One

“Hey, Damian” Emma woke him up before going to college. “Damian, don't you have class at 9:30 am?”

“Holy shit, yes,” Damian cursed and got up from the couch. “By the way, I'm sorry that I slept here. It was late yesterday night, and they closed the residence.” he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

Damian knew Emma for two years now thanks to Avery, but he never got close to her. Well, he never socialised with anyone. Avery and Elias were exceptions.

“Is Avery alright?” Emma whispered.

“Y—yeah, she acted like that because of the shock, I guess.” Damian lied.

“I see,” Emma smiled. “Well, I have to go. I left your breakfast on the table.”

Damian sighed and went to check on his best friend in her room. “Avery? Are you awake?”

“Damian,” he heard a voice calling him.

Damian entered the room and found her crying quietly on the bed. “Avery?” he frowned and approached his friend. “Why are you crying?”

“This!” Avery shouted, pointing at a poster on the wall right in front of the bed. “He's scary! He kept watching me all night!” he cried.

It wasn't Avery.

“What? Harry Styles?” Damian chuckled. “I thought you liked him.”

“No! Don't like him.” she pouted.

“Well, Avery does,” Damian said, thinking about how much Avery loved Harry.

“Who is Avery?” the girl asked confusingly.

“Well,” Damian sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I don't know how to explain it, but she's you.”

“What are you saying? You're funny!” Illy burst out laughing.

“I was not trying to be f—” Damian stopped when Illy kept laughing like a kid.

Cute.

“So Ave— I mean Illy,” Damian cleared his throat. “Let's go eat breakfast,” he said before heading to the kitchen.

“Pancakes!” Illy widened her eyes when she spotted a plate full of pancakes. “I love pancakes!”

“Avery too,” Damian mumbled with a smile. “Want some honey on it?”

“No! Don't like honey!” Illy pouted. “I want Nutella!”

“What?” Damian frowned. “They don't have Nutella here.”

“But I want it!”

“There is only honey Illy, okay? No Nutella.”

“Damian!” Illy sat on the floor and started crying. “I want Nutella!”

“The fuck? Why are you fucking crying now?!” Damian frowned furiously. One of the things he couldn't tolerate the most was children's annoying cries.

“Fuck? What does it mean?”

“Shit! Nothing! Okay? I'll go buy you that Nutella.”

“What's shit?” Illy asked innocently.

“Something that looks exactly like you,” Damian mumbled before slamming the door.

When Damian came back, he almost slipped because of the milk splashed on the floor. “What the hell?!” he shouted.

He found Avery— or Illy, wiping the floor with a towel. “I wanted some milk, Damian, and it fell.” she started crying.

“This kid,” Damian rolled his eyes. “Get up first and go change your shirt.” he helped her stand up and started cleaning the floor. “Where are you Avery?” he mumbled.

After breakfast, Damian went to check Avery's class schedules. “Thank god she doesn't have any exams or any important shit.” 

He walked to the living room and put some cartoons on the television. “Look Illy, I have classes now, so I should leave you alone here, okay?”

“Oh? But you'll come back, right?” Illy looked at him sadly. “Don't like staying alone.”

“Yeah, don't worry. I'll come back right when I finish.” Damian ruffled her hair. “Be kind and don't touch anything,” he said before closing the door.

Why does weird shit always happen to only me? he thought.

“Avery didn't come today?” Elias asked his best friend.

“No, she's still tired from yesterday. You know the shock and stuff.” Damian lied and wondered why he was lying for her.

“Yeah, it must've been hard on her,” Elias sighed. “Well, I'll see you later. I have to meet Emma at the park in five minutes.”

“Emma, huh?” Damian smirked. “Is that what you wrote to her yesterday?”

Elias nodded. “I'm kind of nervous of meeting her, but anyways, see you!” he grinned and left running like a clumsy giraffe.

“Um, Damian?” 

Damian turned to find a blond-haired smiling at him.

“Emmett, right?”

“Yeah, have you seen Avery?”

“She didn't come to class today. She's still feeling unwell.” Damian lied, once again.

“Oh, then I'll go visit her after classes.” Emmett smiled.

“Uh, no need!” Damian internally cursed for acting weird. “I mean, she's still affected by the events, so she doesn't want to talk to anyone.”

“I see,” Emmett spoke sadly.

“By the way, thanks,” Damian said.

“For?”

