One Story, Five Lives (part two)

If you read part one and is back for more you know its good

Bonnie - 6:00 am Friday April

         Bonnie woke from a soft rub on her shoulder. She opened her brown eyes and settled on the kind man in front of her. Her father. He mumbled a good morning to her and got her dressed. He gently nudged her to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She stood on the stool to her sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She felt the soft fabric of her pink and white dress before grabbing her toothbrush and brushing her teeth.
         Bonnie thought about how happy she was. She had amazing toothpaste. An amazing dad. A somewhat amazing brother. An amazing mother. Wait, where was her mother? She hasn’t seen her in a while. Bonnie finished with her task then left the room. Jaylen might know where mommy is. She stomped up to her brother's room and stood in the doorway.
         “What do you want?”
         “Where is mommy?”
         “Not here. Mom and dad got a divorce, dummy. Because mom didn’t want us.”
         Bonnie’s face fell. Mommy didn’t want them? Bonnie thought mommy loved her. Two days ago she hugged Bonnie and told her she loved them very much. That Bonnie is the prettiest princess in the house. Bonnie’s head hung as her father appeared.
         “Jaylen, I told you I would talk to her.”
         “I thought you did already!”
         “Go wait in the car.”
         Bonnie clung to her dad’s pant leg while Jaylen stormed out of his room. She looked up as her father knelt down and took her hands in his. His big hands engulfed her tiny chubby ones.
         “Mommy doesn’t want us?”
         “No, baby. You see, me and mom don’t love each other anymore and… uh.” Bonnie tilted her head when he trailed off. “She just had to leave. She loved you very much. You were her favorite and I’m sure she misses you.”
         “I want mommy back.”
         “I’m sorry, baby, but you have me.”
         “I love you, daddy.”
         Bonnie wrapped her arms around his bigger neck and hugged him. She let him stand up with her in his arms. She was carried to the kitchen before getting sat back down on the ground. She grabbed her book bag and her dads hand. She followed him outside to the car.
         Bonnie was quiet the whole car ride. Usually she would sing random songs for the whole forty minutes. Dad would just smile while Jaylen complained about it getting through his earbuds. The shaky hum of the car and the slight noise from Jaylens earbuds was soothing. Bonnie thought about her mother. Her soft pale white skin is a stark contrast compared to her dad’s. Her plump hands messed with her hair, braiding cornrows. Her white and yellow dress. The soft brunette hair rooted into her head with streaks of blonde.
         Bonnie snapped out of her thoughts when she felt them go over a speed bump. She looked up to realize they made it to her school. She watched her dad get out of the car and open her door. She got out and adjusted her bookbag. She gave her dad a wave before walking into the school, following the crowd.
         Quickly, she found her best friend, Jasmine. Suddenly, Bonnie was all happy again. She pointed to the big star beads in Jasmine’s hair.
         “They’re so pretty!”
         “Thank you! My mommy did them this morning.”
         Bonnie was then sad again and frowned. Jasmine grabbed her hand with her tiny slender fingers.
         “What’s wrong?”
         “My mommy is gone. She doesn’t love daddy anymore so I don’t get to see her. I’m really sad.”
         “Oh no! That’s not good. It’s okay.” Jasmine wrapped her arms around Bonnie and squeezed. “Maybe you’ll get a new mommy.”
         “I don’t want a new mommy!” Bonnie cried. She looked up when a teacher spoke to them.
         “Bonnie? Are you alright? Come on, you two need to come inside,” said the soft voice. Bonnie loved Ms.Rivera. She was the best teacher ever, second to Bonnie’s dad though. Bonnie smiled a little and followed Ms.Rivera like a duckling, Jasmine following behind. The smell of the nursery filled her nose. Around her there was a colourful room with a smooth wood floor. Bonnie walked with Jasmine to the circle book rug. They sat down next to some younger kids.
         Ms.Rivera was crouched down next to a kid who was crying. Bonnie remembered he was special. She had asked Rivera why someone as old as him was here and she said he was special needs. That made her upset. Was she not special? Jasmine told her she was special to her so that's what counts.

