September 29, 2022

Jessica Jung 

11:59 pm

It’s almost midnight.

Me and my friends, Er Jie, Lili, Cici and Kelly,are slumped on the couch after an exhausting day of filming.

I can’t believe that I’ll be back in Korea tomorrow.

I have been here for almost half a year, and China has felt like home all these months.

I thought I would never get used to it, listening to this foreign language, trudging along those never before seen streets. But I did. I lived. I lived the life that was meant for me. I was happy. Something I thought I never again would fully be. 

They all say I was born for the stage. I was, and I am. But now I live for the stage, and I live this life with love for it. It’s the rarest thing in the world to live, for most people simply exist. 

I yawned, resting my head on Er Jie’s shoulder. It is because of these wonderful people that I learnt to live.

 “Tired?” She pinched my cheek fondly, “go to sleep.”

“I don’t want this night to end,” I let Er Jie hold me closer.

“Come back often, okay?” Cici spoke up wistfully, “I’ll miss you so much.”

I feel my eyes fill up with hot tears.

“Don’t cry, bendan,” Er Jie smiled ruefully, “it isn’t goodbye.”

I lifted my head, and looked around the cozy room. Kelly had dozed off and Lili was snoring softly. Cici scooted closer to me, and gave me a quick squeeze. 

Sandwiched between Cici and Er Jie, I let my body go limp and closed my heavy eyelids. Just then, a sound pierced the silent air.  A ringtone. An alert, going louder and louder and louder so it can’t be missed. An unmistakable, familiar yet forbidding sound. My breath caught in my throat. Death-Cast was calling.

Death-Cast. What I spent all the days of my life fearing since it existed. The fact that a phone call could tell you that tomorrow doesn’t exist. That the moment you receive an End Day call, you lose all chance to live. Death was always present before Death-Cast existed, but the it’s existence brought death nearer to me.

I look down at my phone. It’s ringing. The caller ID reads Death-Cast, of course. My end has come to meet me. A hundred thoughts immediately drown out everything around me. 

My chest tightens. I’m dying today.

I have always been afraid of dying. The darkness and emptiness of ceasing to exist. I don’t know why I thought this would jinx it from actually happening, not forever obviously, but long enough for my hair to turn gray and wrinkles to grow on my face. 

I don’t want to pick up. I don’t want to hear a bored herald tell the millionth person, me, that I’m going to die. And I’ll never make it to October first, and I’ll never grow older than thirty three.

Everything seems to freeze around me. My vision is blurring, I can’t see the reaction of those around me. I pick up the phone with trembling fingers, almost dropping it. The unpleasant sound is deafening, and whirling all around me.

 I press talk. The silence is sudden, but only for a deft moment.

 Another alert joins in.

 

September 30, 2022

12:02 am

Kelly Yu

What I remember is falling asleep, surrounded by those closest to me. 

The next thing I know, the Death-Cast ringtone jolts me from my sleep. As my vision clears, I see Jessi clutching her phone as if her life depended on it. I want to snatch it out of her hand and make it stop ringing.

Her eyes are clouding up with vacancy, and I can see her chin trembling. 

I am frozen in shock as the ringing comes to a halt. Jessi must have picked up. Before I have time to think, another alert starts.

Jessi, with her phone to her ear, somehow picks herself up from the couch and rushes out of the door, Cici following closely behind. 

The eyes left in the room turn to me.

My phone is ringing.

What is this? Two alerts? Is the building about to crash down on us or what?

The sound continues.

I slid my thumb across my phone screen, wishing this was merely a dream. 

“Hello, I am calling from Death-Cast. Is this Kelly Yu?” 

A cold, bored voice sent shivers down my spine.

“Yes?” My voice rose into a question unintentionally. 

“Kelly, I regret to inform you that sometime in the next twenty four hours you will be meeting an untimely death. And while there isn’t anything we can do to suspend that, you still have a chance to live.” The herald goes on and on about how life isn’t fair, and a list of activities I can participate in today. It takes all I have to not snap at her, for it is more than obvious that she is bored reciting these lines that have been burned into her memory for the thousandth time. 

