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It was suddenly lunch time. As students now found
themselves completely immersed inside their closed off
groups, Craig sat in the halls alone. He had a
contemplative stare on his face that seemed relentless.
He stared at his phone coldly, not believing the exchange
that had just taken place with his future self. How could
this be? A girl is going to commit suicide and now it's
up to him to find her. And if he can't find her and she
does off himself the universe will be altered forever? It
just didn't seem fair to him that this would be put upon
him.
As Craig continued to drop into the abyss that is his
mind, Ryan and Clarice noticed Craig as they wandered
through the halls in a somewhat happy go lucky manner.
As they noticed the expression on Craig's face they
couldn't help but become alarmed and concerned
regarding his mental state. And the fact that he didn't
take notice of them was disconcerting as well.
"Hey!" The two of them shouted to Craig, effectively
breaking him out of the prison of his mind.
"Oh hey, whattup?"
"Are you okay?" Claire asked with genuine concern.
You seemed gone for a second."
"Like you were tripping on some dope ass shrooms or
something." Ryan blurted it out in what was now
obviously his normal state.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just get a little squirrely when I'm
hungry."
"But, it's lunch." Claire so kindly pointed out. "Why
don't you just go eat?"
"My parents forgot to give me the check for lunch
money."
Claire then handed Craig a bright red apple seemingly
out of nowhere. She had a nice radiant smile on her face
as the apple pointed towards him. Craig couldn't help
but break a smile at her strange, yet gentle kindness.
"Eat up!" Claire said, hoping to inject some enthusiasm
into Craig.
"Thanks Claire." Craig said as he bit into the apple.
You could see a sense of relief as his thoughts went
away from the issue at hand and he focused on
masticating the apple.
"Did you give that future self-visualization a go man?"
Ryan asked.
"Yeah."
"What went down?"
"Not much of anything at all actually."
"Bummer deal. I got to speak my future self. Well, for a
little bit anyway. It was hard to stay connected and I just
lost focus. Although, I did catch him saying something
about chemistry.
"Something about it being important."
"Aren't you failing chemistry?" Claire asks.
"Yeah... oh shit."
"And you Claire?" Craig asked.
"I did talk to my future self! She was so cool! She had
this beautiful, yet serious look to her. And she was so
smart. Her advice to me was to not waste my time
gossiping. How deep is that? "I can't believe that when
I turn 25 I'm going to be like that!"
"Oh wow." Craig said, really trying to hide the obvious
disappointment on his face. How was it that he is the
only one that had the kind of contact with his future self?
Craig's head sinks down further as Ryan and Claire just
can't help but feel sorry for him.
"Yo." Ryan called out to Craig. We are going to go and
finish eating outside. "If you don't have something to do
you should come with."
"It's cool." Craig replied in a self-defeating way.
wouldn't want to bother you two."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Claire asked in a
surprisingly assertive manner. "How would you bother
us?"
"I don't know. "But I'm positive that I would find a
way."
"Oh, shut up. You're coming whether you like it or not.
"You got that?"
"Come again?"
"Do I seriously have to repeat myself?"
Moments later Craig found himself outside with Ryan
and Claire, laying across the field, staring into the blue
sky that was above them. Craig looked at Ryan and
Claire and noticed just how calm and relaxed they were.
But, with what was looming, Craig couldn't help but be
just a little tense. Not that anyone could truly blame him
of course. Who was this girl? How in the hell is it going
to be possible to find her? Do I know her? Or is she
some total stranger? What if she is some transfer student
that won't actually be here until October? What if it was
Amy? Leanna? Rachel? Or even Claire? These were
the quality of thoughts that went through Craig's mind
right now.
Craig looked at Claire to see if there was anything
about her expression that would suggest that she would
do such an act. He inspected her face for any signs of
covert sadness, any kind of sign at all for that matter. As
Craig turned over to Claire to see any warning signs,
Ryan noticed the subtle shifts with Craig's body
language and found it peculiar and felt compelled to say
something.
"How's your schedule treating you Craig?" Ryan asked
wanting to free Craig from his mind once again.
"Oh, you know." Replied Craig in a hasty fashion as he
realized that he had been seen. It's the same shit just
like last year. "But, why the generic ass question?"
"Well, we don't know each other that well. So, I
figured that it would work out better to start a
conversation on such common grounds."
