I Still Hope my Friend is Just Playing a Trick on Me...

Do you know the cold feeling when something is happening that makes no real sense? I am sure most of you know it.

It is often only there in those short moments before we remember that one detail that explains what is going on. I have been searching for it this whole evening.

Last night, as you all know, was Friday.

On Friday I usually hang out with a good friend of mine, Frederick. We are both not the party and bar type anymore. Instead, we tend to hang out at his place, have a couple of beers and watch a movie or two on his home theater projector.

Yesterday wasn't much different. When I finally made my way home, it was almost three in the morning. You could say I was pleasantly buzzed, but not wasted.

The next morning, I woke up when my phone notified me that I'd gotten a WhatsApp message. Cursing that I forgot to mute the damn phone again, I checked to see who it was. It was by Sue, Frederick's girlfriend. She'd sent me a picture of the two of them in front of a well-known sightseeing attraction in her town.

I was a little surprised. Why'd Sue send me a picture like that at nine-thirty on a Saturday morning?

As I was preparing myself some coffee, her reply arrived. She said that the two of them had been there a couple of minutes ago.

I slowly read the message over once more, but I hadn't misread it.

She and Frederick were in a long distance relationship, and Sue lived on the other end of the country. There was no way that Frederick could be there right now.

I told her to cut the joke, but she asked me what I meant. I sighed, this was stupid. As I sent Frederick a quick text, that Sue was trying to play a joke on me, he sent me a picture too. It was another picture of the two of them, this time in front of a different building. I put my phone away. I was not in the mood for their shenanigans.

In the early afternoon, my phone buzzed again. I looked at it and saw Frederick had sent me a short video clip. I sighed and pressed play, prepared for it to be some clip of him farting or something. Instead, it was a video of him and Sue in front of a small indoor stage.

Suddenly a wave of cold rushed over me. I read the name 'DarkBeatz' in bright letters behind them. 'DarkBeat' was a small Indy festival in Sue's town. Frederick and I had been talking about it, and I remember declining when he asked if I wanted to join them. I looked it up online instantly, and everything checked out:

'DarkBeatz: 10.03.18–11.03.18' the website said.

I called him right away.

"When did you even get there, Fred?"

"Last evening. By train. Same as always?" he answered a little confused.

"When did you even leave? At four in the morning? How would you even be there by now?"

"What are you on about at four in the morning? I left right after work."

"Stop shitting me, man. We hung out last night."

"What are you talking about?"

I told him my story, but of course, he didn't believe me. Now it was him who said to me that I should cut the joke. Then he told me, he had to go now, since the first act was starting soon.

What was going on? It must be a joke. He was fucking with me. There was no other way.

I went on my way to his place then and there. Funny, I thought, really fucking funny. Well I had to do some shopping, I thought, so the trip wasn't completely useless.