At the corner of my eye, I see Jessi holding back her tears as Cici holds her in her arms, obviously at a loss for words. Er Jie and Lili are shifting their gaze around the room uncomfortably, an unreadable expression on their faces.

What is all this? It feels surreal. It can’t be real. 

“Are you still there?” The unwelcomed voice found its way into my ear.

I hung up.

Might as well stop wasting her time, since all she is doing is wasting mine. 

Speaking of time, the clock is ticking. 

Twenty four hours is the most I have. But who knows, I may just drop dead in two seconds.

I drop the phone back on the couch.

Now, what do I do?

 

September 30, 2022

12:05 am 

Cici Wang 

I wrapped my arms around Jess, almost as if that could free her from death’s grip. I can see the tears glistening in her eyes, but for the first time, I don’t know what to do to make her smile. This isn’t fair.

Jess is just a very pure, adorable and loving girl. She doesn’t deserve this. She needs to live. Why must this happen, on a day like this?

Jess was supposed to go back home today, but now…she doesn’t have a tomorrow. Er Jie’s words haunt me. “It isn’t goodbye,”she said. But now it is. I hugged her a little tighter, wishing that I could never let go. If I could, I would. 

“I’m scared,” Jess said at last, “I don’t want to die.”

“I know.”

A single tear fell over her long, dark lashes. 

A silhouette crossed the room, heading towards us. 

“You got the alert too?” I mouthed as Kelly locked eyes with me. 

She gave me a slight nod. 

Sitting down next to us, Kelly ran her fingers through Jessi’s hair just as she buried her face into my chest and began to cry silently. 

A wave of helplessness washed over me. I could feel her rapid heartbeat, which only reminded me that later in the day, it would stop beating. And I’ll lose her. 

“Jess, don’t cry,” Kelly spoke firmly but gently, “We are here with you. Everything will be alright, okay?”

“How are you so calm?” Jessi sat up, a half-smile appearing on her face, as Kelly put her arm around her, handing her a tissue. 

“Panicking won’t do anything, Jess,” Kelly caressed Jessica’s tear streaked cheek. Jess gave a little sigh and let herself go limp in Kelly’s arms. 

“So what now?” Jess sniffled, noticeably calmer.

“Go take a nap.Qu xiu xi,” Er Jie said softly, “I can tell you are tired”

“I don’t want to. What if I never wake up? And I don’t want to wake up and…remember.” I could see her eyes becoming a little watery. 

The silence hung in the air.

A silent gust of wind slipped through the crack of the window, and I shivered. It’s haunting. That you don’t get a second chance. That you could waste all your yesterdays and realize that there’s no tomorrow waiting after today. That when death knocks at your door, there’s no turning it away anymore. They all say, Death-Cast is for the best, but I’m not registered. I don’t know why that makes me think that I’m invincible, but it’s a comfort that death is far, at least further than a phone call away. I know, everyone says it would be better to know, but I’m too tired to spend each day second-guessing my tomorrows.

I talked this over before with Jessica. She told me that she wasn’t afraid of death itself. That to her, it would just be an everlasting, dreamless sleep, and she believes she would find inner peace. But she’s afraid of dying. The transition from living to dead. She told me she is afraid of struggling to breathe in a hospital bed, and being cut open as an attempt to save her life. She is afraid of realizing her death all alone, and having no one to hold her as she leaves the world. 

At least we are here with her now. 

I vow to protect her for as long as I possibly can, and make the hours she has left into a lifetime. It’s hard, but what’s easy on an End Day? 