3:25 pm

         They spent the rest of the day playing games, eating snacks, and singing with Ms. Rivera. They were all about to leave when Bonnie tripped on the concrete and scraped her knee. Bonnie began to cry, feeling the tears stream down her cheeks at the pain. Ms.Rivera quickly made her way over to her and crouched down.
         “Shh, my dear, don’t cry. I’m here.”
         Bonnie cried more when she began to tend to it. Her soft cream coloured hands brushed over her knee. She finished with a Minnie Mouse band aid.
         “Thank you…” Bonnie mumbled. She looked over to see her dad walking over with a concerned smile.
         “Bonnie, are you alright?”
         “She’s alright, Mr.Brown, she scraped her knee.”
         “Aw, thank you for helping her. Bonnie, Jaylen’s in the car waiting.”
         Bonnie nodded and scurried off to the car in the small parking lot. She glanced behind her. Her dad was talking to Ms.Rivera. That was the first time in a few weeks she’s seen him smile that genuinely happy. She turned back around and pulled open the door and climbed in.
         “Jaylen, daddy looks happy.”
         “Don’t care,” he mumbled in a dismissive tone. He was obviously not listening. Bonnie looked on the other side of the car and noticed a pretty flower. Unable to resist herself, she opened the door and climbed out. She walked towards the flower, entranced by its beauty when she was suddenly yanked back. Bonnie turned to see a tanned skin boy with brown hair and freckles. His green eyes pierced through Bonnie like dagger’s. She looked back to see a car driving past them.
         “You almost got hit. Look both ways before crossing.”
         “Oh. I- I just wanted the flower.” Bonnie pointed to the flower. The boy looked both ways before walking over and grabbing the flower. He crouched down and handed it to her.
         “Thank you! What’s your name?”
         "My name?” He was quiet for a moment, his eyes slightly conflicting other than that his face was stone. “Hugo.”
         “Yay, Hugo! Thanks. You’re super nice, and you saved my life!” Bonnie hugged Hugo with a small giggle before running back to the truck. Her dad was standing there with a worried expression. She waved happily at him.
         “Daddy! That Hugo is super nice! He got me this flower!”
         “That's great, sweetie. Now let's go, you get to see Jasmine at our house.”
         “Yay!!”

