Counting Down The Days To Go

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” He yelled before turning his back on me and started staggering away.

“NO!” I cried out as I ran up to catch up on him. Grabbing his elbow, I couldn’t help but whisper out feebly, “Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? He got sick of you,” Aiden’s voice sniggered.

“It’s okay, babe. I’m sure things would turn out find,” Amanda’s unmistakable voice floated from somewhere.

“We just need to think logically. There must be a reason why he did it,” Chanel said in her usual, calm demeanor.

He hadn’t spoken a word since his previous outburst and I could feel him breathing heavily. Almost as if he was struggling to breathe.

“Are you okay?” I asked out of concern.

“I love you,” His voice was just a notch above inaudibility but I still heard him loud and clear.

“I love you too,” I said. Maybe things were looking up after all.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered before flinging my hand away from his elbow. He began to walk away from me but he broke into a jog when he heard me going after him. He then started running full speed ahead when he realized I was hot on his heels. I wanted to run after him, I really did but I suddenly felt as if my lungs were on fire. I couldn’t breathe. I was choking on nothing.

“Mike! Wait!” I let out a strangled gasp as I could do nothing but watch on as he ran away.

My eyes flung open with their own accord and I came face to face with a white, fluffy thing. So that’s the thing that was choking me in my dream. I was tangled up in my blanket and lying on my stomach so it’s no wonder that I couldn’t breathe.

My pillow was soaked and I had a tingling feeling that it was a mixture of my drool and tears. I flipped over and stared at the ceiling that my friends had decorated for me a long while ago.

Spring break had finished over two weeks ago and no one had spotted Mike. He hadn’t even been coming to school at all and I was worried sick.

“What you need is closure, Crystal. Maybe the way things ended between you and him was too hard and fast for you. You need closure,” Chanel had wisely said a few days ago.

I hadn’t spoken to Aiden since Spring Break although he had been leaving endless amount of gifts on my doorstep every single day and leaving messages every hour or so. It started getting annoying after a while so I rarely turn on my phone now and I just kick the gifts on to my driveway. Forgiveness is a gesture that doesn't come so easily from me.

Today was yet another Saturday in April and I had no plans whatsoever. At least when Amanda was around, I got to go to parties but now, not so much. I’m just hanging out with Chanel during school and since everyone’s got used to Amanda’s absence, no one is really asking me weird questions anymore. Chanel is probably hanging out with Jeff today. Their relationship seemed to be getting serious and I’m happy for Chanel.

But then there is poor old me; crying in her sleep and drooling on her pillow with no one to hang out with on a wonderful Saturday.

Just as I was mourning over the lack of my social life (not like it was really there in the first place), my trusty little phone started vibrating on the table beside my bed.

“Hello?” I croaked out.

“Crystal? What are you doing today?” Chanel’s gentle voice floated into my ear.

“Eh…well, let’s look over my schedule, shall we? Breakfast with the Queen of England followed by lunch with Synyster Gates and some high tea with that actress who is a mother of six. I’m a busy little bumble bee,” I scoffed.

“Mike had been absent from school for two whole weeks, Crystal.”

“So?” I said in what I thought to be my I-don’t-care voice.

I heard Chanel giving out an audible sigh on the other end and I could tell that she was disappointed with my attitude. Oh joy. She’s going to start on that whole ‘you need closure’ speech again.

“Crystal, I’ve told you countless time over the past two weeks and I’m sure you know what I’m about to say next so I’m not going to say it. Go find him and talk to him. This is for your own sake. You can’t keep doodling his name on your notebook and glancing at his empty chair instead of paying attention to the teacher during class. And you need to stop loitering around his locker,” She said in a rather pissed off kinda tone. The things that she listed out were true. Yeah, I’m behaving like a downright stalker to a guy who couldn’t care less about me.

“Whatever,” I mumbled.

“I hope you know what to do,” Chanel said before hanging up on me.



‘What the fuck am I doing here?’ I said aloud to myself while a cancer stick dangled in between my lips.

Here I was, sitting in my car which is parked right outside his house. Maybe Chanel’s words really got to me after all.

“Closure. Closure. Closure. Closure.”

That god damn word kept appearing in my head!

I decided to straighten up and walk up to his door. A little greeting wouldn’t hurt, right? Worse come to worse, I’d just ask him why he’s been absent from school and leave.

Before I knew what I was doing, my fingers were already jabbing furiously at the tiny door bell. After what seemed like seconds, the door opened up to reveal about an inch of the living room which was soon covered by Mike's mom.

“Crystal? Darling, how are you?” Alice asked me through that tiny little crack.

“I’m fine,” I said with a small smile. “Could be better though. Anyways, I came here to call on Mike. He had been absent from school for quite a while.”

Alice’s half-hearted smile soon turned into a frown which she soon covered up by setting her lips in a grim line. She slipped out of the tiny crack (I wonder how she did it too) and closed the door behind her. Wow. Someone clearly don’t want me in her house.

She gave an uncomfortable cough before speaking again. “Dear, Mike told me that the two of you…aren’t a couple anymore?”

“Yeah,” I said with yet another fake smile gracing my face. “I came here in the capacity of a friend.”

“Right right. I understand that you are concerned about him but umm…sweetie, now isn’t the right time. We are busy and why don’t you just call Mike or something?”

“Why? Isn’t Mike at home?” I asked.

“He is. But it isn’t appropriate for him to receive any visitors. I’m sorry,” Alice said with a rather helpless shrug. The Bergens sure are a confusing family. They are just so wishy-washy and beating about the bush all the time.

“Alice, is anything wrong? Is Mike in trouble or something? I feel like there’s this huge secret that you guys are keeping from me.”

She looked away from my gaze before sitting down on the porch’s steps. I sat down right next to her. I came here for ‘closure’ and I’m going to get the aforementioned ‘closure’.

“Is it some deep dark family secret?” I asked.

Alice gave out a sigh before turning to face me again. She reached out and placed my hand in between her own. This motherly gesture coming from a woman whom I’ve met three times altogether was somewhat comforting.

“Isn’t it best to let nature take it’s course? Leave it to be?”

“Huh?”

Alice seemed to be opening her mouth to give me the explanation that I came here for when a rude cough interrupted out chat. We turned around to see a man whom I vaguely remembered to be Mike’s dad standing outside the door. The cheek of that old man to interrupt!

“Yes dear?” Alice questioned.

“Er…my spectacles are missing,” He said while giving a very obvious nod towards the house. This dude was obviously lying about his specs being missing as they were dangling off a chain hanging on his neck!

I was about to point out this very obvious fact to him but Alice engulfed me in a huge hug.

“I’m sure this is for the best, my dear,” She whispered into my ear before letting me go.

The two adults then scurried away into the house, leaving me on their porch’s steps.

“What closure?” I laughed at myself while digging around for my lighter.