 

September 30, 2022

12:11 am

Jessica Jung

I let Kelly hold me close, for I have nothing to lose now. I feel stupid. No, scratch that, I am stupid. Stupid for letting the fan war come between me and Kelly, stupid for distancing ourselves from each other to avoid mean comments and hurtful rumours, stupid for wasting all those days in my life for things that ultimately don’t matter. But it would be even more stupid to waste time thinking about all my yesterdays now, considering the fact I don’t have a tomorrow and there is no do over for all those things that once happened. I have to admit, Kelly’s strong grip brings me a strong sense of security, despite the fact that we are both ticking time bombs. Her fingers are subconsciously running up and down my back, as if she was strumming her favorite guitar.

Anyways, I might as well make myself comfortable here, as I’m pretty much stuck with them till—wow, the end of my life. It really that Deckers aren’t allowed on planes, but I guess it makes sense. But you know, it doesn’t make that much sense to waste hours at the airport and up in the air, while these hours could be spent living. So I guess, I would have to make a phone call, a phone call that is as brutal as an End Day call, to tell my family and friends that I won’t be coming back home after all. And hopefully somehow get them here before my time runs out. 

It’s funny how I was wondering how Kelly was so calm just a few moments ago, and now I’m calmly laying all my affairs out. I guess that’s what happens when you have less than twenty four hours to live, you can’t exactly throw a full-blown tantrum. Well, technically you can, but it just…feels wrong. On an End Day, it is simply wrong to sit around wasting your time and waiting to die. I don’t know if laying on the couch and thinking is considered a waste of time, but what is there to do? If you need an answer, there is too much to be done, too much to be possibly done in a day at least. But it’s not like I have a choice. This is my life, not some sentimental movie about someone else’s life, and not a fantasy where everything turns out fine. I am alive, at least for now, and I need to live my life to the fullest, whatever’s left of it, to prevent the regrets hanging over the rest of my—death?!

Apparently, Death Cast refers to the dying as Deckers, for we are the captains on our own ships, setting sail on our own journeys. But I know that no day is smooth sailing, and having a perfect End Day is just practically impossible. But a good day is possible, if you ignore the fact that death would meet you at the end of the day. And having all my friends around me makes living a lot easier.

With a sigh, I rested my head on Kelly’s chest, who is deep in thought. I wonder what is running through her mind. I know that death is approaching my horizon, closer and closer each time the clock ticks, and I know that I need to go out and live, so that I won’t leave as someone who was too afraid to live. But I am too exhausted to go out and face the world just yet, so I let myself lie in Kelly’s arms, where I’m safe, and where death can’t touch me. As I close my eyes, I pretend that my world isn’t crumbling, and that life isn’t draining out of me. It’s just another day, where I can watch the sun rise and fall. It’s just another day, where I can lie in bed and let a million dreams fill my head. Everything will be alright, I know it will be. 

 

September 30, 2022

12:19 am

Kelly Yu

Well, the girl who claimed that she didn’t want to sleep is fast asleep in my arms, with her button nose buried in the crook of my neck. I can fill the rise and fall of her chest, along with the warm air rushing in and out of her nose. It’s strange how we breathe and live subconsciously, and only become aware of how fragile life is when we lose it. To be honest, I had my own moments when I didn’t want to live, but now the thought of death is far from inviting. Life is never easy, but now I do wish I complained less about it. It’s difficult to think of all those days I wasted, holed up in my room, wallowing in self pity. It’s even harder to think of all those things I have yet to see, all the ways I have yet to live, all those people I have yet to know, and those who have yet to know me. But it’s the hardest to think of how perhaps a simple decision could have changed the destiny that was now laid before me. 

I wish I could knock on death’s door, tell it that it had come too early, and beg for a second chance to live. I wish I could travel back in time, and fix those mistakes that I’m tired of carrying. I wish I could have had the chance for a normal life, for some real relationships, and to have the freedom to walk along the streets without a camera’s trailing. But it’s all too late, isn’t it? 

The past is in the past. And I don’t have a future. I only have today, the present, and I’m not sure how long it would last, and how long it would take for me to be left in the past. I focus on Jessi, who is still nestled in my arms, breathing softly. It’s the first time I had her so close to me, but it’s a familiar comfort to breathe in her scent of fresh roses, and have her soft, wavy brown hair touch my shoulders. 

