*Sydney Roswell's POV*
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"Come on, Sydney. I know you do." Emma insisted as she stood up to wash her hands at the sink, and I just kept on contradicting her claim.
"I really don't care about her, Ems. I was just not in the mood since earlier from school, remember?" I told her, and she wiped her hands dry and replied, "No. You are always looking like you are not in the mood whenever we are at school, Syd. Always. You don't laugh; you almost don't smile or even talk about something not related to academics-shits, or you are just being mean to OJ. You are always not in the mood. No offense, alright? Thankfully, you seem like a valid and normal person when it comes to just us: your family, neighbors, and your best buddies. So, yeah, now that you look like you are bringing a shitload of crap in your pockets while not at school, you are definitely worried and troubled about something. Someone, particularly."
I just sat there and listened to her rants about her frank remarks about me being a person, and she went to sit down again and looked at me with a face that was telling me to talk and explain something.
And I just let out another sigh.
"No comment, Queen Of Sighing? Well, I am not forcing you to say something that you are not comfortable telling me. But, take this, Syd, I am your friend. I may not be your best one, but I can be trusted, too. I mean... I can never turn my back on you or stab you in the back. Not because you are my savior, but I treat you as my best friend. The best one that I have. And I want you to be okay. I want to help or just do anything that could make you feel better. Because right now... I see that you are not fine. If it's about OJ's condition that makes you this sighful person... It is okay. I, too, feel so damn worried about her even if I knew her as your number one hater. And, prolly, she hates me, too. But I believe in the saying... Love your enemy as you love yourself. Yeah." She said like an extremely serious shrink, and it just made me chuckle softly in reply.
This is what I like about this red-headed creature. She could be so annoying, but she's nice at times. It is a perfect blend of my fussy nice ass and my other buddies' unthinkable and unpredictable characteristics.
"Oh, now you're laughing. That's a good sign. Come on, just say it." She commented and pushed me to talk.
And as I was about to let out a breath, she belted, "No more sighing, okay?"
"I am just taking a deep breath, Ems." I retorted, and she poured another half of a glass of wine for me to drink down. I'm starting to feel warm inside my system.
"Alright. Now, begin. I bet that this is interesting." She ordered and dragged her seat to get closer to the table, then looked at me excitedly.
"No, I don't have anything to tell you more." I asserted, then took a sip, and she just looked at me with her unimpressed face.
"Fine. Then keep it all to yourself till you rot. But note this, you blondie, I know something that you know. Or don't. But I am not gonna tell it to you if you are not gonna tell me about your greatest burden right now." She replied and threatened like she has something big against me. Hmm, what could it be?
"What is it?" I asked her while my aura changed to something serious, and she just laughed like a witch.
"Tell me about yours first." She answered stubbornly, and I just shook my head in response. This girl is just tricking me. But if I could keep my secret in me as possible, I will keep it.
She drank all the contents of her glass and pointed to me the empty thing in her left hand, and said, "Fine. I already knew the answer, though. As I have told you, you are obvious as fuck. But I am gonna tell you what I know."
I raised an eyebrow at her statement and told her to go on.
"Do you like OJ? The like-like, Syd. Do you?" She asked me a horrifying question, which made me blink my eyes in disbelief. How the heck did she...?
"What made you say that absurd thing?" I replied in surprise, and she just wiggled her left eyebrow at me.
"It's a question, Sydney. You need to answer it, not disregard it as I have proclaimed it. The answer is just yes or no or maybe." She explained, and I quickly answered, "No. I don't." Another lie.
"Mmm, of course. That's the answer that I am expecting. And to answer your question earlier... Why did I ask about it... It is because you are worried about her wellbeing even if you won't confirm it to me. You cared even if you were never friends. Do you know that when I transferred to Pryce Winsley Academy for my ninth grade, I have been seeing the tension between you two as... Romantic? Something like... The more you hate, the more you love. That's so adorable, actually. Well... I am just telling you this because... I don't know. It is quite a perfect time that it is just us in here. I am actually shipping you both. Yeah, I do. Do you know that there are so many of us at the academy, but some just look at you from afar because they know that you are adamant as fuck? And me? I am absolutely the captain of the Sydian Ship. It is Sydney plus Jillian. That's the cutest ship name that I have thought of. Don't get mad, okay? I'm a little drunk, but I know I am saying something that makes sense. So...? Do you like her? Is there a chance that the Sydian Ship will sail?" She rambled like a piece of crap, and I just shook my head in frustration.