         Once they were home, her dad put her flower in a small cup of water. It looked so beautiful. Its bright yellow flowers reminded her of her mother's smile and dress. She pictured her mother here with them, now but all she could see was Jaylen crying and her dad angry. Suddenly she frowned at the thought, but it quickly went away.
         Bonnie's dad put a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in front of her. She squealed happily and began eating. PB&J sandwiches were her favorite food ever. Jaylen wasn't here so that was a plus.
         When Jasmine came over, Bonnie jumped out of her chair and tackled her with a hug. They both giggled until Jasmine wiped her cheek.
         “You got peanut butter on me!”
         “Oops!”
         They both giggled some more until Bonnie's dad walked over and crouched down. He wiped off their faces. She watched him smile, which was nice.
         “Silly girl, so messy.”
         “Not as messy as Jaylen!”
         “True.”
         He gave her a kiss on the head then walked over to sit on the couch. He began to grade papers while Bonnie and Jasmine ran to Bonnie's room. She turned on the light then grabbed her Minnie Mouse stuffed toy.
         “Look! Daddy bought this for me!”
         “Ooo! That's cool! Can we play? I'll be Mickey.”
         “Yay! And they love each other!”
         Jasmine and Bonnie grabbed some more stuffed animals and began to play around. It started with Minnie Mouse and her tea party. Mickey came home all mad. He caught Minnie kissing another dude so Mickey chased the man.
         “Get back here! You can't kiss my wife, only I can!”
         Bonnie, with a bear stuffed animal that kissed Minnie, ran out of the room giggling. Jasmine chased after her. As they were passing by the table, Jasmine bumped into and knocked over the cup with the flower in it. Bonnie squeaked and dropped Minnie.
         “No! Hugo got me that!”
         Bonnie quickly picked up the flower and cup. She showed the flower to Jasmine.
         “Hugo?”
         “Yeah! He saved my life! He pulled me out of the road before I could get hit by a car. He's super, super nice and got me this flower.”
         “It's so pretty!”
         Bonnie smiled and nodded. She put the flower in the cup and back on the table. She went back to playing with Jasmine for the next twenty minutes when Jaylen suddenly stumbled into the house with his friend Tyler. Jasmine rushed to give her brother a hug but stopped when he put a hand up. Jaylen talked frantically to their dad.
Bonnie didn't understand what they were saying, but Jaylen looked really upset. His hands were shaking. She doesn't see him upset like this often. Eventually once her dad went to a different room, she walked up to her brother.
         “Why are you mad? Is it because mommy loves me and not you?”
         “You idiot sister! Why don't you ever shut up and mind your business!?” Jaylen yelled. Bonnie flinched at his yelling and her eyes began to well up. She began to cry as she ran into the room with her dad.
         “Daddy, daddy, Jaylen yelled at me and called me an idiot!”
         “Oh, no, baby, you're not an idiot. He's rather upset right now but I'll go talk to him.”
         Bonnie sniffed and looked at Jasmine who followed her into the room. Jasmine gently wiped away one of Bonnie's tears. Jasmine wasn't like the other six year olds. She was nicer and often did things herself.
         “Don't be upset, Bonnie. I think Jaylen's just upset. He didn't mean to say those things.”
         “Okay…”
         Bonnie nodded. She didn't understand why everyone looked so upset. Jasmine said she didn't know and that they should talk about something else so they talked about Ms.Rivera. Bonnie mentioned how happy she and her dad looked together. It made her wonder if that would mean Ms.Rivera would be her new mom. It wouldn't be her mom, but Bonnie felt she could love her like one.

12:05 am Wednesday May

         Bonnie was at daycare with Jasmine. She was sitting in Ms.Rivera’s lap, asking her questions. Jasmine was helping a kid. Lately, Ms.Rivera would come over to her house and hang out with her dad. Bonnie never took it too seriously. She didn't really care what they were doing. Then one day, she saw the kiss and it raised suspicions.
         “Yes, dear. I love your dad and he loves me. But you don't have to call me your mommy. That's up to you.”
         “I- I don't have a mommy any more… Can you be my mommy?”
         “Are you sure? Your father said you still love your mom.”
         “But she's not here. I want a mommy with me. And you're a good mommy.”
         Ms.Rivera smiled and gave Bonnie a sweet kiss on the head.
         “I'll be your mommy, my little Bon Bon.”
         That made Bonnie happy. She wrapped her small arms around her and smiled. Ms.Rivera chuckled and patted her hair.
         “This means my son will be your older brother. He's about your brother's age.”
         “Another brother? He won't mess with me like Jaylen right?”
         “No, my son is really kind. His name is River Rivera.”
         “That's a fun name! River Rivera! River Rivera!” Bonnie giggled. Ms.Rivera kissed Bonnie on the head again then put her down. Jasmine called for Bonnie so she rushed over to her, giggling. She told her about Ms.Rivera being her mom and how she'll have another brother. Jasmine clapped her hands and congratulated her. Bonnie felt happy. Her daddy was happy, which made her feel better in all sorts of ways. And now that she'll have an amazing mom, her life was perfect.

River - 6:35 am Friday

         River woke up to the sound of his calm alarm. He sat up in his bed and put his glasses out. A low yawn escaped his lips. He got out of his bed, made it, then walked into his bathroom. Doing what he does everyday, he brushed his hair and teeth, got on his usual clothing: a white shirt with brown overalls over top, and green converse so he matched with Hugo. He tied his long hair up into a ponytail then walked out of the bathroom, out of his room, and into the kitchen.
         River’s mother was by the fridge making his lunch. It was his favorite, dim sim. River gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before sitting down and eating something for breakfast. He finished then began walking towards the door. He stopped when his mom cleared her throat.
         “Your lunch, dear.”
         “Yes mother, thank you so much.”
         She gave her a kiss on the head before River grabbed his lunch and bag then left for the car. He sat down in the small white car and waited for his aunt. His aunt usually drove him to school so his mom could drive to the daycare. Finally she left the house and entered the car. River dipped his head when she came in then they began driving to the school. Once they made it, River gave his aunt a kiss on the cheek.
         "Thank you, Aunt Anh, for the ride.”
         River walked into the school with a smile. He greeted everybody, complemented multiple people’s hair and shoes despite them telling him to shut the hell up. He was just happy to spread kindness. He met up with Hugo in the hallway. River was part of student councils and they wanted them to pass out party invites for homecoming. They walked around, passing them out when they stopped to hand one out to Elizabeth.
         “Do you-”
         “Here’s an invitation to homecoming,” Hugo interrupted. “You and Isaiah might win the homecoming king and queen or whatever.”
         “Oh, I mean, yes, we will. Who could beat us anyway? We’re the best couple in school.”
         “Yes.”
         Hugo turned around and began to walk away. River patted his shoulder, he knew how much Hugo hated Elizabeth. They were both highly against bullying, but Hugo was much more aggressive and angry. It concerned River with the way Hugo coped. One of these days, Hugo was going to hurt someone and River wasn’t sure whether or not he could stay his friend.
         They entered the first block and sat down. River took out his notes for the day and water bottle. The teacher walked to the front of the class and began to teach. River stayed focused on his voice. He was a straight A student and it was going to stay that way. After the teacher was done he passed out worksheets for everyone to do. River immediately began to do his work when he looked over.
         “Art won’t get you anywhere. Plus, it sucks.”
         River frowned when Hugo put his pencil down and looked at them, “Elizabeth, as Alice’s friend, don’t you think you should be more supportive?”
         “What? No, I mean, I’m encouraging her to do something better in her life. Duh.”
         “Art could just be her hobby.”
         “Oh shut up and mind your business. What, do you like her or something?”
         “I’m not dumb enough to date any from this school.”
         “Whatever,” Elizabeth scoffed. River patted Hugo’s shoulder. Hugo snapped his head to glare at the desk.
         “I hate her. So much. Why can’t she just- just kill her-”
         “Hugo, please. Don’t say that.”
         “Fine, whatever, but we both know she’s a horrible person and doesn’t deserve the things she has.”
         “Yes, I agree.”
         River nodded and went back to his worksheet. Hugo was trying to do his but it seemed he was too busy. He noticed Hugo take out a green notebook and began to aggressively write something down in it. River was curious as to what he was writing, but River didn’t want to be nosy and bother his friend.
         Once his worksheet was complete he turned it into the teacher and began to work on one of his projects for Mr.Jane’s class. It was creative writing. River was going to do something with a happy ending but he decided to do more of a murder mystery. Everyone in his story was an alter ego of everyone he knows. The main character was Oguh. He was driven to kill the people who hurt him and his friends. River was confident in the story. It was coming along nicely.