“Is she asleep?” Cici whispered, careful not to wake her.

“Mhm”

“Let her 躺平(lie flat)” Er Jie said with a smile playing on the edges of the lips.

Stifling an unexpected giggle, Cici placed a cushion down on the couch and motioned me to lie her down on it. Though I was reluctant to let go of her, I lowered her head down to the pillow, gently pushing her hair out of the way. Taking off the jacket that was tied around my hips, I placed it over her tiny body, just as her eyes fluttered open. “Kelly?” Her doll-like eyes looked up at me. Her legs swung off the edge of the couch and she pulled herself up wearily. Well, so much for hoping she would get a little sleep. “How long has it been?” She asked questioningly, her voice leaden from sleep. “Just a few minutes, go back to sleep,” Cici tugged on her hair teasingly. She shook her head, pouting. I know that once Jess has her mind set on something, no talking would coax her out of it. 

A sudden silence hung in the air, and the only sound came from Lili, who was snoring with open. Jessica’s eyes darted to her, and a smile lit up her tired face. Picking up her phone, her tone grew serious. “I need to call my family.”

Without another word, she disappeared up the steps in an instant, with Er Jie yelling “be careful” after her.

 

30 September 2022

12:27 

Cici Wang 

I hate this. I hate the silence. I hate that I don’t know what to say, and by the time I have something to say, it may be too late. I hate that Lili is fast asleep as if this was just another night and that Er Jie is scrolling through her phone but ends up staring hard at the home screen. I don’t know what to do. I want to run upstairs and collapse on my bed. I want to make Jessi laugh, just to hear her sweet, melodic laugh again. I want to hug Kelly and not have to use my voice. I want this to be a normal day. I want this to be just another day and one of the many we all still have. I don’t want them to die. Making friends is hard enough, but losing them is impossibly hard. 

“Zi Xuan?” Kelly spoke up beside me.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you need to get somewhere?” She bit her lip uncertainty, “I think you have some photo shoot thing in the morning right?”

I sat up with a jolt,startled. Oh shoot, it had completely slipped my mind. I was supposed to get to Shanghai tonight so that I could unwind before the shoot started. But here I am now, still stuck in Hainan with a flight scheduled for 2 am. 

“I’m not going,” the words slipped out of my mouth before I even had time to think, “I can’t go. I want to spend every possible moment with you and Jessi before it’s…too late”

Kelly did not seem to hear me and her eyes were glassy, staring off into the distance. 

“Wenwen? You okay?” I asked, squeezing her arm.

“Yeah,” she replied unconvincingly. 

This was just how Kelly was. She always had her armor on, showing how strong she was. She refused to let others in, for she preferred to not show her vulnerability openly. Jessi was once known as the ice princess, and perhaps she got how Kelly felt. Perhaps this was why the two seemed to have a deeper understanding of each other, and a strong connection that did not seem to need words. 

“Okay…” my voice trailed off.

Quietly, I made my way out to the porch.

After dialing my manager’s number, I pressed the phone to my ear.

“Hello, Cici? Are you at the airport yet? We are currently in Shanghai and everything is already set for your shoot in the morning. On the plane, remember to…” 

“Wait, Laverne. I can’t come. My friends…they…” I choked, unable to continue. 

There was silence on the other side. Shutting my eyes tight to stop the tears that were welling up, I could almost see Laverne’s face, puzzled and annoyed. 

“Be sensible, what do you mean by you can’t come? You have to. It’s your chance. To be part of something bigger than yourself.” Her tone was cold and unforgiving.

“No…Kelly and Jessica got their End-Day call. I need to be with them.”

