HANAHAKI

"unpredictable mess"

           

John felt so uneasy walking towards the cafeteria where he's supposed to meet Dale. He has never hung out with someone before. "You need to calm yourself, John." he whispered to himself. He sat down just near the entrance so Dale could easily see him. He was a bit early but minutes later Dale arrived.

"Hey!" Dale exclaimed the moment she saw John.

"Shall we?" she asked.

"Where are we going?" John replied.

"Mall? I'm gonna buy something there and we can eat or play games perhaps?" Dale smiled. John just nodded and followed Dale who's in a hurry.

'So this how it feels to be friends with someone' John thought while drinking his cup of milk tea. They had their snacks at Dale's favourite café and played arcade for quite a few hours. It was good day for the new friends. John was happy and enjoyed the time with Dale.

The hang out didn't end there. It was followed by a lot more bonding inside and outside school together with Dale's friends as well. The hang outs made both of the students closer to each other which made John began to seize every moment he has in his freshmen year. He's been striving hard for his studies too. However, the end of the semester came like a speeding arrow.

"Dale, can we meet tomorrow after our Biology exam?" John asked excitedly.

"Sure! Good luck on the exam! Bye!" Dale gave a smirk as she bid goodbye to the gentleman.

John has been feeling strange for quite a while now. He hasn't felt this way before. He was smiling all the time thinking of this particular girl in his Biology class. The night before their meet up, John thought of ways on how to express his feelings towards Dale. He didn't know what to do. It's his first time to confess to someone.

"Shit. I'm in trouble! What if I fail? What if I can't say it?"

"Okay okay. Calm down!" John was trying to comfort his self.

John wasn't able to sleep well since he stayed up late studying. As he was about to enter the room, he heard a familiar voice. He stopped right beside the door.

"I think he'll confess to me later. How am I supposed to tell him that it's all fake?" Dale asked with a worried voice.

"This is all your fault Viv! You started the dare." Fenech bellowed.

"Wait! What? I thought we all agreed on this? Why is it that it's all my fault now?" Vivoree responded in a maddening sound.

"Just stop! Okay?! I'll tell him later." Dale responded.

He felt an ache in his chest. His lungs tightened. He felt woozy. He hurriedly ran towards the gate. He ran and ran until he reached home. Kevin was still in the hospital so he couldn't tell him what he was feeling at the moment. He felt so alone. He had always been since that day. He suddenly felt something in his chest. His throat began itching and then he began coughing. His eyes widened when he found blood and petals in his hands. 'This can't be!' he thought. He's sweating a lot now. His hands were shaking so he promptly dialed his Uncle's number.

"Hey John. What's up?" Kevin asked.

"Uncle please come home. Please be here now." John answered with a shaking voice.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Kevin responded.

"Just please come home."

Kevin could hear sobs from the other line. "Okay, I'll be home in fifteen minutes. Just calm yourself down, okay?" John hung up.

Kevin came home and immediately found John in the living room sleeping. He's confused as to what happened to his nephew until his gaze met the tiny petals on the floor.

"Oh my god." He whispered not wanting to wake up the sleeping boy. He didn't expect this to happen. He knew back then that something's unusual with his nephew since the day he went home with that happy smile painted on his face. Kevin doesn't want to intervene on any of John's whereabouts. He knew so well that the boy has been keeping something from him.

           

He was astounded and tried to remember what happened to him before. Through the years, he had been trying to figure out what exactly occurred before the surgery. He wanted to know the reason why he chose to be like this. And now, his only family, the boy whom he treated like his son, is suffering from the same disease he once had. Baffled by the situation, he let out a sigh. How will he handle it this time?