I almost fell out of my chair. Time hadn’t elapsed since my time in the comic. It never did.

I was swamped with precarious thoughts, these ideas attacked me all at once and suddenly the trigonometry test stuff in front of me was very meagre. I was the worst person alive.

My hand went straight for my phone. I needed to talk to someone and I could only think of Lisa Manoban. My phone screen showed a missed called from Eunwoo, a voice message and a text. It took me a moment to recall that Eunwoo was suffering. I sighed. I wasn’t particularly close to him and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be. If I ignored him, I would become a worser person.

Is that possible?

His messages were thanking me for earlier. The text was level-headed, but I could see he was a bit embarrassed in his voice message. He basically said he was glad I’d found him and embarrassed too, he hoped I wouldn’t tell other people about him and wanted to be friends. I snorted at that last one. I didn’t want to be his friend. I really wished he didn’t mean that.

Moving on from Eunwoo, I rang Lisa. Yes, it was cowardly to apologise over the phone but if I didn’t say sorry now I’d go mad.

The phone rang and rang and continued to ring. Lisa wasn’t going to pick up. I knew it in my head but I didn’t hang up. I was sent to voicemail.

What should I say?

She was bound to listen. My pause was awkward.

“Lisa…” I stopped again, at a complete loss of words. I my dry lips. I was about to cry. My eyes were full of tears and my heart was throbbing in my throat.

“I’m sorry I made a big deal about the map. I just-- I don’t know what happened. My head is a mess. Nothing is making sense to me anymore. I never meant to bring that map here. I felt sorry towards Light. I felt like it was my duty to give it back to him. Then when you had a look at it I just… I felt like a thief. I’d stolen his map, ruined his chances of finding his treasure and then I freaked out about you too. I don’t want you to get into the comic. It’s bad enough this is happening to me. I-I went in again today. I was scribbling in the corner of my copybook and I was gone. Lisa, Light is real. He’s a real person, all this bad stuff is going to happen to him and it’s all my fault. I’m a horrible person.”

I hung up. I needed a good cry right about now. I had to pour out all my feelings so I could think again. Maybe things weren’t as bad as I made them out to be. I could fix everything up again.

My mind went to Light. I started sobbing. I knew his entire horrific story, I was the one to write it. He was so real and he’d been so nice to me. I’d cursed him, his future was written and he was going to suffer. I cried for him.

My thoughts then drifted to Lisa. She was only curious about the thing I’d brought from another world. Who wouldn’t be? I’d lashed out at her like a mad woman. I hurt her feelings. Lisa had always been there for me when I needed her and I’d hurt her. No wonder she wasn’t talking to me. I can’t believe we weren’t talking over something trivial like a map that Light was originally supposed to lose anyway. It was so stupid.

Then I realised I was still in my disgusting uniform and I cried more. I was abusing everyone who was looking out for me.

My phone screen flashed lighting up the entire room. Someone was ringing. I couldn’t see the caller ID through my blurry eyes. There was only one person who would call me right now. I answered the call.

“Lisa I’m so sorry!” I cried into the receiver. I blabbered my entire apology again, listing everything I’d done wrong to her and asking for forgiveness.

There was a mumble on the other side of the phone. I was crying too hard to hear what she had to say. My agonised venting went on and on. The phone was still connected.

At some point my tears dried up and a dull ache drummed in my head. I stopped wailing and listened.

“Hey.” It was a male voice. I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the caller ID. There was no name but the number on the screen was one I recognised. He’d contacted me earlier. I gulped.

I just cried my heart out to Cha Eunwoo. Can this day get any worse?

“Hi,” I croaked, holding the phone close to my ear.

Hi, can you pretend we never had this conversation? I’m about to die from awkwardness. I’m waiting to be struck by lightning. Literally, praying for it.

“I don’t think that speech was meant for me.” He chuckled nervously.

Lightning, any minute now.

“I can’t pretend I didn’t hear it though.”

Pretend it never happened.You can do it. I believe in you.

“Sounds like you’re pretty stressed out.”

Yes, you made it worse by calling me at the wrong time.

“You helped me earlier and I was glad to run into you. It never occurred to me that you’d have problems of your own. You always seemed to be the type who’s ready to take on life. I guess I didn’t think you’d have anything to be upset over. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Why are you still talking? Is this a dream? Let me just pinch myself.

“OWW.”

“Hafsa? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I hoarsed.

“Listen, I called because I was in the area and was wondering if it’s okay to meet up. I’ll be there in a few minutes if that’s okay.”

“You don’t have to check up on me.”

Seriously, go home.

“I’m almost at the restaurant.”

What?! He’s almost downstairs.

“Oh, really? There’s no rush. Take your time.”

I hung up first. I had no time to worry about curtsy. Eunwoo was in my area. He was almost at the restaurant. I was wearing a leather tunic, my hair was frizzy and I’m pretty sure I still stank of poo.

This is an emergency!

I sent a quick text to my sister Hana.

‘If someone called Cha Eunwoo shows up, tell him to wait. I need to shower.’

The reply was immediate and taunting. ‘Ooooh, a boy.’

I had no time for Hana’s silly games. I needed to get myself presentable. Clearly Eunwoo thought I was ballistic and was coming to confirm that. I had to prove him wrong.

At the speed of light I leapt off my chair, ran to my wardrobe, pulled out the nearest towel I could find, underwear, a bra, the nearest jumpsuit and a tee to wear under it. I flipped these on my bed and unbarricaded my door.

Taking up the essentials I’d pulled out I ran like wind for the communal bathroom in the apartment.

There was no lock for the bathroom. We only had one bathroom in our apartment so my parents thought it was only fair that no one should hog the entire space.

I hung my stuff on the radiator, threw what I was wearing on the floor and hopped into the shower. I washed as much as I could in the span of 5 minutes. In this time the bathroom door opened more than once.

It seemed to me that everyone suddenly had weak bladders. My gross, twin half-brothers pissed together with the lid up. After them my mother rushed in, put the seat down and did her business. Then came my half-sister who after peeing proclaimed the flush wasn’t working again and went to find my step dad. Hana was next. She was grossed out by the state of the toilet but went anyway, calling the others disgusting and telling me I reeked.

Exactly 5 minutes.

Hopping out of the shower, I ignored her while she squaked. She didn’t bother to leave and kept yammering as I dried myself and dressed.

7 minutes.

“Didn’t you get my text? I told you to stall him.”

“He’s downstairs talking with Aunty Kimi. Hafsa, I swear, nothing on this planet can save your hair, you better tie it or the boy will be running for the hills.”

She left him with Kimi?????

“I don’t care if he falls into an open gutter. I need to let my hair air dry.”

“Terrible decision.”

I towel dried my hair, breaking all the rules that said scrubbing wet hair with a towel was a bad idea. I combed it afterwards.

11 minutes.

Now, somewhat neat, I dashed for the restaurant.

The jog down the stairs took a little longer than I expected. Someone’s stupid dog was lying on the staircase on level 3. It lay on its back, all legs in the air, tongue lolling out and a dumb smile on its face. I had to make my way around it because that dog wasn’t going to budge. My extended family loved dogs. Anything loved by them automatically became aversive to me.

After getting passed the dog I zoomed to the first floor, somehow missed the last stair, tripped and lay in a sprawled heap on the floor.

Someone didn’t dust this.

I scrambled to my feet, brushed off my black jumpsuit and limped into the side entrance of the restaurant. The kitchen was bustling. No one had time to talk to me. Orders were shouted one after the other. Late evenings were the busiest times.

I slipped out of the kitchen, into the seating area and scanned for a tall fox-faced boy wearing an ultra conniving smile.