CHAPTER SEVEN
“C-Conrad?” I stuttered. I took a quick moment to catch my breath. “How did you...? What is this?”
Conrad smiled lightly. “Any, it’s so good to see you.”
Warily, I backed away from the boy I knew all too well. It was like he’d never gone. His hair was still in the same place—messed up, the hair I wanted to just run my hands through. His aftershave wafted up my nostrils as I stared at him, dumbstruck.
“You’re dead,” I commented, gulping.
Still, I wasn’t completely convinced with my own conviction. I hadn’t given up on Conrad at all. So when I looked at this boy, I believed that it was him—my love, the first boy I’d ever truly liked. Smiling softly, he wandered towards me. Unlike usual, his eyes didn’t light up. His eyes looked old, worn, and dead. I couldn’t blame him though—he had almost died.
What was I talking about? He was dead. This boy was just my hallucination. But it was such a clear hallucination. Surely I wouldn’t remember him so clearly.
“Any, I know you’re confused,” he whispered. “But, Any, don’t be confused for a moment. Kiss me.”
Conrad usually wasn’t this blunt. Usually, he would try to warm me up to kiss me. He’d never order it. But I didn’t care. I hadn’t seen him for ages. And even if this was a hallucination, I was going to kiss him.
As I leant up to press my lips against his, my eyes were averted to someone on the other side of the street. This someone had called my name. Kate. What was she doing here? Kate was chewing on her lips hard as she waved. Pulling away from Conrad slightly, still gripping onto his shirt so he wouldn’t leave, I smiled back. Instead of leaving us alone, she walked over.
“Hey, Ana,” she greeted. “Should you really be hanging with this boy after you are going out with Ben Ellis?”
My head flicked to Conrad, hoping he hadn’t believed her. Instead of having a reaction, he stared blankly at her, as if not comprehending what she was saying.
I pulled myself up to my boyfriend. “Conny, don’t believe her, okay?” I twisted my head to glare at Kate, something unlike me.”I love you, Conrad, only you.”
Conrad’s response wasn’t anger. Instead, he demanded the same thing as before. “Kiss me.”
Kate pulled me away from him, something unlike her. I was desperate to kiss Conrad but she was stopping me. She pushed me away from him. “Go home, Ana.”
“No.” I was offended—what was Kate doing? “This is my boyfriend.”
“Who has been cheating on you with me,” Kate quickly accused.
Conrad said nothing, but his response to me. “Kiss me.”
Kate didn’t comply but she dragged him away from me. Unlike what Alissa Poma would have done, she didn’t send me a spiteful smile. Instead, she just continued to walk.
I collapsed to the floor. It was all too much for me to take in. Conrad was alive but he was cheating on me with Kate. It was all too unreal. Quickly, I got up from the floor, legs still shaking heavily like I was having a fit.
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Cheating Death
Teen Fiction“To die would be an awfully big adventure.” – Peter Pan Death holds a grudge on Anastasia Elwood. The reason being that she cheats him. The first time she cheated Death, she had just been born. As a newborn, she had cancer. Somehow, she survived. Th...
