheets.

"Mister Garfield?" I ask, confused. This doesn't seem good. Is Julia okay? "Is there a problem sir?"

Professor finally looks up, standing straight and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I wasn't told anything." He says. "I was just asked to let you know you are to meet him right after my lecture."

"Oh." The clockworks in my mind suddenly start to work faster than normal.

Today is Friday. It's almost been a week— five days— since Julia's been in house arrest as we like to call it. Five days of sleepless nights and restless days for Ryan. Five days of trying again and again to get Julia on the phone.

And now, all of a sudden, I, Julia's closest friend, am invited to meet her father in his office.

There's something fishy. I don't like this fish.

"Come in." Comes the permission from inside an instant after I knock on the door.

I open the door a fraction, and peek in to access the environment. Everything looks fine. I looked at the mahagoni desk at the far end, with the Julia's jailer himself sitting on it, reading a file.

"May I enter, sir?" I ask, and Mr. Garfield's head snaps up.

"Ah! Simon Oisin!" He smiles warmly at me. Too much warmly. "Ive been waiting for you. Do come in."

Gulping down the bile rising in my throat to see his attitude, I enter the office and make my way to the table.

"Sit. sit." Mr. Garfield points towards a wooden chair places right across from him.

"Yes sir?" I ask, once seated. My way of asking why'm I here?

"This..." Mr. Garfield opens a drawer on his right and pulls out an envelope. "... is for you."

"For me?" I look at the white envelope. It doesn't have anything written on it. How's it mine?

"Yes. For you." Mr. Garfield nods.

I look at his too warm for my liking smile, and then at the envelope blankly staring at me. Then slowly I pick it up.

I look up at the man before opening, just to be sure that this isn't some type of eccentric millionaire prank, and he nods at me.

Do open.

The envelope seems to scream in my hands now.

Don't open! Don't open!

But the idiot I am, I open it.

My blood dries up to see the cover. I open up the card to realise what in the world is happening.

"Today." I look up at the old mab. "This is today, sir?"

"Yes it is." He says. "Which is why, mister Oisin, you're required to leave right now with a guard to my house to get ready. We have your attire ready for you to just simply put on."

Oh no no no. I see where this is going. I'm being forced to go with Julia to this... party!

I have to decline the offer. I cant do this!

"Sir, I have three more classes to take and an assignment due Monday—"

"That shall be taken care of." Mr. Garfield cuts me, holding up a hand. "You're classes shall be rearranged, and you have Saturday and Sunday for the assignment."

"But sir—" I try again, thinking up a new plan. Anything! Come on Si!

"There is no issue, Mr. Oisin," Mr. Garfield looks at me, reaching for the phone at his desk. His suddenly icy cold stare makes my shoulders drop under pressure. "Everything will be managed. Right now, please follow the guard and get changed into formal attire."

He buzzes in someone and two seconds later, there's a knock on the door.

I expect Mr. Garfield to call the person in, seeing he will be introducing me as the one who has to be escorted, but he doesn't.

"That shall be your guide." He says in the tone of see you in the hall.

Oh Lord! I think to myself, shouldering my bag. I need to do something.

The person who's escorting me isn't just some guard. He's a chauffeur who's been told that I'm Julia's date for the evening.

And also that he's to keep an eye on my every move.

"You seem nervous." He says to me, as he drives out of the campus, eyeing my phone through the back view mirror.

I have an urge to tell him that its not his business to either ask me who I am or try to give me advice for my first date with my best friend's girlfriend. But instead of doing that, I keep on trying to get Ryan on the phone.

He's not picking up. I panic inside. He's not picking up!

"Damnit" I mutter, trying his cell number again. The call rings for a while, but then the same thing again.

"Hey! It's Ryan, leave a message."

I don't want to leave a message!! He has to know where I'm going!

"Is it your fist date?" The chauffeur asks again. I look up him, hoping he spontaneously combusts, but he doesn't.

The way he looks at me in the mirror, and how he's noticing all the symptoms people interpret as nervousness, makes it feel like he's a spy. Maybe he is.

He's a spy, keeping an eye on me, making sure that I don't tell Ryan that I'm going to see Julia.

"Yes." I don't even try to keep the venom out of my voice. But the man doesn't even notice.

He just smirks and says "I remember my first date. I was never nervous. "

He doesn't look that old. Middle thirties, I guess. Not balding, no white hair, no wrinkly face. Yes. Probably early thirties. His eyes are fox like. The one which can perform ab X-ray in a single glance. I think he's not even a chauffeur. But some guard dressed as one.

Well, I mentally yell at him, trying Ryan's number again. you never went on a date with your high school friend, to a party organised by a person she hates the most right now, who happens to be your best friend's girlfriend and also in house arrest for five days straight!!

