"You guys... didn't have a dog at all?" I questioned, baffled.
"Well, when I was ten, we had a hamster called Rocky that died when I gave it a bath and more recently, a bunny rabbit called Chuck Norris. He also died when I gave it a bath." Harry explained with a shrug.
I was abruptly pulled away before I could reply. With a strong tug on my arm, I was brought into a crowd of familiar faces.
"Helena... remember these girls?" Lindsey asked, squeezing my arm.
I took careful glances at the three girls surrounding me. Their effusive yet somewhat dark auras were conversant... but I just couldn't recall when we'd met.
"Fourth grade!" Lindsey exclaimed. "Dixie Cheer!"
I instantly remembered the cheerleading team Lindsey and I joined during our fourth primary school year. The three girls standing infront of me were the cheerleaders in our team that I once looked up to. I aspired to be like them. But they didn't look as glamorous as they did when they were younger.
One of them had a tan so obviously artificial that she looked like someone had plucked her right out of an episode of Jersey Shore. The other had one side of her head shaved and the hair on the other rolled up into a bun. Another looked almost fine but her breasts were so rambunctious and unrealistic for a girl of her size that you wouldn't know where to look when conversing with her.
"Mimi, Sandra and Vicky." Lindsey giggled.
"Oh, I remember! How are you guys doing?" I flashed an amiable smile at them. "You've all changed quite a lot."
"Yeah... you haven't, though." Mimi, the tanned girl, replied. "You still dress like a boy." She chuckled with the other girls.
Slightly irritated, I smiled weakly at them. "Catch up with you guys later." I told them before pushing my way out of the crowded cafe. Then I remembered how they used to treat us like losers.
I found myself under the large tents, vigorously searching for the curly haired boy that left me puzzled. I squinted my eyes to get a clearer view of the faces that surrounded me. Harry was nowhere in sight.
But I spotted Niall at a face-painting stall. I walked over to him and realized he was getting clown make-up on. "Niall?" I laughed. "What are you doing?"
"It's for a good cause. People are going to pay to see me dance as a clown and the money will go to charity." He replied proudly as a woman brushed streaks of white paint across his cheeks.
"That's nice." I told him. "Hey, do you know where Harry is? I need to ask him something."
"I think he might be helping out at the flea market." He answered. "But if I see him, I'll tell him to look for you."
"Thanks, Niall. Happy clowning!" I told him before heading over to the flea market stalls at the back of the cafe.
There were so many people that it seemed almost impossible for me to find Harry. Why is it that he always appears when I don't want to see him and disappears when I desperately need to talk to him?
I walked through the sea of people, tiptoeing and looking over heads every few seconds to check if there was a tall, mop-haired boy in any stall.
I was budged and pushed by several people who were rushing to the front of the cafe to catch the Earth Hour candles being lit up. But I couldn't care less. I jostled against the current and leaned against the doorframe of the female bathroom to relieve my exhaustion.
I exhaled deeply as I wiped the sweat off my forehead. I was distracted from my goal of finding Harry when I heard whimpers from inside the bathroom. I followed the sorrowful sound and found Polly sobbing in a corner. She had her knees brought up to her chin and her arms encased her legs.
"Hey... you okay?" I asked. She looked so restless that I actually worried for her health.
"Yeah." She replied in between sobs. "No."
"What is it?" I asked, settling down beside her.
"It's nothing." She stood up. She stumbled her way out of the bathroom and almost fell when people brushed past her turbulently. I quickly held onto her arm to help her gain her balance.
"I'm fine." She sighed and pulled her arm away from me. I shrugged and was about to walk away when Polly gripped onto my shoulder. She buried her dry face in her pale, freckled hands.
"Wait." She mumbled.
"Yeah?"
"Helena... I'm sorry."
"For what?" I enquired.
"Treating you all weird. You're my friend." She murmured. "I just need to share something with you. I have no one else to turn to."
"Of course. What is it?" I pretended to be oblivious to her pregnancy.
She bit her lip and looked away from me. "I'm pregnant." Her forehead creased as she shut her eyes tight, attempting to control her tears.
"Oh, Polly." I said in a comforting tone. "How?"
"I don't even know." She sniffed. "My parents don't know yet. My so called 'friends' have completely abandoned me. I told Lindsey but... you know how she is. She isn't mature enough to give me proper advice. I need you."
"Don't worry. It'll be fine. It's not the end of the world." I attempted to brighten up the situation. "But you're going to need to tell your parents sooner or later."
Before she could say anything, she was harshly nudged in the arm by a blonde girl clad in a top short enough to be a bandeau. "Found out who your baby daddy is yet, Planet Jupiter?" She pestered as she walked past Polly. I assumed the news had spread.
Polly began to weep harder at the girl's bitter comment. "You have to ignore people like that, Polly." I told her, patting her lightly on the back. "How many months?" I asked.
"Almost five." She sobbed. Her bump wasn't too noticeable yet. It was hidden beneath a flowy, loose blouse.
"And what about the dad? Have you told him about it yet?"
"Well, yes. But..."
"What?"
"I'm not..." She trailed off as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Her mascara was spread around her droopy eyes, making her dark circles look more prominent.
"You're not...?"
"I'm not so sure who it is yet." She finally completed her sentence.
"Polly..." I leaned in closer and lowered my voice so no one else could hear. "How many guys did you sleep with?"
She chewed her lip before answering. "Two." Her exhausted eyes began to water up again.
"Oh no..."
She rushed to hug me. "I'm a bad person, Helena." Her cry became more distinct.
"People make mistakes." I told her. "Atleast it's not five or anything."
"It's even worse than sleeping with five different people." She sobbed.
"What do you mean?" I asked as she pulled away.
"You know what? I don't deserve your help, Helena. You're a good person. I'm the worst." She whimpered as she started walking away from me. I pulled her back by the arm.
"What is it, Polly?" I repeated.
She looked down and sniffed. "I slept with Daniel. And Josh. In the same week." She finally blurted and covered her mouth as she continued to bawl her eyes out.
My pulse ceased and I suddenly felt suffocated. I couldn't believe my ears. I stepped away from Polly as I watched her in awe and confusion. What kind of person was she? What kind of person was... Daniel?
The fact that Polly was possibly carrying Daniel's baby shattered me to pieces. I was in so much shock that every part of me grew numb. I was unable to process my thoughts properly.
"Helena, you can hit me. Slap me. Whatever you want." Polly cried. "I'm so sorry."
But before I could even think straight, everything went dark. Shrieks and squeals floated about as the clock struck 8. It was Earth Hour.
I grew extremely dizzy as Polly's desperate, despondent cries filled my weary ears. Several people with candles rushed past me, leaving me dazed and off-balanced.
I didn't know what to do. I became disoriented. I just wanted to get away from this place. Without thinking, I just ran. I didn't know where I was going. It was so caliginous that I'd lost all my sense of direction. All that was visible were a few red-yellow flames. Without any guidance, I ran.
But I was halted by loud screams. I soon caught on to the fact that that I was on a road. I heard tyres screeching and a defeaning honk followed. In the corner of my eye, I saw headlights flash at me abundantly before everything went black.