         During lunch, River and Hugo were passing out invitations again. A lot of people accepted the invites while some said they weren’t taking invitations from their kind. River shrugged it off, but Hugo was fuming. Not in a good way. When River looked at Hugo, he was smiling but not in a happy way.
         “Are you okay?”
         “Wonderful, River. I am wonderful,” he chuckled then made his way over to Isaiah’s table. That shut his sadistic smile off.
         “Homecoming invites,” Hugo mumbled in his usual quiet monotone voice.
         “Thanks, hockey puck.”
         “Don’t call me that, only my friend can.”
         “It’s okay, Hugo. Isaiah, Hugo doesn’t like you calling him that. It would be greatly appreciated if you would please stop.” River patted Hugo’s shoulder.
         “Oh, shut up, I’ll let my country bomb you again. Hiroshima part two.”
         River frowned and took a step back. He didn’t like that insult, especially because it wasn’t even right. River watched his friend raise a fist.
         “The hell did you just say? I’ll punch that dumb smirk off your face!” Hugo yelled.
         “Okay, hockey puck. I hope the French come for you again.”
         “You slimy son of a-”
         “Isaiah!” Tyler raised his voice and snapped his fingers for Isaiah’s attention. Tyler slowly shook his head. Crossing his arms and putting on a firm expression. River looked at the basketball player. River grabbed Hugo’s wrist and quickly walked them away to sit at some table.
River sat Hugo down and tried to calm him down. His hands were shaking and his eyes were filled with rage. His voice was fast and quick.
         “I hate them! Those idiots deserve to die! Isaiah is one sick turd whom I laugh at for his death. The idiot thinks he’s so cool with his insults. You’re not even Japanese! He thinks he can just talk to us like that? He thinks I’ll let him get away with this? He thinks-” Hugo stopped when he saw Tyler walking over to them.
         “Tell your friend to die!”
         “Hugo! Calm down, please, just ignore them!” River spoke frantically. He wrapped his arms around Hugo to get him contained. River wasn’t concerned about Hugo hurting him. This has happened before and Hugo would never. River looked at Tyler with an apologetic expression.
         “Hey, I’m really sorry about my friend. I don’t tolerate that. I told him to stop but I don’t know if he will.” River blinked in surprise at Tyler’s apology.
         “Oh thank you, do you know why Isaiah bullies Hugo?”
         “I think it’s really because you guys are different. Really I’m sorry about him. But uh, how have you been?”
         “Oh, good actually! Our cat had kittens last night.” River smiled happily then it quickly went away. Suddenly he was worried that Tyler would ask if they were going to eat them because he’s Asian.
         “That sounds awesome. What type of cat? Also, what’s your name?”
         When Tyler didn’t say anything rude, River’s face lit up. “Well, Bông is the mom and she's a Siamese. Dung is the dad and he’s ginger. They had four cute kittens. Which is cool because we got two flame tip kittens! And those are rare. The other two are ginger and regular siamese. And my name's River.”
         “River? Wow, that’s a nice name. Your cats sound cool and cute. I gotta see them some time.”
         “Totally! Hugo was going to come over this weekend, maybe you can too. My mother said it was alright.”
         “Cool, you alright with that Hugo?”
         River’s smile became wider when he watched Hugo slowly turn to Tyler. He knew Hugo wanted to say no but Hugo could never say no to River. Hugo nodded.
         “Yeah, anyway, I’ma go now. Landon said if I beg him enough he’ll give me a dollar.”
         River smiled and waved bye to Tyler. Maybe they could be friends. River and Hugo both needed more of those. River took out his lunchbox and began eating. He shared with Hugo, still calming down his nerves. Once lunch was over they headed to their third block and after that to their forth block. River sat down with Hugo as class started. As always, Elizabeth and Isaiah were going to make fun of Hugo.
         “Hey, hockey boy, why did you move to South Carolina if you love the snow so much? Where’s your racoon hat?”
         Hugo never responded back to them. River taught him to do that. To just ignore them. But it only worked in this class for some reason. Apparently the atmosphere of science relaxed Hugo. River glanced over during work time, Tyler walked over to Elizabeth’s and Isaiah’s desk behind them, but Tyler was addressing the four of them.
         “I’m bored, and my parents are out of state so I’m throwing a party. You’re all invited.”
         “Oh my god, yay! Are you sure you want the hockey puck to come?” Elizabeth pointed to Hugo who rolled his eyes. Hugo watched as Isaiah scoff and got out of his seat. That was probably because he was either mad at him or didn’t want to hear Tyler invite Hugo.
         “Yeah, I don’t mind if he comes,” Tyler shrugged and nodded.
         “I don’t think I’ll come,” Hugo mumbled.
         “How come? Because we’ll have football on the TV?” Tyler laughed then patted his shoulder firmly. “I’m just messin’ with you, bro.”
         “Yeah…”
         River patted Hugo’s shoulder. He’s lost count of how many times he does that.
         “He’s just joking around. I can tell he didn’t mean it in a racist way. He knows you like hockey.”
         “I don’t care.”
         “Oh, okay, do you want to hear about my story?”
         “Sure.”
         River smiled widely and began to rant about his story. With Oguh, Lizzy, TJ, and Detective Lake. Hugo seemed interested. He might’ve been a little insane and hateful to people who are mean but he was a good friend. A great friend. An amazing friend. Oh, who is he kidding, River could go on forever on how much he cared for his friend.
         Once he was finished, River let out a breath from all his talking. Hugo smiled, genuinely, which was nice.
         “That story sounds really good, River.”
         “Thank you!”
         “Is Oguh a real name?”
         “I don’t know.”
         River and Hugo both laughed for a moment. The class dragged on for what felt like forever. River felt like he was waiting for his mom to decide which spice to get at the store. She took forever.