Laverne laughed, her voice raspy. Laughed, brushing it off, like the big bomb I just dropped on her was just cigarette smoke. “They asked for it by signing up for Death-Cast. And think about it, why do you want to waste your time with people who are going to die? They aren’t going to be with you in your future, anyways. They are just a ticking time bomb, and if you are there when they die, you might as well get killed or seriously injured yourself. Don’t risk your future for people who don’t have one.”

“No, Laverne, you don’t understand. They…mean a lot to me. I can’t just…” My voice trailed off just as a single tear slipped down my cheek.

“Cici? I just want the best for you. If you want to make it far in this industry, you must be willing to give up everything that defines a normal life. You can have friends, but you have to remember that it’s just another part of working, and you yourself still come first. You are too sentimental for your own good.” She said coaxingly, her voice softer than before.

“I know. But I can’t. They mean a lot more to me than a photoshoot. I’m sorry, but…”

I heard a click, then nothing. She must have hung up on me. 

I wish she would understand. I am not just a robot programmed to be perfect. I don’t want a life where my dreams come true, but where no one understands me, and where I’m all alone. It’s hard, sometimes. To balance all those things that seem out of control in my life.

But I’m human, and that means that I have a limited amount of time. With every breath I take, I’m just one step closer to my last breath. In life, the only certainty is death. The rest is up to you. And I’m determined to make my life mine. 

I don’t want to live for anyone else, and only for myself. Laverne was right, in the sense that I have to put myself first. But the people I love are a part of me, and I choose to live with them while I can, for that’s what makes me happy. 

 

30 September 2022

12:43 am

 Laverne Lee

Death-Cast didn’t call Laverne because she doesn’t believe in it. How do you receive a call from someone you don’t believe in? And of course, she hasn't signed up for it, and had no plans to do so in her life. But that doesn’t mean that Death-Cast has been absent from her life. She was once registered, when she still had a family. She was once registered, before everything she had left was stolen. She remembers how easy things were before Death-Cast came in. She remembers the first day that Death-Cast existed. They were in Times Square, and that little girl was filled with excitement and wonderment for the launching. Shortly after the first ever call was made to the first ever Decker, gunshots were heard. Skull-masked men closed in. Death took her parents away from her, but Death-Cast never called. 

Laverne was just thirteen. And alone. To her, Death-Cast was at fault. They would have never been there, in the line of fire, if not for the launching. To her, Death-Cast wasn’t real. They didn’t call when it mattered most to her. She doesn’t care about the perfect records after the first day, for it means nothing to her. To her, Death-Cast killed her without an End Day call. She lost her self-worth, and spiraled down in a tunnel of darkness. Death-Cast killed the girl she was, and placed an unfeeling soul in her body. She can’t remember the last time she felt real, or felt anything other than emptiness. She tries to be happy, to laugh, but it never is real. Perhaps she just isn’t real, and just a hollow soul in a body. For now, the best she can do is to live, until death meets her. 

Cici is the closest thing to a friend she ever had. She envies Cici. For her lively, bubbly personality, and how she almost always has a smile on her face. She admires Cici. For how hard she works, no matter how little recognition she receives. She wants the best for her. For her to get the spotlight she deserves, for her to be happy. But she knows who Cici is. How selfless she is. She will give up anything, everything, to help her friends in need. Laverne knew how stubborn Cici is, and that nothing could change her mind. And she had to admit, Cici was right. If she could turn back time, she would have given anything for a last day with her loved ones,and a chance to say goodbye.

With a sigh, she picked up her phone once more, to call the event manager about the turn of events and apologize.

Under her breath, she muttered a silent prayer for Cici to be alright. That’s the disadvantage of not being registered for Death-Cast, she admits, that any day could be your last, and you would never have a day where you are invincible and free from death’s grasp. 