"Yeah, I guess. "Still boring."
"Do you get bored a lot?"
"I haven't really given it a lot of thought. I guess that I
do get bored a lot."
"Maybe you just aren't fully present in the moment
enough. Look around you and breathe. "If you are fully
present with what's right in front of you, then you can
never be bored."
Craig looked up at the sky as he allowed those words to
hit him just a bit. Staring at the sky, he couldn't help but
ponder if he truly ever is present at all.
"I've concluded that my future self has been speaking to
me this whole time." Claire announced.
"In what ways?" Ryan asked.
"When you think about it, it's pretty obvious. There are
clouds in the sky that remind me of my hello kitty doll.
It's crazy, she's been trying to send me a message this
whole time."
Just as Claire said that, Craig got a text from guess who?
His future self.
"You must really feel comfortable about the direction
that you're taking."
Craig briefly stared at the text as a feeling of horror
arose within him. He knew that his future self was
correct about his underlying message. He couldn't just
lay around here like everything was fine. He had to stay
mobile and take some serious action.
"I got to take care of some shit before class." Craig
announced as he quickly rose up from the ground. Ryan
and Claire looked to him as if they were letting him
know that his actions seemed too abrupt to be real.
"I guess we'll see you at the club then bro." Ryan said.
"Guess so."
As lunch neared its completion, Craig stood still in the
hallway as he began to scan. What he was trying to do
was convince himself that this was all just a very
elaborate practical joke. However, he knew that wasn't
the case because there really wasn't anyone close enough
to him for this to be the case. Unless his old comrades
were behind this, staging a reunion. He pegged that to
be highly unlikely.
After a few more moments pass and Craig noticed that
the bell was about to ring, he finally decides to just pull
the trigger and text his future self for advice. What harm
would come of it? Might as well give it a shot.
He asked his future self if there was anything that he
could do to figure out just who this person could be.
Surprisingly, he got a quick response from him.
"Go up to someone who intimidates you."
Craig instantly knew what he meant of course. Go to a
girl that he thought was really hot. Nothing could prove
to be more intimidating to a young man's psyche than
getting rejected by a girl that not only he saw hot, but
most of the guys and girls in the school did as well. The
mere thought of this made Craig's heart faint.
The thing is, Craig knew that this wasn't the time to
cower away. That this was in fact the time for inspired
action. And he certainly had the proper inspiration now.
So, Craig did a quick scan for the hottest girl that was
in his peripheral vision. His eyes caught and settled on
one Marcy Pryce, a junior and a fantastic cheerleader.
She was the prime example of the girl that guys would
discuss when bringing up who really turned them on.
The type of girl that if she smiled and looked you in the
eye that you were going to be thinking about that for
exactly one week.
Craig looked at Marcy and his fight or flight response
started going off. The words "no way" popped into his
head a few times. Although, as much as he wanted to
just not do it, he realized that it was his fate. He had no
choice in matter. Either go up to Marcy or have the
universe be altered forever because he was too scared.
After taking a few deep breaths, Craig went in. He
made sure that he had the most confident and cool look
that he could think of. He thought of Denzel
Washington walking the red carpet. As he walked up to
Marcy he noticed that she had four other girls that were
nearly as beautiful as her. Craig began to wonder why
hot girls always hung out in such big groups. It just
made everything that much harder.
As Craig stepped to Marcy, the girls that were orbiting
around her noticed. A look of confusion crossed their
faces as Craig drew in closer and closer. That familiar
feeling of resistance arose up within him with the
sharpness of a brand-new Cuisinart. He just wanted
to drop back and have nothing to do with them at all. He
also knew that if he were to do that then that could spell
the universe as he knew it. So, he pushed on.
"Hey." Craig, mustering the courage to speak to Marcy.
"I'm Craig."
"Hey." Marcy said with as much apathy as one could
imagine with a greeting. "Marcy."
Craig could tell instantly that she had her guards up. It
was perhaps because she's had a ton of scrubs hit on her
quite a bit of the time. So, Craig just saying hey to her
simply was not going to cut it.
"I kept up with how you and the cheerleading squad did
at the nationals." Craig said to her. He was just pulling
this out of his ass. But, it was enough to create a pattern
interruption where Marcy's attention was concerned.