“For saving her and calling me.”

Emmett grinned, “It's the least I could do for my Avery,”

My Avery?

“She's the best, so of course I won't let her get hurt.”

“Y—yeah,” Damian said, staring at Emmett suspiciously.

While watching a SpongeBob episode, Illy started to feel dizzy. “My head!” she shouted, but no one was at home. 

“It hurts! Damian!” she started sobbing, and after long moments of waiting for someone to open the door, she fainted.

After thirty minutes, she finally woke up—Avery did.

“Shit, my head hurts a lot,” she frowned, both his hands on each side of her head. “I need a pill,” she mumbled before standing up. 

“Cartoons?” she raised an eyebrow when she saw the television. “Emma? Are you here?”

She walked to the kitchen to take a pill, then she stopped. “I don't remember putting this shirt on,” she said, looking at a small mickey shirt she decided not to wear anymore after people laughed at her at college. 

“What is going on?” she asked herself. “How many hours did I sleep? Why can't I remember anything?”

Dozens of questions were on her mind. “Did it happen again?” she mumbled, her heart beating very fast. She didn't want it to happen again. The thing that scared her the most might be occurring to her once again after ten years.

“Emma? Damian?” she called and sighed when she understood that no one was at home.

“Wait, what time is it?” she checked her phone. 10:20 am

“Holy shit! My memory psychology class!” Avery widened her eyes and hurried to put on some pants, and a random shirt. She brushed her teeth and left the loft.

“Dam!” Avery ran to catch her best friend in the faculty hallway.

“The fuck are you doing here?!” Damian whispered-shouted. “Go back home!”

“Why?” Avery widened his eyes. “I missed a class! I don't want to miss all my classes today!”

“Wait, Avery? Is that you?!”

“Well yeah, it's me.” Avery rolled her eyes.

“About time, dude!” Damian left a deep sigh.

“Where did you go and left me with that kid?”

“Kid? Who?”

“Don't tell me you don't remember what happened last night.”

Avery bit her lip. “Nothing.”

Damian sighed, “Well, it was an eight years old kid called Illy.”

“I don't remember the doctor mentioning a kid,” Avery mumbled.

“Well, you need to go see that doctor and make things clear. And by the way, what are you doing in the music faculty? Did you forget that you are a psychology student?”

“For him,” Avery blushed as she pointed at a handsome guy. He looked younger than Avery and Damian, but way taller than both of them. He was wearing a plain white shirt, black ripped pants, and timberlands. He was also surrounded by girls, and sending them his most charming smiles.

“Nate Walker,” Avery sighed. “One of the most popular guys in the university.” she sighed again. “I'm dying.”

“You're still not over that fuckboy?” Damian rolled his eyes, disgusted by Avery's hypnotised face.

“Who can forget a sexy guy like him?”

“Well, I don't even care about his existence, to be honest,” Damian said. “I don't know what you like about him. He plays with everyone, boys and girls. He doesn't care about anyone's feelings.”

“But he has an amazing voice,” Avery smiled, not taking his eyes off Nate. “And a damn sexy body.”

“Well, yours t—” Damian stopped before he regretted to speak. “Anyways, I have to go. I have piano practice. And you should go back to your faculty. Staring at Walker won't help you graduate.” he said, pushing Avery to the main door. “Go, you idiot.”

It was finally Saturday, and all students were preparing for the most awaited party of the year.

“I'm not going,” Avery said.

“Why? It's the biggest party! Plus, you didn't go last year, so you should try now.” Emma said.

Emma was ready for the night. She was wearing a pink pastel dress and her favourite heels. She brushed her long black hair and put on her favourite perfume— Elias's favourite.

“I'm not like you, Emma,” Avery pouted. “You're beautiful and tall, and smart, and everyone loves you. But I have nothing. Maybe just my ass, but nothing else. And no one knows me.”

“What are you saying, Avery?” Emma raised an eyebrow and sat in front of her at the kitchen table. “You don't know that you are the cutest girl I have ever seen? Who can resist those pink cheeks? And the eye-smile? And you?” she smiled. “You're gorgeous, Avery. Plus, you don't have to care about your appearance. Just think about having fun.”

“Yeah, says the one who spent three hours choosing an outfit and two more hours in front of the mirror.” Avery rolled his eyes.

“Anyways, you're coming. Damian, Emmett, and Elias will be there too.”