 

30 September 2022

12:49 am

Jessica Jung

Seriously, I have no idea what’s wrong with me. It has been twenty whole minutes and I haven’t done a thing. Twenty minutes is one third of an hour…a day is twenty four hours…so I have wasted approximately 1/72 of my time alternating between pacing back and forth on my carpet and lying on my bed, staring at the dark ceiling. Wow, great job! Okay, I know the math isn’t helping, but there’s nothing to do because too many things are impossible to be done. Like calling my family. What am I supposed to do anyway? Call and start crying? Or tell them causally “sorry for waking you up at this time but like I’m dying today and I thought you would want to know?!” They would think that I have gone mad or something. 

And the clock on the wall is driving me crazy. The rhythmic ticking only increases my heartbeat. I remember that I once read that there were 86 400 seconds in a day, and suddenly it doesn’t seem to be that much anymore, considering that I have less than that as the remainder of my lifespan. And it freaks me out that almost an hour has gone by, and at most I only have twenty three hours and eight minutes left, and that’s hoping for the very best. 

“Jessi?” the door gave a slight creak, “can I come in?” Lili’s head poked in at the door.

 Without waiting for a response, she came in, enveloping me in a warm embrace. “I thought you were asleep?” I broke the silence, unsure of what else to say. “How did you think I slept through all that?” she smiled sadly, “I just didn’t know what to say.” She gently loosened her grip on me, and picked up a small paper bag she had placed at the foot of my bed. “I wanted to give you this before you go, but I might as well give it to you now.” Peeking in the bag, I couldn’t help but grin. She had bought me two whole bags of Guo Dan Pi, a box of mooncakes, and a cake of Chinese tea. “Seriously, Lili? Are you trying to make me gain ten kilograms or something?” I couldn’t stop the amused smile that was playing on my lips. “Yah,” she retorted jokingly, “I’m pretty sure you would have no problem eating all of that in a day!” 

Opening the bag of Guo Dan Pi, I took two, handing one to Lili. “What’s going on downstairs?” I lay back on the bed, and Lili laid down beside me. “It’s awfully quiet. That’s why I came up here instead.” I let myself snuggle a little closer to her, and the warmth of her skin touching mine comforts me. She said nothing, but her hand gently slipped into mine, and she held it softly. Everything seems so familiar. From the scent of her strawberry conditioner, the taste of the fruit snack, and the soft blankets beneath me. It’s like…I’m home, and this is where I’m meant to be. It’s like life telling me that this is where my journey ends, but I’m lucky to have my newfound family around me. 

“What do you want to do today?” Lili asked, breaking the silence. Shutting my eyes, I let myself imagine. I want to watch the sun rise for the very last time on the beach, and feel the damp and salty air around me. I want to run in the rain, and feel the raindrops running down my skin. I want to ride the highest roller coaster, and let my burdens be carried away by the wind as my heart drops. I want to sing, like how I had done all my life, but only for myself and not anyone else. I want to skydive, and see the world for the first time. I want to hug every single person who has stayed by my side, before curling up in bed, and letting myself cry for the last time. I want to contemplate what it means to die, and let the idea of “nothingness” settle in my mind. There is so, so much I want to do, but the fact that I may not even make it out of the door before I die is beyond unsettling. It’s almost as if death is stalking me, tracking my every move, and waiting for a chance to strike. 

“Hey, you wanna go to the roof?” She nudged me, “there’s almost a full moon tonight, and you might as well eat some mooncake while you can, plus since it’s pretty dark we should be able to see some stars.” Upon seeing me nod, her lips stretched into her signature wide smile, and she grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the bed. 

“ni zui ba da” (your mouth is big) I grinned, imitating her smile, “heheh!” 

“ying ying ying!” She slapped my arm, pretending to look angry. 

I pouted, and she rolled her eyes at me.

Seriously, some things never change.

 

30 September 2022

12:58 am

Kelly Yu

The room seems to be closing down on me. The tension in the air is suffocating. Er Jie and Cici are beside me, but both are practically glued to their screen. Lili had tiptoed up the stairs not long ago, avoiding my eye contact. I pick at my nails. It’s the first time in a long time that I had felt so out of place like this. They are avoiding me like I’m the plague, and I can’t exactly blame them. My head aches, and I’m exhausted, but I can’t even go up to my room because Jess is still there, and I don’t want to eavesdrop on her phone calls. But it’s beyond annoying that she has been calling for half an hour, and I have no one to call. No one who would care, anyway. 