"It was quite spectacular actually. It's going to be cool
to see you as the captain next year."
Marcy's face lit up like a sunrise crossed her face.
Craig was surprised that his simple ass words could
bring such a reaction to such an attractive young lady.
All she wanted right then and there were some kind
words. And that was all that it took to get the ball rolling
in the direction of Craig's favor.
"Wow, thank you!" Marcy said with a sweet sound of
joy being expressed through her voice. Her friends
stared at her and Craig in disbelief. Marcy wasn't the
type of girl that would just fall for a guy like that.
Especially a non-athlete lower classman. "It's a ton of
work, but it can be really life affirming sometimes!"
Now that was not something that Craig expected to
hear from Marcy's mouth. Life affirming? He had just
judged her as an airhead hot cheerleader like every other.
He didn't think that cheerleading meant more to her than
the notoriety that came along with it.
"What makes it life affirming for you?"
"Just being able to set a goal and being able to see it
through with the girls. I never feel more alive than when
I am cheering. It's like I'm able to totally be myself in
front of other people and it's accepted. You know what I
mean?"
"Yeah, I know what you mean. The energy within you
when you cheer is your true essence."
And just like that, Marcy lit up even more. Craig was
beginning to even surprise himself. He knew that he
could use his words well in certain situations. However,
he didn't think that a few kind words would get Marcy to
be so receptive and warm to him.
The bell rang, and Marcy stared at Craig with a look of
longing on her face. Craig knew right then and there that
he was in with Marcy. It was now only a matter of
retrieving her number and making plans to see her.
Then, he would be able to investigate her behavior. As
he was about to make a move, Marcy beat him to the
punch.
"Let me get your number." Marcy said, truly catching
Craig off guard. Her friends were just about as stunned
as well. Marcy handed Craig her phone and he began to
put his number in. He was all giddy inside of course.
But, he managed to keep that self-contained. Marcy then
reached into Craig's pocket, grabbed his phone and put
her number in. Craig was in awe of the confidence that
she exuded. The realization that he didn't truly know
who he was dealing with finally dropped in.
"Call or text me. We'll hang out."
"For sure."
And just like that the bell rang. Marcy and her friends
were off as Craig gathered himself together and headed
towards his class. All he truly wanted to do was gather
some information about Marcy to see if she was the
suicide girl. Now suddenly, he has a date with her. It
was as if things were being arranged in his favor by a
puppet master.
Once the last class of the day was over and Craig
bought a couple of slices of pizza, he ran straight to the
club room where everyone except for Amy was already
there. There was a hint of madness on Craig's face once
he entered the room as everyone was greatly affected by
his energy. Craig looked around briefly as his radar
caught Leanna. He then b-lined right to her.
"Leanna, have you been texting your future self lately?"
"No, not really. Why? What's going on?"
Leanna's expression on her face that was as set as
concrete said it all. She was more than a bit alarmed by
Craig's sense of urgency. As Craig was about to really
press her, Amy walked into the room and the sight did
not appeal to her much at all. She ran over and grabbed
Craig by the collar, jerking him away from Leanna.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Amy asked,
staring Craig right in the eyes as if she was a police
officer and he was some perp that she had just
apprehended.
"Amy! Please tell me if you have been talking to your
future self! I need to…"
Before Craig could even finish, Amy had punched him
in the face, herself being more than a bit alarmed by
Craig's sense of urgency. Everyone gathered around as
Craig dropped to the floor. Amy then looked down at
Craig as he began to crack his eyes open.
"Dude, what is wrong with you?"
"It's kind of hard to explain."
"Do you know where we are? "This is the place for
things that are hard to explained to be properly
explained!"
Craig took a deep breath, exhaled and got himself up
from the grown. He patted his clothing as everyone
looked at him in a confused manner, feeling that
something different was about to be said. Craig then
looked at Amy as his eyes grew with seriousness, but his
face became soft.
"I've been communicating with my future self a lot."
"Like texting back and forth?"
"Yup."
"Wow!" Claire exclaimed out of nowhere. "How did
you swing that? That sounds so cool!"
"How is that even possible?" Leanna asked.
"Sometimes the future self has an urgent mission and he
must dump it on his past self, being present Craig."
