The New ME

Chapter 2

"Girl, what just happened?" My employer, Harrieta, asked the moment he walked in the room. I was folding the hospital gown they made me wear last night. I looked up at him and gave him a teary smile. He frowned before giving me a hug.

Actually, his real name was Harris, and he's gay, so he wanted us to call him Harrieta. Apart from being my boss, he was a close friend, too. He was easy to talk to and work with, the reason why we employees were so close with him.

I sniffed as we pulled away, wiping away my tears. "I'm okay," I said.

"No, you are not." He sighed before frowning and crossing his arms. "Is it about Evan?" The moment I heard his name, I got teary eyed again. He bumped his fist with his palm and said, "I'm going to teach that b*stard a lesson!"

He was about to leave the room but I stopped him. Even though Harrieta was gay, he could still give a mean punch, enough to keep you in the hospital. I was just exaggerating— but still, you wouldn't want to be the receiving point of it.

"Just leave it, boss," I said, looking out the window. "What they said is true, though."

Harrieta seemed irked at that. "Who's with Evan right now?"

I looked back at him and hesitated. "...Cindy."

"I knew it!!!" If he were an anime character, he would have those irk marks, face so red in anger and smoke coming out of his nostrils. And I remembered he actually didn't like Cindy, for some unknown reason.

"I knew she was bad news. I just don't know how to say it to you, Ame."

I sighed. "I don't know why you don't like her. She's my best friend."

He raised a finger and said, "Was. Besides, best friends are not snakes who would betray you. They're not to be called friends in the first place if they're like that." He paused then asked in a dark tone, "What did they even say to you?"

I looked away from him. "...That... I'm fat..."

He gritted his teeth. "You. Are. Not. Did Cindy said it to you?" He took my silence as a yes. "Ame, you are fine! You're not fat whatsoever! If I'm a straight man, I would go and make you my lady! Because you're not like those matchsticks who're not even eating properly!* Unfortunately, though, I'm not."

What he said made me laugh a bit. Matchsticks. That's what he usually called them. He smiled, giving me a hug once again.

"Everything's going to be alright, Ame. You're going to be fine. You know why? Because you're unique in your own way. You're beautiful, inside and out. You're not fake. You're you," Harrieta said, rubbing my back.

I hugged him back, tears streaming down my face as I cried on his shoulder.

"It's okay. Just let it all out..."

I was discharged later that day. Harrieta took me to my apartment, saying my parents didn't know anything about what happened. He also said that he already cleaned it, blood and all.

"You didn't have to do that, Harrieta! Really!" I said, very surprised.

"I still do, Ame. Besides, you're one of my babies in the salon. Of course, I have to take care of you. And I want to. So don't worry, okay?" Then he added, "Also, you're one of my friends who don't judge me. So just let me, okay?"

I smiled, giving him a hug. "Thanks, boss."

"Take a rest, okay? And don't forget, we're here for you, so if you want to talk about it, just come to us, okay?," he said, pulling away when he felt that I nodded. He got into his car and drove off.

I sighed, making my way inside my apartment. I locked the door, before someone spoke.

"Are you feeling better now?"

I jumped, frowning up at him. He gave me a cheeky smile. It was the same man from before. The one who actually saved me. And the one I was afraid of.

Mr. Ghost.

I ignored him and walked to my room. 'You're not real. You're not real...'

"Hey! Please don't ignore me!"

That time at the hospital, when he said he didn't know how he got in here, I had a very bad feeling about him. Call it imagination but I just didn't like ghosts and stuff related to horror. It really gave me the creeps. I mean, you would suspect him, too, if you're in my shoes. The doctor didn't even acknowledge nor seen him, for Christ's sake! It's enough for me to feel scared!

And also, I didn't know what his name was. As if I would ask!

"Oh, by the way, I remembered something! My name! Do you want to know it?" Mr. Ghost said so excitedly as he followed me inside.

His statement made me irk. 'I'm not asking for your name! Can you please leave me alone?!'

"It's Moonglow Crystal!" I looked at him blankly when he smiled and giggled like a school girl. "It's awesome, right? Right?"

I looked away and said, "I'm not interested. Go away."

He gasped as if he was struck by lightning. "You actually talked to me! You talked to me! Yay!"

I groaned in exasperation, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him. He dodged it, still laughing. "Shut up, will you?! Can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Tsk, tsk. No can do, my dear. I don't want you to start cutting yourself, so I'm here to make sure you won't do it again."

I stopped halfway of throwing another pillow at him, stared at him for a second before deciding not to. I turned away from him and said, "It's not your business; it's mine. So can you please just leave it?"

"Nope." I heard some shuffling behind me before he spoke yet again. "Whether my business or not, I would still be here to look after you."

I looked back at him, irritated. "I'm not a baby—"

He was laying on my bed, looking up at me seriously. "I know you're not. But it doesn't mean you don't need someone to turn to when you're hurt. Because most of the time, adults tend to get hurt a lot more emotionally than a baby. And we need someone to at least be there to listen when we need to express what we are feeling. We need it more than we could ever imagine."

I blinked down at him and was silent for a moment. He just looked at me in the eyes. When I was about to speak, he suddenly yawned and said something that made me question his or my sanity.

"Well, that's it for today, girls and boys. Your teacher is sleepy so have a nice day..."

"Just what do you think you're doing, huh?! You can't just say something like that then sleep!!" I yelled down at him.

Instead of acknowledging it, he just turned to his left side and fell asleep.

Angrily, I picked up the pillow again before slamming it down on his face. It actually hit him, but he didn't even stir nor open his eyes. I cringed at the slight pain on my left wrist. And decided not to continue hitting him.

"You better not come back again..."

With that, I left the room and slept on the couch.

~~~~~~~

*By the way, I don't have any problems with people who are thin and who like to watch their diet. It was just Harrieta speaking, as his character is somewhat like that. So forgive me if any one of you readers take offense in that. I'm very sorry for the misunderstanding.

Thank you for reading! Take care!