Episode 2

The light emanating from the girl was akin to that of a computer monitor; it was almost blinding. This light was a downright assault on my eyes.

What the heck?

That was when I noticed something about the girl; she looked just like Gracie.

"Gracie, is that you?" 

"Why are you in my bedroom?"

This has to be some kind of fever dream.

The girl opened her lips and spoke to me; she said,

"You wish to go back."

"More than anything," I replied.

"As you wish."

And just as I was about to ask her another question, she disappeared just as fast as she appeared.

I went to school the next day as if nothing had happened. I ended up chalking the encounter with the mysterious girl up to being some crazy dream or delusion.

"Wish Granted"—yeah, right.

But what did it all mean? Dreams like that just don't happen to me often, and even if it was a dream, it felt ultra-real. It was like I was really there and that girl was actually talking to me.

I got so lost in my mind that I didn't even notice that the class had already ended. I gathered up my stuff and headed to the second period. On the way there, I saw an all-too-familiar sight. Reginald, the school's resident geek, was getting picked on and smacked around by Ryan.

"Come on, guys, stop it," wailed Reginald.

"Reginald, stop being such a wet blanket," Ryan replied.

"Yeah, you're no fun," said another one of Ryan's friends

I wanted to help him; my heart was quickened with an uncontrollable pity for Reginald, but that would only make things worse for him and me. I continued walking, beating myself up for not doing anything to aid him.

I kept walking toward my second-period class, this time faster, my legs trying to outpace my guilt. The lockers became a blur, and then...

What the—

Just like that, I was back at my desk in Mr Powers' first-period class, laptop open and all.

Why the hell am I back in my first period? I could've sworn I was just walking in the opposite direction.

Was this some kind of odd dream, like the one from last night? I pinched myself to make sure I was actually awake. And just as I finished my reality assessment, time itself froze. I'm talking frozen in motion; clocks stopped, people's mouths were left ajar mid-sentences, and everyone walking came to a halt.

The only person to my knowledge who was able to move was me, but in the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar face. It was Gracie Choi, the prettiest girl in school, moving about in this world that seemed to have rejected the natural flow of time.

She walked toward me and spoke, "I've been watching you, Jack."

"Me?" I replied with audible confusion in my voice.

"Well, you're the only Jack around right now."

She continued, "I know everything about you, your motives, what you think about others, and your obsession with your past."

"Yeah, right," I retorted sarcastically.

"You, Gracie Choi, a girl I've never even really met, let alone spoken to, know all about me?"

"Please just call me Gracie," she replied in a dismissive tone

"Well, ok, Gracie, tell me my 'motive' for coming to this school."

"You came here to escape your past, bullying, regret, and pain. I've seen it all, Jack."

"Ok, so you're right about that, but that answer could've just been dumb luck. I'm not the first kid to leave a school because of bullying, so I'll ask you another question."

"Who was my best friend in middle school?"

"Is this supposed to be hard? Your best friend was Kevin Lee, a 5'2" Asian American boy who was on the scrawnier side."

"Alright, alright, that's enough now, thank you."

"So you really do know who I am, but that still doesn't explain how you and I can move about while time itself is completely still."

"Did you forget about the wish you made, Jack?"

"NO WAY THAT WAS REAL?"

"Yes, it most certainly was, and I would appreciate it if you stopped screaming."

"Ok, fine."

It was getting hard to hide my excitement; I mean, I couldn't believe that Gracie was talking to me. This was basically a dream come true.

"Wait, but how can you move about in this dimension?"

"Well, Jack, after doing this for a very long time, you discover how to move around."

"A long time?" I asked quizzically.

"Yes, very long." She replied with a dismissive tone.

"Ok, Gracie, let's cut to the chase. Why exactly am I here?"

"Oh, Jack, must you always be so dense? This is a part of your wish, silly."

"Are you ready to go back?"

And just as I was about to reply, time started to flow once again. Everyone started to leave their classroom and go into the hallway. I tried to catch up to Gracie, but she was nowhere to be found.

I looked around the hallway for one person in particular, Reginald. It seemed as if this whole situation was a chance for me to stop his torment and silence my guilt. And that's when I saw him, Ryan, with that devilish grin on his face.

I sped up; I only had a few moments to find Reginald and stop this. My heart was pounding, and my legs felt like blocks of ice. Everything in me was saying, "Don't do this" just let someone else take care of it," but this time I had to be the hero, if not for my sake, for his.

I heard his voice. "Hey, stop that," he said. They had already begun; I was too late. Memories of Kevin flashed in my mind—all the times I wasn't there for him, all the times I couldn't save him.

NO, NEVER AGAIN!

"NEVER AGAIN," I muttered under my breath. I rushed over to their positions near the lockers; I locked eyes with Ryan and said, "Stop messing with him." They looked confused until Ryan replied with a shove to my chest: "What are you going to do about it, freak?"

"Freak"—that word hit me like a truck; it took me all the way back to middle school. For a second, I was back in my third-period science class being picked on all over again.

I snapped after he said this. My body moved on its own.

Aim for the face, Jack.

My fist connected with his jaw, and a crackling sound echoed from his mouth. All my regret for not protecting Kevin spilled out. Punch after punch, kick after kick, all my doubts and anger spilled out onto Ryan.

"HEY!" a voice yelled from the distance.

I looked up; it was Vice Principal Knowles. She grabbed me and pulled me off of Ryan. "Young man, what has gotten into you? Get to my office now." She screamed. Mrs Knowles grabbed my arm and dragged me to her office. As I looked back, people stared slack-jawed because of what just happened. Reginald slid down the locker, his expression like a deer in headlights.

"Jack Winters, have you lost your mind?" Mrs Knowles yelled at me.

I remained silent, my eyes unwavering from her steely gaze. My mind was acting too fast for me to even pay attention to what else she was saying. Sentences became disjointed words and fragments, her statements becoming like cracked glass. Listening wasn't my objective; surviving the situation was. I didn't care what she was saying; I only cared about getting out of there.

I thought of Gracie and how she was nowhere to be found during the whole situation. I thought of Ryan and the final look he gave me as I punched him over and over. Was Reginald good? Did they take him somewhere, too?

I hope he's fine and not too shaken up.

My right hand throbbed with pain; all my adrenaline was gone, and all my physical pain had set in. Hits from Ryan that I didn't even feel were now more present than ever. His blood was still there. I wondered if I would've been better off not helping Reginald and if there was another me who avoided this altogether.

No time to think about what could've been

I wanted to speak to Gracie more than ever right now; I wanted to know if I did the right thing or not.

Gracie, I need you more than ever right now.

Time froze again. Mrs. Knowles' mouth stopped mid-sentence.

"Hello again, Jack." A voice echoed in my head.

"You look a bit rough right now."

"Yeah, no kidding," I replied.

"Gracie, if it is you I'm talking to, I want to know. I want to know if I did the right thing back there."

The silence echoed through my mind; she didn't answer. Instead, she continued.

"Whether you did the right thing or not is up to your volition. Do you think you did the right thing?"

It was hard to answer; I was able to stop Reginald, but I left Ryan a bruised and bloody mess. But that was his fault for picking on someone weaker than him. I mean, who gave him the right to deliver judgment upon someone whom he deemed as lesser than him?

But who gave me the right to stop him? I'm only human, nothing more, nothing less.

My silence signified my unsureness. Gracie could tell I didn't know if what I did was just or not. I was never a violent person; I never even fought back against bullies, but today, I wasn't the same pushover of the past.

"Would you like to go back?" Gracie asked, interrupting my introspection.

"No."

"As you wish, Jack."

Time resumed.