The Crystal Ball

Gypsy Souls was getting louder and louder as the night bathed the sky. The chatters confined to the sections assigned. Sometimes, a loner would step into the friend's section and was part of the crowd within minutes. Other times, those loners would enjoy their cup of coffee, sitting alone, and reading the books kept on the small library at their right side. On the left side, was a space left for notes, any notes, lost or found, a memory, a compliment, a review, a letter.

Rain jumped up hearing a little click at the door, her head shadowed by the thoughts of the event that happened earlier that day. Her fingers scrolling the gallery on her phone.

"What are you doing?" The pretty young girl hopped on the bed and sat beside Rain, peeking in Rain's phone.

"Umm Nothing just some memories" Rain's fingers were still scrolling the screen up further.

"What are you looking for?" The young girl's eyes were now searching for something.

"Happy Memories like look here.. umm I guess I took it when I tried dying my hair color blue" Rain giggled looking at the picture, it was more of her mom's horrified face in the reflection of the mirror that made her smile.

"I am guessing blue is your favorite color then, mine is yelloooow" the young girl grinned lost in her thoughts.

"Why yellow and not like pink? Rain was curious and looked at the girl.

She put her pinky on her chin and thought.

"It's the color of hope"

It was a simple answer, yet it suited the color yellow.

"Why blue?"

Before Rain could reply, her gaze fell upon the bird box. Someone must have kept a request.

She jumped on her feet and opened her side of the door. The young girl by her side, equally excited.

"Dear Crystal ball,

I made a friend. He is a boy. We had been friends since the first day of the school year. He doesn't talk to any other girl. He is naughty and often gets scolded. He might miss a few things, so I help him with the school work. I wrote the assignment given to both of us. I know him, I mean maybe. I feel like he likes me.

He calls me and we talk for an hour, he tells me everything, vents to me about his ex gf.

I think I am important to him. I used to. But then the other day, we took some pics, and he didn't post them anywhere. Okay, maybe he is a private person, but he did post pics with other friends, girls. Yes, he made other friends too as the year passed by. Funny, I introduced them. What do you think I should do?

Lost Girl"

Rain read the letter, paused in the middle, moved back to sit on the bed, and read it again.

Even though she didn't know the girl, she felt her heart shattering a bit. How was she supposed to tell the girl the truth? This might be more difficult than she has thought. She looked up at the mirror. The girl stood in front of the box, rubbing her hands, trying to look everywhere, waiting... waiting for the answer.

*Should she lie and make the girl smile or should she tell her the truth and break her heart?*

Rain took a deep breath and started writing.

"Dear Girl,

You are kind and helpful. You have been helping a friend without any expectations. I am guessing here that you never wanted anything back from him. But with passing time, you want some of his affection, just some, as a human. But is there anything you really like about him?

You might be feeling alone and need a companion but that's not love.

And he, he is just taking advantage of you being nice, still, you can't blame him as he never asked for it.

Try to figure out what you want from him and ask yourself a question. Has he ever asked anything about you?

Crystal Ball."

Rain played with the paper in her hand and finally put it back and turned around.

She didn't have the courage to look at the girl but could clearly hear her footsteps fading away.

"You don't look good." The pretty young girl said and patted on the bed right beside her.

Rain just walked towards her and sat by her, crossing her arms, her gaze on the floor.

Suddenly the pretty girl jumped which made Rain bolt her head up.

"I know what you need. You need a party" the pretty young girl was jumping up and down while Rain shook her head.

She doesn't go to parties, she used to but she hasn't been in a while. She doesn't need the constant loud noises where people could barely hear each other, but then again, she doesn't want to go to her room. It was empty. No one was waiting for her, unlike here, where she might have found a friend.

*Who you are bringing with you?*

*No no no no she can't go to the party, not the one where all girls would be swooning over the new guy and making a fool of themselves* She thought to herself.

"Please I wanna go and I can't go alone" the pretty young girl looked at Rain, and Rain knew she had to give in. The girl had been nice to her, the moment she had walked in.

She nodded her head and then her gaze went to her clothes.

"I am not changing them," she declared. Okay maybe be listening to this, the pretty girl won't take Rain with her.

"No worries, I am not changing either. We don't have much time"

Rain hung her head down. That's why she liked to stick with just the introverts, but she didn't have any other options.

Free endless drinks everywhere were being poured and passed around. Most of them covering the corners of the lawn, some dropped the instant they were empty, some crushed. Loud thumping music which would make anyone deaf or annoyed, set up the mood for the students who were too drunk to dance.

Mostly everyone was drunk/tipsy, with a few people in clusters sitting around outside either making out, dancing somewhere, drinking, or just talking. A guy too drunk to walk straight, stumbling on his way out.

Noah almost stepped over a crushed bottle and cursed.

"Damm, looks like it had already started" he turned to look at Ace but he was not the only one.

As Ace walked in, all eyes were set on him. He looked like a deity – the perfect balance of danger and charm, he was fascinating and inaccessible, distant because of his demonstrated flawlessness, at the same time utterly attractive in an enticing and forbidden way.

He groaned looking at the girls approaching him

"I need a light" He whispered to Noah.

Noah shrugged his shoulders, not able to understand what Ace just said.

Ace shook his head and approached the sober-looking guy.

This time without wasting his time, he signaled the guy for a cigarette. The guy raised his hand which pointed to the broom closet. Ace almost cursed but stopped himself.

"I hate these small towns" he muttered, opening the door.

"I think it's a bad idea" Rain must have said it for the thousandth time on her way over to the party.

Her words turned into reality as the rain started pouring, breaking their bond with the clouds. Each drop looked like it was racing the other trying to touch the ground first and then being the part of its source.

The freezing weather made the drops cold and it didn't take everyone to get under a shade.

The drops covered Rain as if they were long-lost friends of hers making her completely drenched. She was glad that she decided to stick to her hoodie.

Still, it won't help her for long as it was getting heavier. Her eyes fell upon the broom closet which was still opened and she rushed towards it, closing it quickly.

"For god sake, tell me you didn't lock it"

Rain jumped up realizing she wasn't alone, alone and now locked.