Amy explained. It is, however a rare occurrence. And
even then, most future selves will tell you about the
mission and that's the end of it."
"Sounds like yours is chatty Craig." Ryan commented.
"The mission is that there is a girl in this school who is
going to commit suicide." Craig said, at once bringing
the room to a complete (no pun intended) dead silence.
"I have until winter break to find her and stop her. And if
I don't succeed with this mission then this universe's
world time will be altered in an significant way forever.
No one truly knew what to do as they stared at Craig.
Then a wave of energy went through Amy, Leanna, and
Claire. What if it was one of them? Was that the reason
Craig was so in their faces, particularly Amy and
Leanna?
"So, umm." Claire started. Is there any sort of criteria
that allows one to show up on this list?"
"None so far." Craig replied. "My future self only told
me so far to go up to someone who scared me. So, I
went up to that popular varsity cheerleader, Marcy
Pryce, and started talking to her. I guess we will be
going out soon, so I'll be able to learn more."
Amy's, Leanna's, and Clarice's mouths all nearly
dropped at what Craig said. All three became filled up
with their own unique brand of jealousy.
"So, you're going on a date with Marcy Pryce?" Leanna
asked with a slightly timid voice.
"Craig!" Amy exclaimed. "You can't just use this
future self shit as an excuse to be a man-whore! This is
about science! Not dates!"
"My intent was not to get a date with her."
"You're saying that it just kinda happened huh? Like a
funny story?"
"In a way, pretty much, yeah. Just a byproduct of the
whole ordeal."
"Whatever. Regardless, this is all damn kinds of serious
on the any kind of scale. This is suicidal girl offs
herself, it's possible that the events that are taking place
right now may be wiped out."
"Wiped out?" Claire repeated with great fear in her
voice. "Why?"
"Sometimes a death of one ant can set off the death of a
whole colony." Amy began. "Even someone who is as
seemingly insignificant like as female teenager can alter
the course of the universe forever. This universe was
built on logical rules, but it sure doesn't operate on
logic."
"Why don't we help you Craig?" Leanna suggested.
But, just like that, Craig got a text from his future self.
He quickly examined it and then showed it to everyone.
Everyone's eyes widen as they read the text.
"No can do on receiving anyone's help. "You're doing
this all alone."
"It looks like my future self wants me to go at this solo."
"But, how are you going to be able to figure out the girl
who's going to kill herself?" Ryan asked. "Chances are
it's not even Marcy."
"You're going to have track down every single girl in the
school." Claire suggested.
"Shit." Craig let out. That's not even possible. "There's
no way."
"Well, you're going to need to actually come with some
sort of criteria then." Leanna said. That's going to be
the only way that you're going to be able to figure this
out."
"Agreed." Amy said as she immediately headed over to
the chalk board. "Any ideas of what a suicidal girl is
like?"
"OOOO!" Claire let out. "They look sad!"
"True." Amy replied as she wrote that down.
"They are lonely!" Leanna said.
"Absolutely." Amy replied as she wrote that down as well.
"They wear all black." Ryan said.
"Makes sense." Amy replied as she wrote that down as
well.
"They want love!" Claire blurted out.
"Indeed." Amy said as she added that suggestion to the
list.
As the suggestions went on, the list grew and it in fact
got better. At the end of up it, Craig couldn't help but
just stare at it. It was of course a somber list. However
that had allowed Craig to engage different patterns of
thought in regard to this.
"Well." Amy said. "Now you've got a base to jump from."
"I guess that is one way of looking at it." Craig said.
"So, any of us fit the criteria?" Claire asked in a semi
joking way.
The thing is, Craig didn't see any part of it as a joke.
The same could be said for everyone else in the room. If
there was a meter that measured the amount of
awkwardness that was currently in the room, it would
have broken due to all the pressure that had been
amassed. Amy and Leanna tried to not look at anyone as
they thought of what applied to them on that list.
"I'm going to have to compile more data before I can
properly come to any kind of conclusion." Craig stated.
The club meeting went on and Craig left without so
much uttering a word. As Craig walked out of the door,
Amy quickly rushed over to Craig grabbed his arm
tightly to get his attention. Judging by the way he
whipped back, he was indeed effective.
"Woman!" Craig shouted, annoyed with her actions.
"What's the deal?"