"Hey! It's Ryan, leave a message."

Fine! I think to myself and leave a message as short as possible.

"Be so kind and call me quickly. It's important" I leave a message, and open up the call log again.

I can't leave a detailed message with the eavesdropping spy.

But I need to let someone know.

Who?

Winnie...

"Simon??" She almost yells at me. "Where are you, Bird brain?"

I really like that nick-name. But now's not the time to tell her that.

"Um..." I look at the eavesdropping chauffeur. "I had to leave in emergency—"

" Emergency?" She asks.

"A friend needs me." I tell her, hoping she understands. "I'll see you tomorrow at campus for the assignment."

"Which friend?" She asks, sounding concerned. She did understand. "Julia?"

"Yeah. Its her." I tell her, trying to keep my volume very low. I don't like the chauffeur. "I'll just go and be back. I have a chauffeur picking me up, and hopefully driving me back too. Don't worry, babe."

The guy smirks in the back view mirror.

He is keeping an eye on me. I knew it!

"Whats the problem?" Winnie asks. The girl is wise. She clearly gets that I cant speak out loud.

"Nothing really, babe." I tell her, displaying a smile on my face. "Just some function at Animigo Enterprises. I'll just be there by her side. Noting much."

"One," she says. "Don't babe me. Im not your girlfriend. And two, isn't that the McKay boy's company?"

"Yea, exactly that one." I nod to her, trying to hide my grin at her reaction to the nick name. "I'll see you then okay? Don't worry."

"Fine." And the line goes dead.

"Who was that, sonny?" The chauffeur asks, looking back at me in the rear view mirror.

I want to tell him that If he's looking for it, I found his nose. It was laying in my business.

"No one." I tell him sighing internally.

I bet this day can't any worse.

The chauffeur doesn't just drop me off in front of the huge castle doors. He gives the keys to some other person, and leads me in, straight towards the guest chambers at the third floor.

I don't even have time to look around at the interior decor of this place. The man is just speed walking ahead of me, and I half jog after him, trying to keep up. All I notice is the colour combinations of the furniture and the paintings display on the walls. I follow the chauffeur/escort up the winding staircase, and down several corridors, dodging two maids, and minding my step over a box which had been left unattended in the middle of the corridor. The man doesn't stop until we reach a set of wooden doors. Thats when he turns around and smiles at me.

"You're requirements are all in there," he opens the door for me. "But I'd like your phone first."

"I'm sorry?" I blink at him.

"Your phone, sonny." He points to my jean's pocket where the outline of my phone can be seen if looked closely enough. "You have to give it to me. You can have it when you come out."

I just stare at the man. He cant open my phone without my fingerprint or six digit passcode. Five wrong tries, and phone disabled. Data equals lost forever. But still, I don't want to give my phone to him.

What if Ryan calls?

"Now, sonny." He says, extending his hand.

I look down at it. I cant let him attend Ryan's call!

I have an idea.

I pull out my phone, and immediately unlock it, going straight to settings and turn it to airplane mode. My widgets can't be accessed without unlocking phone, so there's no changing the mode. And no changing mode means no phone calls.

I'll call him back, if he calls. I think, handing the locked phone to the man. He smirks at me.

"Take all the time you want." He says. "We have three hours until we have to leave."

Julia

I put the last pin my hair to hold it back from my face.

The room around me is still a mess. The bed is unmade, the sheets are on the floor. My paints and canvases are everywhere, along with glasses and plates.

I don't care. I haven't let anyone come into my room, even for a moment, after they took the cordless from me. I haven't even heard his voice in what seems like ages. What my room looks like, or what I'm wearing doesn't matter. They're not problems as big as not knowing if Ryan slept or ate anything at all in these five days of torture.

Pushing away all the jewellery which came with the dress last night, I reach for the hair brush. I didn't wear that dress. Not only because it was too red, but also— and mostly— because I didn't want to. I know how these parties are. If I wear a halter neck tail frock, I'll have to dance with most probably Ethan. I won't be entertaining him, tonight. So, no. I'm not wearing the dress he sent for me to wear.

Brushing my hair lightly to untangle the edges, I step over a glass of green tinted water, which i left after painting, to reach for the hair clip I left on mt bed, not caring that I'm stepping onto a piece of card which says

𝐴 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑚 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑦, 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒. 𝐼𝑚 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑤, 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑦. 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑦.

~𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑀𝑐'𝐾𝑎𝑦.

The custom made dress lays discarded on the floor on the other side of the bed by the time I finally find my hair clip. I make my way back to the dressing table, setting my hair, and giving myself a once over in the mirror.

