4.A BLAST FROM THE PAST

ZACK’S POV

*And one day you’ll get what you want and it will be exactly what you wanted*

“So, you are the so-called champion everyone waited so long for huh” one of them contemptuously talked to me about myself. They knew every single detail about me as if they had googled about me and I was taken aback by their attitude.

“Ignore them I; they are just being a bunch of narcissistic idiots who believe they are the only champions of the town” to my amaze, Mike defended me. Well, I had no Idea what was actually going on so I kept silent and watched the show. 

Mike’s reply made the main of the gang angry. He asked Mike to be quiet. By now they were at their peak of shitty attitude and I was at the peak of frustration due to their way of treating. And their way of down-tangling someone even when they had nothing to do with them made me even more pissed off. They knew that I was a champion athlete. These boys were the best athletes of the town high school. Maybe the arrival of a new rival pissed them off. Perhaps that’s why they talked to me like that, I believe.

"Mike, my mom is alone at home so I have to leave for now" I excused myself from the party because I had no Interest in Indulging with them nor athletics for the time being. I gave a pat on his shoulders and bid Mike bye. I quickly got off the beach and then walked back home.

On the way back I saw a path that led to the forest and walked Into It to explore It. The happenings on the beach had already started disturbing my thoughts and it led me to lose my way back. It was dark there without the presence of anyone. I was already in a bad mood and this further pissed me off. I was becoming exhausted and frustrated about everything. my peace, shattered dreams, and now the town high schoolers behaviour; everything affected me in a very bad way. I couldn't hold myself and broke down in the middle of the forest and sat down on my knees feeling too low. I wanted to go back to my world and that’s the only thing I wished for. And to depress me more, my early life flashed in my mind...

I was known to be the prince charming of my high school where all girls died hard on me and I was always accompanied by my best buddies Dash and Will. We were the centre of attraction of the high school and used to come to my home every day from high school after the heavy training on tracks. Stella, my mom, used to cook the best dinner. My athletic coach dad Grover, was our head coach and lately he was under the work of our registration in the zonal championship going to be held next year. Above all, I had a cute little lovely girlfriend Caroline, the only girl who had the charm to conquer my heart and we were the envy of every other couples in the school.  Mine was a typical middle-class family living in the city. Dash and Will were from the other side of the country. They were from rich families and thus had to live In the high school hostel from childhood and used to have lunch at my home. My dad was their local guardian and their parents trusted dad a lot and that's how I got them in my life.

And I, In my room, used to freshen up and sit at the window with a great view of the city drinking my perfectly blended coffee and listening to my favourite songs. I was never a fan of a crowded life having many unnecessary people In It. My surroundings always used to be a peaceful and calm space and you can say from these things that I was an ambivert. Life was still a fantasy for an 18-year-old boy like me. For me, I was the luckiest boy on earth, had the best companions to rely on to, a caring girlfriend, a loving mother, a beautiful home, a great athletic coach and the person I loved and idolized the most, my dad, a dream of becoming an athlete and my pal Bruce lee whom I called Lee, my cutest Pomeranian pet puppy. I had everything anyone could ever Imagine In my age. 

Life was a freaking fantastic for me until... 

One casual day in the high school, we three were warming up in the tracks when the peon came to us.

"I, the dean has called you to his cabin" he Informed me.

I looked at him and saw his face hung down with a dead expression. Why was he not looking at us? It released some kind of negative vibe around us. without worrying about It much we three looked at each other and gave out a habitual laugh. It was a routine for us to be summoned by the dean as we were the finest athletes in the high school.

I signed Dash and Will and followed the peon while both of their eyes followed me till we disappeared from their sights. as we walked through the corridor, I caught a glimpse that It was in pin drop silence. Normally, there used to be an end number of students clattering around the place which was the sole reason I never used to enter the corridor. I always chose to avoid such situations. but today, everything was different. The negativity around us grew stronger as I was only able to hear the sound of our footsteps.

We reached the dean's cabin and the peon opened the door for me to enter. Well, I was getting the usual unwanted VIP treatment. I entered the room and the peon stood outside guarding the room. something was not going right I felt.

