Poisoned Star

Prologue

*OK FOR THOSE WHO PERSONALLY KNOW ME, PLEASE DO ME A FAVOUR AND DONT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF THIS STORY. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS PLEASE DIRECTLY ASK ME OKE HIHI*

*** oh and if you're a very easily triggered grammar nazi, please avoid this story. my English sucks and i didn't bother to check my grammar, sorry***

"Bloop." Marie touches the tip of Ethan's nose, making him grimace. Marie takes place across Ethan's seat. She notices the shock on his face still has not recovered. "Dude? Chill. Were you that shocked? Relax, we haven't met for only a few months, you couldn't be missing me that much."

"Goodness, Marie. You sounded so much like her." Ethan brushes his nose, checking if there's anything Marie might have smeared on his nose. Luckily, there's none. He would kill her if she did.

"Her who?" she pauses to take a guess. "Oh, Alison? Of course, I do. I'm her best friend. Best friends tend to absorb each other's traits when they spend too much time together." Again, Marie tries to touch Ethan's nose, but he dodges.

"Stop intruding my personal space." He hisses. "What does 'bloop' even meant?"

"Coming through!" The question is left hanging as Grace sits next to Ethan and pass sodas and cheesy fries to each of them. "Cheesy fries for all, all are happy."

"Yay, that was quick!! I live for the goodness of cheesy fries." Marie greedily sinks her teeth into few fries at the same time. She closes her eyes as she devours the sweet and savoury taste of the cheese sauce. "This cheese sauce should be illegal. It gives me hard time to accept that life is bitter after I am done eating."

"Geez, look at that," Ethan reaches for tissue paper in front of Grace and hands them to Marie. "You're such a drama queen. It's just a cheese sauce."

"Slow down or you might get indigestion." Grace gives Marie a soft pat on her shoulder.

"Damn, this is shit nice!" he mumbles as he eats his fries.

"Hey, language!" Grace quickly scowled. She hates curse words. "This is not shit, this is a sacred potato."

"I'm sorry, not gonna lie, this fry is a 10! How'd you find this place?" Ethan asked in a serious manner. This diner is just a few minutes away from their college, he can't accept why he never found this place before. "I mean, I've graduated from college like almost a year ago after studying here for almost four years, yet I've never been here? Wild."

Well, to be fair, this place is a little shabby to attract college students. He knows this place exists, he just doesn't know this place serves nice and scrumptious food. Now he will always remember to not judge a book by its cover.

"Let's just say, I am very talented in finding nice places to eat. It's a gift not everyone has, y'know. I am the chosen one. Don't tell anyone else, ok?" Grace winks. She puts her index on her lips.

"You should hang out with us girls more. This used to be me and Grace's favourite hangouts. Even when Alison was here, she used to like this place. It's amazing how the food here never changes." Marie added, she licked her fingers, smeared with cheese and oil. She crunched another handful of crispy fries.

Ethan pouts his lips. "You girls hang out here often but never once invited me? The audacity, I'm truly offended."

"Don't be such a baby, shut your pie hole or stuff it with those fries. So, how's pupillage? Tough, no?" Grace prompted. They are all currently almost 7 months through pupillage, which is a post-graduate course before they can become qualified lawyers.

Both Marie and Ethan groans.

"What?" Grace is obviously clueless.

"Can you at least let me enjoy my cheesy fries at ease before popping out that question? No, Grace, honey, it is sooooo fun! Not tough at all. Right, Marie?" Ethan says, sarcastically.

Marie almost chokes on her fries, "huh? Oh, yeah. Correct."

"Well, I was just asking... it's to keep the conversation going, okay?" Grace rolled her eyes in annoyance. She slurps her soda. "That's refreshing!"

"So, what's the occasion today, eh?" Ethan asked with his mouth full of fries

"What, we can't invite you for a drink? I thought we are friends?? Ugh, I'm truly offended, Ethan." Marie gasps, mocking Ethan. She takes some of Ethan's fries for offending her.

"Well, it's just a question. You don't have to be offended if you really have no hidden intentions. Hey, do you guys wanna grab ice creams afterwards? I've been craving for it since forever. What do you say?" He looks at Marie and Grace in turns with this sheepish smile and giddy look. "You wanna? You wanna?"

Marie and Grace exchanged looks.

"Oh, come on! You guys are always up for ice creams. Huh? Huh?" Ethan annoyingly nudges his shoulder to Grace's while sheepishly smile at Marie, waiting for their agreeance. "For old time's sake."

"You know what? Yeah, sure! Why not? Right, Marie?" Grace raise her eyebrows towards Marie. Her face shouts just say yes!

"Yeah, why not. Count me in."

Ethan's eyes gleam. "Sounds like a plan. If she's here, I know she would love to join us. She loves ice cream. Oh god, I miss her and her ice cream obsession. Do you remember she would personally text each one of us, invites us for an ice cream session? She even bribes us to come by saying she's willing to pay for the ice cream. I would never. I'm too broke to be generous."

"SHE," Marie interrupted, "got a name. Her name is Alison."

"Oh," he is taken aback, "sorry... I'm..."

Marie laughs it off. "No, it's cool. I'm cool. Hurry finish your fry, so we can go have some ice creams."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Her eyes are alight, "How could I forget it, hey, Marie, did you go to the book launch last week? I couldn't come because I was so busy."

"What book launch?" Ethan questions, his eyebrows furrowing, creating a deep line on his forehead.

"Alison's. She got published and last week was the launching!" Grace feels giddy with excitement.

"What? You girls still keep in touch with her? How come she never calls me? She launched a book?! That's crazy awesome! Aw, I'm so happy for her. Have you bought it yet? I wanna buy it. What is it about?" He wears the facial expression of a small child with an especially large Christmas present.

Marie slaps Ethan's firm back. "You never read it? She gave you a journal before she left, didn't she? It's the manuscript!"

"Oh, Alison's journal?" he asks as he remembers about the A5 sized jet black, leather-covered journal Alison gave her 4 years ago.

Alison has always been very secretive about what she wrote in it. He remembers the one time he tried to read it but Alison threw a fit. But few days before Alison left, she gave it to Ethan. But Ethan never got the time to read it.

It has always been on his shelf since the day he received it. "That... aw I never got the chance to read it yet. Oh, that script got published!? Wow, I'm so honoured! Okay but I am still going to find the book in stores and buy it then I will read it. We have to increase the sales, right?" Ethan's whole face lit up, a wide smile plastered across his face and his eyebrows waggles.

"You what!? Hah, silly." Marie snickers in a sarcastic manner. "You should read it," Marie said.

"Hey, why would you say that? I'm sorry I never got the time to read it." He frowned.

"She gave all of her soul to you four years ago, only for you to leave it on your shelf? Four years!? And you never found a time to read it? I guess she did the right thing by leaving us, by leaving you four years ago."

"What are you talking about?"

"She wanted you to read it. She ... wrote it for you. About you."

"Come again!?" his eyes and his mouth are frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise.