5

I have to find out what the timer means soon. There's only a few weeks left. Ezra's timer runs out on Tama's wedding. Mine runs out just 4 days before that. I grab a notebook and write down everything I know.

My mom. My aunt. My cousin. Tama. When their timer ran out, their skin started glowing. Sometimes it's faint, sometimes it's bright. The timer shatters to pieces, turns into a million glowing pieces that get blown away. Nothing else happens; they don't die, they don't act weird. The bad things come later. In some cases, a new timer appears. For others, they disappear permanently.

For Ezra's sake, too, I should find out what it means. I stay up nights, days, trying to find out the meaning. Looking for people whose timer will run out soon, watch them, almost stalk them.

Two weeks pass by faster than ever, and I still haven't found out anything. I'm tired. I haven't slept in days. My dad is worried, he's trying to get me to stay home, call in sick, but I can't. In just 10 days, my timer will run out. And not too long after that, Ezra's timer will run out, and Tama will get married. Everything will change. I have to enjoy the last days of my normal, daily life as much as I can.

'Bye dad. I love you.' I yawn and then kiss him on the cheek.

'Ari. Be careful. You can come home anytime, alright?' He says, obviously not wanting me to go.

'I know, I know. I'll be fine. School's important. I'll get better when the break comes.' I try to comfort him. My free time starts right after Tama's wedding. The event is on a Thursday, so I'll only have school on the Friday after that.

I step into the classroom, being the first to arrive as usual. I unpack my bag, putting everything down perfectly, right as Ezra comes in with our two closest friends. Elijah and Isaiah are as much of an iconic pair as me and Ezra are. While Elijah kept his natural light brown hair, Isaiah dyed it pastel green. Both of them are energetic dumbasses, though Elijah is more serious than his boyfriend, and they're easy to get along with. Right now, they're obviously annoying Ezra, judging from the scowl on his face and the loud laughing of the other two.

'Ezyaaaaaa!' I say as they walk up to me.

As soon as he looks at me, his scowl turns into a frown. 'Stupid. You haven't slept again?' he whispers.

'I'm fine, Ezya, really! Are you worried that I'll ruin my pretty face?' I try to convince him.

'Pretty face? All I see is a tired, monstrous being in front of me.'

'You're so mean, Ezya!' I pout.

Elijah and Isaiah take their usual spots behind us, while Ezra sits besides me. The three of them start unpacking their bags as well.

'By the way, Ari, I've been able to get free from work for Tama's wedding,' my best friend tells me.

'Really? That's amazing!' I smile. Ezra and Tama have become good friends over time, thanks to the both of them coming over to my house a lot. That's why he too got invited to her wedding.

Tama's wedding... I frown. My heart sinks and my whole body feels heavy whenever I think about it. It is supposed to be the best day of her life, but something will go wrong.

Suddenly, I feel someone flick my forehead. 'Owwwww! Elijah!' I cry out. 'What was that for?!' I rub the spot he hit.

'You were spacing out with a biiiig frown on your face, and Ezra looked like he was about to go hit you, so I did it for him.'

Ezra does indeed look angry. 'Ezya?' I ask.

'Ari. We need to talk. Now.' He drags me outside, despite my loud protesting and the looks that the other duo gives us.

'You need to tell me what's wrong. It's been getting worse and worse and I can't stand it. Why can't you trust me?' he says when we're alone, both anger and worry audible in his voice.

'I can't. Sorry, Ezya. I don't want to bother you, really. I'll be fine as long as you keep our promise.'

My answer doesn't please him at all. 'Can't you see that it does bother me? You're clearly not okay and you're hiding it from me. Why? Don't you know I would do everything to help you?' There it is. Ezra's sweet, sensitive side. A side of him that only a few people know of.

'Sorry, Ezya.' I say softly. 'I really can't.'

'Ari, please. I-- I really... care about you. A lot.' He grabs my wrists.

'Thank you.' I say, not daring to look him in the eye.

We stay there for a minute in silence, until Elijah and Isaiah come outside. Ezra quickly pulls away and clears his throat. I can feel my cheeks warm up a bit as they caught us in a confession kinda pose. They burst out laughing, immediately making all sorts of jokes about how Ezra must be in love with me. He blushes at least three different shades of red as he yells at them. How cute.