“Every darkness will turn into light.” That quote lingered in my mind. It felt true, but why did I have to wake up from a beautiful dream to face this dark reality? I couldn’t recall why I was there, but everything turned dark, and she slipped away, lost in the depths of my mind. My soul felt incomplete once again. Even the dream, where we were together on that bus, watching the rain, seemed better than waking up to this.
A voice interrupted from the kitchen—my mom, as usual: “Up all night on your phone and now waking up late again.” I barely paid attention. Those kinds of remarks were common with Asian mothers.
“You said you’re going to Yuva India today,” my dad reminded me, “Won’t you miss the bus?”
Bus?! I needed to catch the bus! I threw off my bed sheets, scrambled up, and rushed to school. Somehow, I made it on time, snacks in hand, feeling a glimmer of hope that today might turn out well. It was the first day of Yuva India 2022—a perfect escape from revision schedules.
Triumphant School wasn’t far, just a kilometer from home. As I ran into class, Job was the first to greet me. “How are you not late? Your dad said you were still asleep when I called at 7 a.m.!”
“No secrets!” I joked, brushing off his teasing.
“You brought the snacks, right?” Job asked with a grin. Inside, I heard my own voice saying, He’s only interested in your snacks, Josh. I smiled anyway, and just then, our class teacher walked in.
The bell rang at 8 a.m., but Albin and Kingston were still missing. As my teacher took attendance, I heard a commotion outside—Albin’ name was called, and his voice came from the hallway: “Present, ma’am!”
The teacher looked at me, then at Albin’ empty seat, confused. He finally appeared, along with Kingston, both late, as usual. Our teacher scolded them, “It’s been five months since school started, and you’ve been late every day!”
“Five months, five minutes outside,” Samuel Dani muttered, making the class chuckle.
After their brief punishment, they returned to their seats. Kingston leaned over, “Still here? Haven’t left for Yuva India yet?”
“We’re waiting for the teacher,” I replied. Befflin, who had been eavesdropping, turned around to add, “You’re going without us?”
“Stop eavesdropping, Grandma!” Albin teased, and Befflin turned back around. Albin warned me, “Don’t let your multiple personalities get you in trouble out there.”
“I’ll be on my best behavior,” I assured him with a smile.
Soon, the teacher announced the bus had arrived, and I waved goodbye to my friends. Albin smiled, but Kingston still didn’t look thrilled about me going alone.
As we boarded the bus, I scanned for a seat. Out of nowhere, Job barreled into me, nearly knocking me over. “What’s wrong?” he asked innocently, as if nothing had happened. He quickly added, “You can have the window seat on the way back.”
I nodded, letting it go. The bus finally rumbled to life, and the Triumphant students cheered. Job leaned over, “What if something happens to the bus?”
“Could you be more positive?” I shot back. The bus felt oddly quiet without any music, so I muttered, “Where’s the music?”
Our teacher, Mr. Yogeshwaran, was on board, and Rakshith, my classmate, requested songs. Before long, the jukebox was on, and the bus was filled with the beats of pop music. Job vibed awkwardly next to me, shaking in a way that was more cringe than cool.
James College wasn’t far, and we arrived just as the third song finished. As we stepped off the bus, Job marveled, “This place is like heaven!”
“Have you been to heaven?” I teased.
“No, but this campus is massive,” he replied. I chuckled, “Try using better comparisons next time.”
We entered the auditorium, which was decorated with lights and an enormous LED screen on stage. We sat in Bay 1, right behind the Chief Guests’ section. Job, who had his eyes glued to the food stalls outside, could barely contain his excitement. “French fries! Burgers! Shawarma! I want it all!”
“Didn’t we just have breakfast?” I reminded him, though even I felt a pull toward the food. The program started, and Job’s attention shifted to the host on stage, while I doodled in my notepad. As speakers took turns on stage, Job’s focus was elsewhere.
“That dancer looks like my crush,” Job whispered during a performance. “She reminds me of her.”
I smiled, hearing to Joshua commenting from inside, First time seeing a bear fall in love! But I held back my laughter.
As the performances wrapped up, Job turned to me, “So, do you have a dream girl?”
I paused. My mind raced. Where is she? Will I ever find her? My dream girl wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. She was the missing piece of my soul. I took a deep breath and replied, “I’m waiting for her.”
We decided to play a game, asking each other questions about our dream girls. Job shared that he had a crush on a girl named Jenna Mathew, and my heart skipped a beat. Jenna was my best friend. "Does he know?", Joshua was asking from. "We both have same questions dude", I spoke to Joshua, within myself
When it was my turn, I told him, “I’ve been dreaming about my girl since I was in third grade. It feels like we’re growing old together in those dreams.”
Job shrugged off any serious feelings, saying he’d simply move on if his crush didn’t reciprocate. I couldn’t understand his casual attitude toward love. "He’s not the one for Jenna,", Joshua was saying. We both think the same.
The day passed quickly with dances, dramas, and fun. By the time we headed back to Triumphant, Job had forgotten our window seat deal, but I didn’t remind him. I was too tired to care.
"How about the Day", I asked Joshua. " Was going well. But I got some questions in my head", Joshua said.
"You mean Jenna? ", I asked.
" I am confused on this"
"Shall we ask her about him?", I asked already knowing he would say no.
" Better we don't I would say".
Back home, I relived the day, recounting every detail to my friends and scrolling through my Instagram, hoping to hear from Jenna. She wasn’t active, and for some reason, I felt like keeping Job’s crush on her a secret. I went to bed, hoping to meet my dream girl once more.
**Headline: Prank at James College Yields Unexpected Fire Incident**
During the Yuva India program at James College, what started as a harmless prank turned into a surprising accident. Job, a student known for his mischievous antics, became the center of attention when a joke involving flatulence took a fiery turn.
According to witnesses, Job’s infamous flatulence happened to coincide with the proximity of stage lights, sparking a small fire. Laughter quickly turned to chaos as attendees rushed to control the flames and ensure everyone’s safety.
Stay tuned for more updates from James College!
_______________________
“Can flatulence really cause a fire?” Juliet asked, puzzled. I shrugged. “Who knows?”
“Wanna try that game?” Juliet teased.
“The farting game?” I asked, confused.
“No, dummy. The question game,” she clarified with a smirk.
I raised my eyebrows. “Do we really need a game like that? I mean, we’ve known each other since forever.”
“Exactly,” she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve been friends even before we were born.”
I smiled. “Let’s finish this first. Then we can play.”
Juliet’s eyes shifted to the diary. “What’s the next chapter?”
I turned the page. It read: *Chapter 4: Are you that Joshua?*
YOU ARE READING
HIDDEN GLITCH - Joshua K ( WATTPAD VERSION)
RomanceIn the near future, Justin and Juliet uncover an old diary belonging to Joshua , which reveals itself as a draft of a novel titled Be My Last..?. As they delve into its pages, they are drawn into a complex narrative filled with hidden glitches and u...