"Geez, you are a tender young man, aren't you?" Amy
commented in a condescending manner.
Amy began to stare at Craig in a manner that became
quite off putting to him. He didn't quite understand why
was looking at him so intently. He normally enjoyed it
when a girl was looking at him like that. But why Amy,
he could see that her blank expression meant that she
was in deep thought about him. And just what could she
be thinking of so deeply concerning him?
"Why are you looking at me like you're a famished
shark and I'm so some sort of juicy bait?" Craig
inquired hesitantly.
"You lost your virginity last year, didn't you?" Amy
asked Craig, just ever so slightly knocking him off of his
rocker.
"Uh…" Craig mumbled, searching to what would make
the most sense as a correct response to this.
"No need to hide it."
"Yeah, yeah I did. How did you figure that out?"
"It was in your eyes. You looked at me and I could
sense you feeling grounded. But all it really was just
you are acting like you are grounded instead of truly
being grounded."
"I see. What do you want?"
"How do you feel about Leanna, Claire, and I?"
Craig took a slight step back at this question. It was
clear as a brand-new diamond that had been under
pressure for decades that she was still figuring out how
she felt as far as the criteria that was written on the board
with Amy's own hand. Craig realized that he had to
handle this very carefully. Tiptoe around it if you will.
"Well. You see Amy, I haven't quite gone down that
level of thinking surrounding you three yet. It is just a
bit more complex than…"
"Oh, don't you give me that shit. You're a guy, you
know how you feel. So. say it."
"Can I be honest?"
"That's what I'm asking for!"
"I know how I feel about you three as far as liking how
you look. But outside of that, I don't know."
Amy looked at Craig with disbelief as Craig stood there
not sure of what he should be doing. Her face grew
softer and softer as each second went by. Craig could
sense that there were some great emotions building up
inside of her that she was doing her best not to release.
Craig knew that feeling all too well.
"Look dude. Just be honest. I can handle it."
"Okay… I think that Claire is really sweet with her
southern charm. But naïve as well. Leanna is super nice
and innocent. "Really cool and down to earth chick."
"And where the hell does that leave me?" Amy barks,
not caring about the other two and truly just wanting to
know where she stands with him.
"You are a bit domineering. But really cute."
Amy's face lit up at Craig words. Even with her trying
to hide it her face still shined in regard to his approval.
"Thanks for being honest."
"Yeah."
And just like that Craig walked away as Amy watched
in a longing manner. Leanna as she was exiting and
about to speak to Amy noticed the look on her face and
saw Craig walking off in the distance. She was able to
make a distinct connection between the two as Amy
gathered herself together.
"Want to get a burger?" Amy asked, hiding away her feelings."
"Sure." Leanna said, putting her arm around Amy,
trying to be a good friend. Leanna than caught another
look from Amy that made her just want to push her on
forward the as the two made their way for the exit.
As Craig walked through the halls to clear his head
before leaving he couldn't just help but be in his head
about everything. Should he consider Amy, Leanna, and
Claire in this? What do the three of them mean to him?
Is there anything beyond the superficial that can arise to
the surface? He had only just met them a few days ago
of course. But, what were feelings that he had bottled
inside about them that he couldn't express?
Craig was about to leave the school when Ryan caught
up to him. Craig was a bit taken aback by this. He had
been long gone from the club room. How the hell did
Ryan find him? Was he stalking him? If so, what for?
"Craig man."
"Whattup?"
"I wanted to talk about this whole future self-thing and
your mission a bit."
"Yeah? What about?"
"Well, I suppose I just want to ask…why you?"
This question took Craig back quite a bit. He could
instantly decipher that Ryan had some hidden motives
underneath that question. But, to what extent he had no
clue. There was no concrete reason to suspect Ryan of
any wrong doing. At the same time, there was no way to
get around his question which was indeed quite weird.
"I don't know man, I didn't choose. But, what's with that question?"
"Felt like a simple, fair question."
Craig couldn't help but look at Ryan in a weird way.
Suddenly, his cadence just seemed off to him. Like he
had become another person. Or rather, he was finally
showing his true self and it felt a bit off to Craig.
"Ryan, what's going on?"
"What do you mean bro?"
"You're just acting a bit… off."