Damn, she's wasted with a wine that just has twelve percent alcohol volume. I do feel warm, and I guess I need to exit now. This conversation is getting more uncomfortable and never in my favor.
"Nope. Not a chance, Ems. I may have a little concern about her condition right now, but it is just because I knew her almost all my life. I interact with her even though we are never on good terms, and she is our classmate. That's why I cared about her. That's just it." I explained with a bit of a lie, and she shook her head in response and poured another shot of wine in her glass.
"Nope, you can't convince me otherwise, Syd. I know you have something-something there in your heart for her—even just a little chance. I will believe and hold on to it even if it's less than one percent. We don't know, I could be saying something ridiculous right now, but it could be something marvelous tomorrow." She contended while pointing me a finger, and I stood up after finishing my drink to wash the glass I used at the sink. Yeah, it's free to dream on. If you only knew that, it's just not you who thinks about that romantic fantasy.
"Duh. Say whatever you want, and believe all you want, Ems. You're tipsy, and so I am. And I am going home, we still have class tomorrow. Thanks for the drink. You're welcome for the food. Good night." I told her and dried my hands with a hand towel.
As I was about to walk home, she burped and mentioned while walking me out the door, "Sorry. Well, fine. I will just pretend that you didn't tell me to think and believe about your affection towards OJ. Still, I will be standing my ground, whatever happens, and wherever the wind takes you both. Thanks for the amazing food. Good night, and have a sweet dream with her. I will pray hard that she will be okay in no time, so you could begin treating her nicely when she gets back to school so that my Sydian Ship will begin to sail. Bye, Sydney! Happy Valentine's Day!" She bid me goodbye, and I just muttered, "Whatever."
Then she closed the door as I just walked home without looking back and replying.
A smile crept on my face as I sauntered to our door and mumbled, "Sydian. Why not?"
When I stepped inside the kitchen, my topless brother, who just opened the fridge, ruffled my hair as I quickly went to get my bottled water at the lower compartment of the cold steel box. And as my response, I slapped his back real hard that made him wince in pain. "The matter with you, Syd?"
"Well, what the heck, Dam? Your hand is freaking wet, you jerk!" I cursed as I stepped back from him after I made a handprint on his tattooed bareback.
"Been from the Yorks? Do you know that I thought you sneaked out for a Valentine's date with someone and got laid? Are you really still single, sissy? You absolutely suck big time; you know that?" He let out and asked nosily, and I just showed him a middle finger in each of my hands as my perfect response.
"It's none of your monkey business, Dam. I do my thing the way I want it. Good night." I replied, being his best sister as always, and walked out of the kitchen to go to my room upstairs.
---
After preparing myself for sleeping, I laid down in my bed and grunted as my mind went thinking again about something stressful. Her. Yes, it's always been her who has been running in my mind tirelessly.
About two hours have passed since my eyes are closed, but I can't seem to fall asleep anytime soon. Because here I am again overthinking about everything. Damn it! I really want to stop thinking about awful things. I need to sleep, but I can't.
As I really feel no sign of me falling asleep, I went to my study table to work on something valuable that could distract me from thinking about a particular person. I will just write down important key points about that history class report for next week that I would be working with Grace Thales.
Half an hour has passed, and I am running out of something else to do. I am still wide awake as fuck, and it's almost midnight now.
When I laid down again in my bed, I stared at the white ceiling and began to run my gaze towards the left corner, which I saw there, the cord that needed to be pulled down so the scuttle hole opens up and drop a rope ladder that could lead me to my secret haven—the attic.
Going up there and doing something incredible would be just perfect for this time that I feel terrible about almost everything.