Just then, footsteps approach from the staircase. I turn my head to see Lili, coming down the steps with a skip in her step.

 “Yu Wenwen! Go up to the roof, Jessi is there,” she said with an impish grin, “oh ya, Er Jie, do I need to boil water to make tea?” 

Cici narrowed her eyes, “seriously, bendan? I never fail to be amazed at how clever you can be.” 

“Ying!” Lili protested, trying to defend herself.

Sighing, I dragged my exhausted body up the stairs, wondering if Lili was trying to play some stupid prank on me. It’s annoying how she is so full of life, and me? I’m dead, well almost dead anyway. 

Squinting into the darkness of the roof, Jess was nowhere to be seen. “Jess?” The moment my voice caught the silent air, my eyes caught her dark figure. I gasped. What did she think she was doing? Does she have a death wish or something?  She was sitting on the ledge of the building, back facing me, legs dangling off the edge. She was almost teetering back and forth, and it seemed as if the slightest gust of wind would throw her over. 

She whipped her head back, but I stood there, frozen in shock.Avoiding my gaze, she retreated, swinging her legs back in, before jumping off the ledge onto solid ground. Her foot slipped on the wet grass, and she ended up sitting on the ground. “Jess?” I rushed over to her side, kneeling down next to her, “what was that? Are you okay?” Her unfocused eyes refused to meet mine, and she hugged her knees tight to her chest. I could hear her irregular breathing, almost as if she had difficulty taking in a full breath. I gently placed my hand in front of her nose, and slid my other arm behind her back, wrecking my brain for ideas on what to do. The silence dragged on. “Kelly? Sorry for giving you a scare,” she spoke at last, her voice unsteady as she unfolded herself from the ground and onto her feet. “I wasn’t trying to…you know. I just wanted to see how it felt up there, but I probably shouldn’t have…”

“It’s fine,”I cut her off, knowing that she was telling the truth, “just don’t put yourself in danger, okay? We 需要你(need you)” Jess smiled, remembering the time she had said that to me, and pulled me into a bear hug, burying her nose in my shoulder. As I wrapped my arms around her waist, I couldn’t help but think that I would never have enough of her hugs. Jess must have felt the same, for she didn’t pull away. Slowly but surely, a little color crept into her cheeks, and her eyes began to sparkle like stars. The moon shone behind us, and I wished that this moment would never end, and I would never need to face whatever would happen later in the day. 

I heard a stifled giggle behind us. Cici was there, carrying a huge bundle of blankets in her arms, and a huge smile plastered across her face. “Awww, what is this sweet scene I'm seeing?” She giggled in a sickly sweet voice. “Hey!” Jess scrunched up her face, pretending to look mad, as she ran to Cici, grabbing the blankets from her and throwing them over Cici’s head. Somehow, Jess stumbled and landed on Cici, and soon the both of them were lying on the grass, laughing hysterically. I flopped onto the grass next to them, watching the scene in amusement.

 As Cici managed to catch her breath, she placed her hands on Jessi’s cheeks, asking in a concerned tone, “Jessi, are you drunk? Why are your cheeks so red?” Scowling, Jess pushed her hands away, shaking her head. “Ohhh, you must be blushing then! Wonder if that has anything to do with what you and Wenwen were doing?” She said smugly, just as Jess flushed a deeper scarlet red, turning away from Cici and burying her face on my shoulder. Unable to contain herself, a bashful smile soon spread across Jess’s face, and Cici gently ruffled her hair. “wo ai ni men,” Jess whispered sweetly as she grabbed my hand, pulling me closer to her as she flipped onto her back, her eyes fixed on the dark night sky, and the moon reflecting into her eyes. 

I can’t help but think that she would make a good angel.