Ryan came closer to Craig in an unnerving and telling
way. It was becoming clear that Ryan was preparing to
reveal something to him. Craig began to feel held in
some sort of suspense. Ryan then leaned towards, took a
deep breath and opened his mouth.
"Craig, I'm an earth angel."
As you could imagine, this knocked Craig a bit off his
out of his mind. He didn't even have the slightest clue
just what the hell an earth angel was. Outside of
sounding kinda cool to him, it just seemed a bit foreign
and out there. And now Ryan was seeming way out
there.
"Umm…" Craig started, not knowing what the hell he
should be saying. What are you talking about?"
"You've never even heard of the term earth angel?"
"Nope."
"Wow. I suppose it makes more sense why you were
picked. A nice, empty vessel."
"Are you going to actually tell me what the fuck is going
on or what?"
Ryan smiled at Craig vibrato. It was as if he was
testing his interest level. To see if he was in fact serious.
To see if he even truly cared at all. The reactions that he
received were proof enough for him.
"Three to five times a year, earth angels ascend to your
world. We aide those individuals who we deem need
our aid the most."
"Okay… And the criteria for this is?"
"We look at how unique the situation is. The more
unique the situation is, the less likely that there are any
references for the person to go from."
"Makes sense."
"I was sent down to find the person who was put into
this extraordinary position. Never thought that joining
that club would lead me to it."
"You just joined the club for fun then?"
"Yeah. Isn't that the point? Why did you join?"
"I don't know. "Boredom."
"Irony. You are anything but bored now."
"It's a cruel irony. But please, continue on, please."
"My apologies. Anyway, now that I've found you, my
job is help you stop the impending quantum
entanglement that will take place if this girl dies."
"Why do you mean impending quantum entanglement?"
"I see a quantum entanglement the same way that I see a
couple that's tied to each other's hips. They are acting in
a way that makes it impossible for them to be described
independently of each other. Because of how they are
always connected, and they have even begun to look like
one another, even when they are separated it is as though
the other person is still right there with them."
"How does this affect the universe?"
"To put it in simple Lameman's terms, there are several
world lines in the universe. Each world line exist and at
the same time doesn't exist. It exists because of the
infinite possibilities that universe provides. It does not
exist because we are living in a world line of our own.
With that being said, if you bring two world lines
together at the same time, it will cause of a cosmic
meeting of fates and alter the universe just like that."
As Ryan snapped his fingers for dramatic emphasis as
Craig allowed what he said to sink in. He just couldn't
fathom how deep this issue was the universe and the
kind of responsibility that had been placed on him. He
just considered himself to be a normal high school
student who wanted to have a good time. Not only did
he not ask for this, he didn't see himself worthy of such
an important call of duty.
"You okay?" Ryan asked, seeing that Craig was starting
to look out of whack."
"Yeah man." Craig replied as he began to shake off the
anxiety. "Wow."
"I'm aware that this is a lot a young man to handle. But,
I'm sure with enough self-mastery, the tools that I will
provide, and taking action, you can perform honorably."
"Right."
"I hope that this has helped you."
"What were you before you became an earth angel?"
"I was a spirit. I floated through all throughout the universe."
"And then you came to do this."
"That's what I do."
"Okay then, tell me. What the fuck should I do?"
"This is a journey that is going to require you to look
beyond the masquerade. The only way that you are
going to be able to find this girl is to feel her, not see her.
You are going on a date with Marcy Pryce right?"
"It's not a date."
"Whatever. You need to be able to truly see into her
while you are with her. That's the only way that you are
going to be able to either rule her out and deem her as
the suicidal girl."
"And I suppose you mean feel her on an emotional
level."
"Yes. And this can be done in several ways."
"Like what?"
"You'll have fun figuring that out."
"Right. Well, I got to go. I guess we should keep in
touch."
"Yeah, I already got your number, so I will give you a
call later"
"How did you get my number?"
"I'm an earth angel. Divinity sees no limitations."
Ryan began to walk away as Craig stood there, once
again not believing what was happening right here, right
now. Before he began to leave, Ryan stopped and turned
back to Craig with great intent in his eyes.
"It's humorous." Your mere existence could save
humanity. Yet, you leave like a less than worthy mortal.
Strange."
Ryan walked away, leaving Craig to chew on that. As he stared up in the sky he couldn't help
but think to him…
"This is going to hard."