(TW: Mentions of death)
[24th December]
"I'll see you guys tomorrow!" I hailed them off before hurrying to the door. It was freezing outdoor!
"Hurry up! The ice cream will melt soon!" Jay pointed to the cooler bag in my grasp. I had purchased fruitcake-flavored ice cream for my family. Waving one last time, I shut the door behind me. I noticed my parents were installing a Christmas tree in the corner of our living room.
"Oh?" I peered at the shining star at the apex.
"Back just in time, Johnny! Mind helping out with the decorations? Your sister took up an extra shift today," my dad notified.
"Of course! I'll be right over in a second." I jogged into the kitchen to set the sugary good away into the freezer before retreating to the living hall.
"Where can I start?" I got onto my knees to skim through the boxes of ornaments.
"Wherever you like! We usually begin with the angels," my mum motioned to the box nearest to me. I crawled over to pick up a few before stepping to the manmade tree. I stared at it in dismay.
If I put it on the branches, won't it slip and drop? I tilted my head to the side and carefully hung the angel ornament. It didn't fall! I grinned in relief before reaching for another trinket.
The three of us spent about an hour and a half embellishing the Christmas tree. By the time my sister walked through the door, we were already testing out the LED lights that my dad hung around the tree. He reassured me that the tree wouldn't burn after I voiced out my concern.
"It looks fabulous!" my sister wandered to us, tossing her work bag onto the couch.
"You guys are done?" she questioned.
"Yeah!"
"Damn it, I was hoping to help out a little," she clicked her tongue in displeasure.
"It's okay! Focus on your work." I patted her shoulders, prompting her to stare at me in amusement.
"Wow, since when did Johnny become so nice?" she laughed.
"It's on my bucket list to be nice to my sister for once," I replied coolly with a smug smile. My sister simply scoffed before she scuffled upstairs.
"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight!" we waved her off.
"You should go to sleep too, Johnny. You have school tomorrow." as if on cue, I yawned aloud.
"I will. Goodnight!"
-
"Oh! Johnny-!"
"Jay said yes!?" Johnny tackled me onto the bed with a wide grin.
"He did! We went on our first date like two days ago!" he groaned exasperatingly.
"That old hag didn't let me come visit. Come on, I wanna know every detail about it!" I giggled at his enthusiasm. We spend a whole hour gushing over Jay. I also told Johnny about the way Jay handled the teenagers at his restaurant. He sighed dreamily after that.
"No way, he gave you a hickey today!?" Johnny gasped, covering his mouth in hysteria.
"I think it's still on my neck-" I discarded the plaster and he gasped again.
"And in class!?"
"No! He did it in an empty classroom!" Johnny threw himself onto the bed.
"Wow...how did that feel?" he asked, making me flustered.
"Uhm, I don't know! Weird?" my cheeks were a bright red. He snickered.
"You should've given him one too!" he poked my sides.
"I can't believe you actually confessed right after I told you about it though. But I'm glad my feelings were reciprocated." he whirled the bedsheets in his hand.
"You don't like him, do you?" he suddenly questioned, turning to me with raised brows. I was taken by surprise but I laughed and assured him I didn't. He returned my grin.
I bit my lip. Is it unfavorable that I did possess a tinny weeny liking on Jay?
"Thank God you don't."
"What do you mean by that?" I watched as he hoisted himself from the sheets.
"I believe that even if you've forgotten your memories, your feelings for people you love never change. If you do have feelings for Jay, it means that Ethan does too as of now. That would've been very awkward." I was suddenly reminded of Rikki.
"Johnny? Did you know about Rikki...?" I trailed off when he raised a finger.
"Trust me, I know about it." he sighed softly before laying down again.
"But what can I do? It's not like I can switch crushes-"
"He kissed me that day."
"He did WHAT!?" Johnny sat up so suddenly, his hair disheveled as he stared at me in bewilderment.
"Yeah," I exhaled heavily.
"I rejected him. He's been treating me coldly ever since." Johnny chewed his lips.
"...have you tried talking to him?"
"What am I even supposed to say?" he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
"Yeah, I wouldn't know either." he looked away. "
Anyway, have you told them?" I groaned.
"Nope! I'll probably do it on Saturday or something." I launched myself onto the bed with a thud.
It was hushed after that.
"Do you miss Jay, Johnny?" I randomly asked only to get no response.
I hummed indifferently and stared at the plaster ceiling. "Just hang in there a little longer,"
It was unusual, there weren't even sounds of the sheets shuffling. "Johnny?" I elevated my head from the cushion to realize he disappeared. There was no one in the room save for me. I immediately lifted myself up, worried.
"What..." it was uncanny to be awake.
"Johnny?" I checked the bathroom and the wardrobe. He was nowhere to be found. I didn't think much about Johnny's sudden departure and attempted to go to bed.
I tossed and turned on the wrinkled sheets but to no avail.
I couldn't go to sleep.
Frustrated, I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I began wandering around the room. It was rather peculiar. Sure, it was Johnny's actual room in the conscious realm but there was an odd vibe to it in this world. That got me thinking...
What if I wasn't dreaming and is actually alert in another dimension? The dimension Johnny is currently in! I shifted to the door. There was light seeping through the bottom gap of the door.
I recalled last night when Lilith walked through the door...it was pure white on the other side. Will it be the same?
Besides, all lights in Johnny's house would've been shut off by now. I took inquisitive steps to the door and grabbed onto the doorknob. With a sigh, I twisted it open. I had to squint my eyes at the sudden brightness that greeted me.
Nothing was modified from the original house, maybe a couple of abstract paintings that I've never seen before on the wall. It was eerily quiet and I got chills.
"Hello?" there was no one home, apparently.
I tentatively made my way downstairs. All the lights were turned on as well. The Christmas tree was set up too! I stepped closer to the tree.
Huh?
I remember placing the angel right here...it was in a different place now. I shook my head. Must've been my memory. I studied the house and there was indeed no one. I nonchalantly hummed and looked around for a clock.
Nine in the morning. Was it a school day?
I impulsively roamed into the kitchen's freezer, opening its door. Tugging on the lid, I spotted a noticeable gap in the fruitcake ice cream I had bought just hours ago. I raised a brow. Did my sister eat some?
I decided to head out of the house for a prompt walk around the neighborhood. Maybe I could visit Dylan and Ethel's house too! They live nearby.
It was snowing, as expected. But there was something so unlike in this world. Everything was so...dull. Even though the sun was shining radiantly above me, the houses around seemed to have lost their color. Or was it my eyes?
Not long after, I entered the cousins' neighborhood. The architecture was not very different from mine, considering we lived in the same district.
"282...282..." I recited as I browsed around for their house, grinning when I saw their golden house plate from afar. The gold lost its shine too.
!!TW!!
I jogged towards their house with a wide smile, but it gradually faded when I detected something strange. As I arrived at their front yard, I came to a steady halt. I stared at the condolences flower bouquet at their doorstep with furrowed brows.
"What..." suddenly their house door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman. She was taken by surprise to see me.
"Oh, Johnny!" she sped over to hug me tight. I assumed she was Dylan's mother. I remained silent as I proceeded to gawk at the pure white flowers that held so much grief. Who died?
"I'm glad you're doing well," she weakly smiled at me. I finally met her eyes. They had heavy eyebags under them. She looked so shattered.
"If you don't mind me asking...who passed away?" her eyes widened as she stared at me in bewilderment.
"What do you mean, Johnny? You should've known." I became even more disoriented.
"Johnny...
Ethel died."