A knee length sky blue handkerchief skirt, white kitten shoes, and a white plain white coat collared top. As simple and informally formal as possible. I've never played dress up before, and neither will ever again. I have bigger things to think about. Like what must Ryan be thinking right now.

My heart clenches at the thought, and my eyes automatically move to the painting drying in my balcony.  Perspective painting of ryan taking a picture of a tiny yellow flower in the grass.

I wonder if he's taken pictures of flowers this week like that. I wonder if he's figured out that I left the window of the Shack open for him to go in and see the paintings I made of him. I wonder if he's been sleeping like he slept back at his home, like a child, on his belly and snoring ever so lightly.

A feel something wet slide down my cheek and soon, it begins to rain again, as I fall to my knees, shaking, crying and trembling.

I wish he were here.

He'd wrap his arms around me, he'd make me forget whatever is happening. He'd move his fingers in my hair and would frown at the shortened length. He'd say soothing things to me like you're mine and I'm here.

And then, everything will be alright.

Everyone who's making me suffer will disappear forever and there would be only Ryan and I in the whole universe. All the problems in life would be solved and there will be only smiles and jokes and every thing nice.

I whimper as I cry, burring my head in my hands, letting all the screams gathered in me in the last hours vent out.

Life is better with him. I wish he were here. I wish he were here. I wish he were here...

Simon

First step, I decide. Get out. Get phone.

"My phone?" I ask the escort man as he smirks at me, seeing me close the door behind me.

"Took you long enough." He says, pulling me phone out of his pocket. "Lost your way in there, sonny?"

Lost your brains outside, idiot? I mentally ask him, checking my phone for notifications.

For one and a half hour, I had only been sitting on the Persian rug on the floor, thinking out a plan. Every plan started at finding phone. Every plan ended at me dying.

The odds weren't only not in my favour, but also holding a grudge against me.

Phone, check. I make a mental note, turning it on.

Second step, find Julia.

But then what?

I move phone from airplane mode, while the guard mumbles about the Lady being here any moment now.

No calls from Ryan. A text from Winnie.

Can't find Romeo.

I read and reread the text again, getting more and more worried. Where is Ryan?

"Giovanni?" Comes Julia's voice from somewhere behind me.

"Miss Garfield." The guard nods.

I look up, to find her glaring at Giovanni the chauffeur/ escort.

"Where is my father?" She demands.

"Julia—" I begin to say, noticing her attire, but she holds up a hand and stops me.

Not like shut up!

But like Not now. Not here.

"He'll be joining you in the ceremony, ma'am." Giovanni says, looking unfazed. Like Julia is not half yelling at him.

"Tell him to come now!" She motions him to be gone.

She looks frail. Like she hasn't been eating or sleeping for a while. Her eyes are swollen, and her cheeks are colourless. She might just be a zombie Julia, if not for her aggressive tone.

"Yes ma'am." Giovanni looks at me for a moment, telling me with his cold eyes to stay put and don't mess around, then turns around and leaves towards the end of the corridor, where he takes a right and disappears.

Thats when it happens.

"Julia!" I reach for her, just as she sways on her feet and falls forward. I reach her just in time, but stumble back, ending up sitting on the floor in the corridor with a shivering Julia in my arms.

"Jules?" I instinctively reach for her forehead, which is a little warmed up.

She has slight fever.

"Where is he?" She asks, her voice as frail as she looks. I hold her closer, feeling her tremble, trying to sooth her. But I know in my bones that I can't do that.

"He's back at campus." I decide not to tell her that I don't know where exactly. "I was pulled out from class and escorted here right away. I left him a message."

"He can't come here, Simon." Julia, pushes off me with a hand to look up at me.

I let her.

"Why?" Im confused. It's not because I think he should be here. He shouldn't be. If he does, he'll risk a lot. But there's something in Julia's tone that indicates that there's something else too.

"Because..." and the next words she utters, makes it more complicated.

Josh

Whistling Billie Elish's Wish You Were Gay, I make my way to the cafeteria to look for Si and Ryan. Only to find both of them absent.

Or maybe they're ghosts now, and I cant see them?

I dunno.

I check my phone to look if I have some notifications saying 'hey, Joshie! we're gonna haunt you 4ever, cuz we're best buds 4ever', but there's none.

I look around to check if its some prank, mentally checking my completely mental calendar to confirm its not my birthday.

29th of February.

No. Today isn't my birthday at all.

Thats sad. My birthday is so far.

In my search of two possibly-ghosts, I see medusa coming towards me with a look that says listen or I'll unleash my snakes.

"Hey blondie!" I wave at her, just as she approaches. We're standing a bit to the left of the entrance of the cafeteria, so the incomers and outgoers don't have to dodge us. "Where's blond?"