*Sydney Roswell's POV* --- I run my left fingers on the rough surface of the canvas of the painting that I have been working on since last week. It's something that I cannot finish in a short period because of the number of details that I want to put on it, and I have to go to school and do some other things. I always find time to paint every time I feel sad and happy. But right now, I am miserable. I might as well work on this one. A small sigh escaped my mouth as I thought of the girl on the incomplete painting I was facing. It was still her face that I have finished, and I have a perfect idea of what kind of dress I will supply the missing picture. It's going to look perfect as she has always been. After sketching some details that would be my guide, I poured a few red, black,
*Sydney Roswell's POV* --- "Why the f*ck would they blame it on me? Was I the one driving the freaking car? Don't they know the meaning of the word accident? They should blame the truck driver! Or OJ herself." I contented trying to sound fine, but I'm very far from being one. This sh*t is insane. "That's what I have been desperately trying to tell them the whole damn night," Vidia replied in a bit of frustration. And I turned my head to Kevin when he said, "But some others are insisting that if you didn't snatch her boyfriend, she couldn't have broken up with him yesterday and went home so early that then lead her to an accident because she could have driven while out of her mind because of madness and a broken heart. And it was all because of you, Syd. Some said that if they cou
*Sydney Roswell's POV* --- "Eeeeep! Sydney, Sydney, Sindeeeey!" Emma screeched in enthusiasm as she finally went out of the classroom after talking to Ms. Valerian, our lovely History teacher, about the assignment for next week. And I have been waiting for her right at the side of the hallway near our classroom. "Why so excited, Ems? Bad news?" I asked her, expecting that she got some good news to tell, and she gripped my left arm tightly with both her hands as we began walking. She excitedly answered, "Well, since OJ can't make it for that class activity, Ms. Val will just give her a special work if ever she will finally be back, while meeeee--- I will work with you!" My eyebrows met, puzzled by her news, and I asked her in curiosit
*Olivia Jillian Hunters' POV* --- A groan escaped my mouth as I just woke up, and I fluttered my eyes open. The first thing I saw is white—a very bright light. I squinted my eyes and tried to roam my gaze around me and found another white view. The walls are white. Oh, let me guess... I'm in a hospital room. Hospital, the place I hate the most to be at, next in being at the academy. Why am I here in the first place? Wait, what has happened to me? Damn! I was driving... And... No. I got into an accident. I did. That was scary as shit, and I never thought that I survived that tragedy. Well, at least I am still alive. But hell, I think I missed my classes. And, oh, how could I forget... my boyfriend, no, my ex-boyfriend cheated on me wi
*Olivia Jillian Hunters' POV* --- A month and three days??? That damn long? Wow! Now, I wonder where the heck on Earth my body is? Which room? I need to find it badly. I want to wake up now. But what if... No. I do not believe that I am... D-dead. No. There's no effing way. I couldn't. Right? Fuck. I anxiously sat on the couch to think of the first thing that I will do now that I found out that I was unconscious for a couple of weeks and could possibly be gone from the world of the living. But, no, I am hella sure that I am not dead. I should think optimistically. Then I wondered as to why I could sit on the couch, but I couldn't touch anything? And I just noticed that I am not even sitting. I am damn floating a few inches above it.
*Olivia Jillian Hunters' POV* --- "Two weeks, Mimi. Dad said that if there will be no changes in her health, they will... They will... She won't come back here anymore. Ever. I don't want it, Mimi. Isn't she too young to die? She is not even eighteen yet. Maybe she needs more time." My little brother cried in the arms of our nanny, and I felt like lightning struck me when I heard his news from our father. No. They can't do that. Why would they let me die? I am just here. Maybe I just need to go back to my body so I can finally wake up. But they mentioned that I am in New York City. Why the heck would they bring me there? "Let's just pray hard that OJ will get better sooner. I know she will be back here and alive, JC. Don't lose hope, son." Mimi replied while trying to hold hersel
*Olivia Jillian Hunters' POV* --- Staring at my unconscious self makes me feel a bit hopeless. Why can't I go back inside? What is the matter? What is the right thing to do to make it work? I sighed and decided just to leave the room. I will get back here after I hear anything from my father about my condition. I want to know his reason for agreeing just to let me die if ever I won't show obvious signs of getting better after fourteen days. I am just wondering why I am a ghost. Maybe I'm really dead. But no, I believe I can go back, that I am still alive. Perhaps a little longer is all I need to get better. But fourteen days is like... Shit. Especially if I really did not show any improvements since the time I got into that accident. Maybe I just need to sleep here, and perhaps i
*Olivia Jillian Hunters' POV* ---- "Hi, Ollie! Good morning, my little ray of sunshine! I know the sun hasn't come out yet, but I'm here early because we got a breakfast meeting with an investor, and Candice and I will have a flight home after that. We will check on your brother, and we will be back here soon. Maybe he will come with us. He surely misses you so much and has been wanting to see you soon. Please do good here, alright? Get well." My father whispered after planting a kiss on my forehead while holding my right hand gently, and I looked at my ghost right hand when I had felt something weird on it. I felt his touch. Woah! Could it mean something good? That means I am still connected with my physical body, right? Oh, my ghost! "I'll see you soon, Ollie." He muttere