[1.0] One Fateful 'kinda' Day: Hallucination?

"Yo, Yu. Come on, man. It's almost December again. Are you seriously about to waste ANOTHER year? It has been a decade, hasn't it?"

Yu and his friend were walking down the sidewalk to their home. As they did so, they talked about Yu's crush, Mei.

"Shut up. It's my own feeling, so let me do it at my own pace."

This topic was commonly brought up in Yu's friends' group. They loved to tease him because of how slow he was with his feelings.

"Dude! Mei's going to get a boyfriend, and I'm willing to bet you'll be crying on that corner nonstop. And when that happens, don't blame us. We tried to help you, and you declined again and again."

He knew. He always knew that day would come. And when that day came, he would let go of that feeling... at least that's what he thought he would do. We don't know if he would.

"I get it! Okay. I'm not stupid!"
"Then just shoot your shot and ask her out."
"It's not that simple. What if she..."
"Hold it! You're going on a pessimistic route again. I have to stop you right there!"

He had been like that. Pessimistic. Always thought of the worst, even though he wasn't that bad at a lot of things. He was just thinking that his look would be on his way. That's all.

"You know..."
"Atta, ta, ta. No more negative thoughts. BAD!"

*Smack*

"Aahh! Adit! Was that smack on my head necessary?"
"YES! You need it!"

Yu looked annoyed after Adit smacked him. As they kept going, they began to drift apart toward their own homes. They said their goodbye to each other and went their merry way.

Finally, Yu was alone. He walked slowly, savoring the evening wind. In this kind of moment, he loved to think about great things, like his life, his school, and his... friends.

"If Yu never started, there would never be MeYu."

That line kept on living rent-free inside Yu's mind.

"Sometimes I hate how you interpret things, James." Yu thought.

To loosen that stress, he breathed the evening air. Nothing beats a great oxygen in the evening, he thought. By the second, he thought something else. He was a pessimist, but he knew when he needed to be optimistic.

"It's about to be December again. Christmas is about to come. What should I do?"

He thought about a Christmas activity he could do alone, since he lived alone.

It's been three years since I lived alone, huh? Time sure flew fast. He thought.

"An all-night would be great. I haven't been able to do that since I was very busy with class."

As he walked toward his home, he passed a park. This park was an old park. There hadn't been any kids or parents using it. At first, Yu wanted to pass quickly, afraid and believing in ghosts, but he was stopped when he heard something.

"Dad! I wanted ice cream. Come on."

He turned and saw a kid with his dad walking on the other side of the park. That was what he thought he would see, but he also saw someone atop one of the old park swings.

"Mei?"

He looked around and thought, "Shouldn't she be in a mall or something with her friends at this point? Why is she there?"

He was about to go and greet her, but he couldn't. The thought that he was not on her level came to mind; it kept him from getting near.

"No. It's not my problem. I have to mind my own business."

He walked away from the park and behind a concrete wall. He stopped.

"Is this really the right thing to do? She looked down. Did she... cry?"

He turned around and peeked at the park. He saw... nothing.

"Huh? Mei? Where did she go?"

He looked around. He went into the park and searched inside. Even went beyond the other side to look around.

"She's really gone. Or am I hallucinating? Is my feeling of her gotten this bad that I could see her out of nowhere?"

He decided to go back walking toward his home. On the way, he kept wondering what he was witnessing. Was that really Mei, or was it a hallucination created by his desire to be her boyfriend that made him see things?

"Man, this is rough. What was that?"

When he arrived home, he didn't make dinner and went straight to bed. Thankfully, there wasn't any homework to do, so he could rest his head early. He was still confused about the time he saw Mei.

"I couldn't close my eyes. That was really weird. I could've sworn I saw her. If it was really a hallucination, then how could she be so real? She must've been there. When she saw me, she ran. Yeah! That's my conclusion! I hope this will ease my head."

It didn't.

"Ugh! It's almost eight, and I still think about it. She lived far from here, that's that too! Why would she be here? What interests made her be there? And why couldn't I just let this thought go?! IT HAS BEEN ONE WHOLE HOUR, AND I STILL COULDN'T GET THIS THOUGHT OUT OF MY HEAD!"

You worried, Yu. What if she were in trouble? It could've been your last time seeing her. It was your last chance to see her.

"Fuck it! I'll go back. I need to check if it was true. I can't just be a whoos and leave her there!"

Yu's heart filled with determination, and he ran straight back to that park. The only thing he could think of right now was that this was a perfect time to shoot his shot. He would ask her out, and he hoped she would say yes.

"I have to! I have to! Thank Adit, James, Kail, and Bahmul. You guys helped me a lot! I will... no! I have to do this! I won't miss my chance!"

<To Be Continued>