"I have a name." She snaps. "And he's not here."

"And?" I try my level best to urge her to speak more.

She tries to strangle me with her glare.

"And you have to help me find Hunt!"

"I dunno where he is." I tell her. "By the way, aren't you only supposed to be working with Simon? Or did Ryan change majors—"

"Its about his girl." She growls.

Ok.... that's serious.

Changing to serious mode.

"What about her?" I ask, raising my eyebrow. Yeah. I can do that.

"Shes at that Mc'Kay boy's place. Some party." She says, her eyes filtering the crowd for Ryan probably. "Simon said she needs help. If thats the case, Hunt should know about it."

Makes sense.

"Where have you looked?" I ask her, searching the crowd too.

Pretty girls from Arts class, Two hunks from CS, a group of first semester whore being chased by the seniors, but no sulking zombie granny Hunt.

"The dorms." Blondie says. "He's not there."

"You checked the girl's dorms for him?" I must admit, I'm shocked.

"No, you idiot!" She snaps, "the Male dorms! He's not there."

"Oh." I nod, continuing my search. "Then why don't you go check the grounds and I'll go check the classes or something?"

She flips that idea over in her mind, examining it.

"Fine." She finally says.

Ryan

Laying on my back on the bed, I stare at the ceiling.

The room still has her scent, and her pillow has the richest of it. Inhaling that fragrance helps me breathe. I'm half dead. Not fully dead like I was before.

Yesterday— no. Today's morning, while trying to find a way to keep myself sane, I tried the window again. And found it unlocked. She left it like that for me, like she knew I would need it.

Shes so full of surprises.

Shes mine.

I don't know how long have I been laying here. My phone is somewhere in the floor under the bed, so I can't check the time. All I remember is coming here at six in the morning, and then finally falling asleep after two restless nights, surrounded by Julia's scent.

I woke up just a few moments ago, woken up by absence of sounds around me. Her scent is here, but her voice is not.

Her self is not.

But her scent is...

I close my eyes and breathe it in again.

My Julia.

The sounds of her sleeping echo around me, and I cant help but picture her laying on her stomach in her t-shirt and trousers, breathing evenly, dreaming about walking in vast fields under blur skies.

Shes mine. She told me so.

I'm waiting for her. Waiting for her to come back. Or waiting for life to take me to her. Waiting for anything to happen. Anything. The wait is too long. I can't do it anymore. What ever is supposed to happen, should happen. So that I actually do something, instead of laying here and daydreaming.

But all I can do right now is lay here and daydream. So that's all I do.

Until there's a tapping on the window pane.

"Man, I can see you there. Come out!"

It's josh.

Its not Julia.

I'm not going.

I'm stay—

"She's at Animigo Enterprises!" He adds. "She need help!"

What????

Simon

"Damn." I mutter, getting out of the car as I pocket my phone.

Julia takes my hand, looking concerned as she gets out too.

Her father hadn't come like she had demanded. Instead, she was instructed to come with Giovani to the party where we'll be welcomed by the event manager.

And so, here we are, standing outside the gates of the vast empire, Animigo Enterprises. The place, as I've been told by Giovani, has a huge hall where the event was being conducted. All the staff, share holders and the board are expected to be there right now, as we make out way in through the automatic glass doors.

The event manager, a lady in her early forties, Mrs Mara Becket, smiles and shakes Julia's hand. Julia doesn't return the smile, and discreetly takes a step to hide behind me.

Mrs Becket doesn't seem to care, as she just turns around on her heals, and leads is into the place, decorated with elegant white and silver balloons.

"Why'd you cuss?" Julia asks quietly.

I take her hand, just to keep her steady, and slow down a bit to match her pace.

"Winnie says Josh isn't cooperating." I tell her. I had typed down the situation with Ryan, rephrasing it as Ryan is busy taking make up classes, so we cant find him.

I unconsciously place my free hand over the pocket where my phone is, the text still in its notifications.

Josh played Frair John. Romeo is coming to Verona.

"I hope he's okay. Its very late for make up classes." Julia says, slightly leaning against me for support. Her hand is now warmer than before.

Her fever is growing.

"Me too." I nod at her.

Ryan cant come. I hope Winnie is wrong in her assessment, and Ryan never comes. Because in his metal state, and what's about to happen here, Ryan might end up with murder charges.

Ryan can't come... Julia has said. This ceremony, this is not just an anniversary celebration. Its my engagement announcement. I have a plan. I need your help to escape, Simon. But Ryan can't come. He must not come.

I hope he doesn't... I bite my inner cheek, I hope he gets lost. I hope he goes somewhere else— anywhere else! But not here.

~•|•~