I stood at the door and looked around the dean's cabin. The room was huge with a LED TV that displayed the CCTV footage from the school's corridors and tracks. I saw the dean who was seated in his chair. his face looked extremely pale and thunderstruck. Now I was sure something bad had already happened. 

"Take a seat I" he asked me politely and I narrowed my eyebrows as I took my seat. I was not able to get even a hint on what had happened and why the people around me were acting extremely awkward. I waited for him to take his own time and then he finally broke the silence after a moment.

He took a deep breath and said “You need to go home I”. 

I was totally confused and blank on why the dean would ask me to go home at this time of the day. That too in the middle of my training. 

“Why, what happened sir?” I asked the dean in a serious tone. I deserved some explanation.

Dean, still void on how to share such devastating news with, called the peon Inside. 

"Drop I to his home" Dean ordered the peon who agreed and looked at me for my response.

I didn’t understand what was going on. their reaction was utterly confusing me. I couldn't question Dean anymore so I went directly to the locker room, collected my things and told Dash and Will that I was going home. Both were stupefied on what was happening just like me. I waved a bye and with the peon came back home.

I saw there were many people gathered. Most of them were from the neighbourhood. It was not a casual scene. what I exactly felt was tensed more than confused. I walked Inside the house while the eyes of the people gathered where fixed on me. I came Inside and saw that mom was soaked in tears. Still transfixed of the situation I went to; she hugged and cried a lot more. She was weak and tired from crying so much. Everyone was murmuring and that was It. I was terribly furious about the situation. Even though I couldn’t understand anything that was happening I was damn sure that something terrible had happened.

I then thought of Dad. He was nowhere around. I hadn't even seen him at school also. my heart beat faster than ever as I searched for him among the strangers gathered and still, I couldn’t find him. 

“where’s dad”?  I didn’t wait anymore and went straight to mom and asked her.

On hearing the question, I had asked, mom couldn’t control herself and again burst into a waterfall of tears. my body had started heating up in frustration of not being able to figure out what the hell was happening and my mind was filled with lots of quires that no one was answering. 

abruptly, a man came up to me and led me to my own room which was a much quieter place and no one was there. 

"Sit down and calm yourself son" he made me sit on my bed and I saw his face. He was our neighbour Mr. Thomas. 

With so many questions in my mind, I blasted It off at him.

“What The heck Is happening here? Why Is everyone looking at me like this, so sympathetically? Why Is mom crying so much? And where’s dad?" I shot everything on my mind at him.

Dad... It struck me. He was nowhere in the house. It was an obvious situation where one would not even Imagine such a tragedy in their life. Mom was like a broken piece of glass. Everyone was looking sympathetically at them. and Dad, did he? Was he? A strange feeling swept through me like a lightning bolt. When I couldn’t even dare to Imagine such a situation, how was I going to face such a situation was the first thought that came into my mind. my dad, the person whom I admired the most, whom I considered my hero, was no more... Wait!!!... was I over thinking? Was I just over estimating the situation? Nah....Such a damn thing could never happen in my life. My dad was the best. 

I had a sudden rush of thought flash into his mind. I then came back to my senses when Mr. Thomas gave me a glass of water. I could hear Lee whining. I turned to see him and saw that he was hiding in a corner of the room. Mr Thomas held my shoulder with his tough hands. I had turned red with all those emotions rush in my mind. I greatly wished not to hear the news that I never wanted to hear but still asked him. 

"Please...please just tell me what Is happening in the house" I blurted out in a sour tone.

I looked at his face with a fed-up expression and Mr. Thomas had no other choice than to tell me the news.

“Son, your father had an accident on his way to your school. And... He... Sorry son he couldn’t survive It” he spoke out trembling with grief and dismay.

No way... This was the thought that I was trying to burn in my mind. I was trying my best not to let such a thought come to my mind and the next thing that happened was It coming true. I was dead numb. Mr Thomas was saying something but I couldn’t hear him. my heart still kept pounding faster than ever and my body froze.