3:12 pm

         Finally school was over and River eagerly walked to the car rider line. Once they were in River’s car, he quickly whispered to Hugo.
         “Do what I do.” He got into the backseat with a smile. “Hello, Aunt Anh!”
         “Uh hey, Ms.Pham.”
         She smiled and dipped her head, “Hello, boys. Hugo is it? I would like to tell you there are some ground rules. Shoes go off at the front door, you do your homework first, then chores, and then you can have fun. No eating until everyone is seated. No yelling or slamming doors. And lastly, you have to try my sister's Canh Chua!”
         “Ah, sounds good.”
         Hugo glanced at River which he just smiled brightly at him. The car ride wasn't much. River just talked to Hugo about what they usually talked about which included foods, hockey games, and classes. Once they made it home, River walked Hugo to the door. He put his arm out when Hugo almost walked in. River moved him aside while he held the door open for his aunt. Hugo shifted awkwardly.
         “Oh, sorry.”
         “It's alright. It's just here, we respect our elders.”
         River smiled and walked inside with Hugo. They took off their shoes then walked to the table and sat down. River took out his homework and instructed Hugo to do the same. Once homework and chores were finished, it was time for River’s walk.
         “A walk? What?”
         “I do it everyday as my form of exercise.”
         “Okay…”
         River informed his aunt they were going on a walk then left the house after getting their shoes on. They went out the back door and began to walk into the woods, following a small trail. River pointed out various plants and admired their beauty. Even if it was just a cool looking pinecone. As they were walking, Hugo seemed to pause.
         “Deep in these woods… It's so quiet. It's like even if we screamed no one would hear it. Anything could happen here.”
         “I never thought of that. I kind of just like the feeling of being alone.”
         “That's surprising coming from an extrovert.”
         “Even some extroverts need some time to themselves.”
         “Fair.”
         They walked for about thirty minutes before walking out of the woods and onto the sidewalk. It was just a little detour River liked to take. They stopped by a stop sign when River looked at Hugo.
         “Want to race back?”
         “Do we have to?”
         “Pleaseeeee?”
         “Fine.”
         River got ready then sprinted. He let out a small laugh as Hugo quickly followed behind. They raced down past some buildings when River looked back and Hugo had slowed down.
         “See you back at the house!”
         “Okay…”
         River heard him mumble. River turned back around and continued running. He made it back to the house but waited by the stop sign until Hugo made it back. Maybe three minutes later, Hugo showed up with River’s mom. They all walked inside together.
         River needed to help his mom with dinner. While Hugo sort of just stood there, River cooked. At some point, he wandered away to a small shrine of photos. They were photos of his little brother who had passed away a year ago. He was only 10 when he got cancer. Ever since, River has missed him. He spoke to his brother for a moment before walking back to the table. Hugo looked a little curious but didn't say anything.
         “It's a shrine. My brother.”
         “Oh. That's sweet.”
         River nodded. Once his mom sat down, they began eating. River loved his mother's cooking. No one could ever make Canh Chua better. River’s mom didn't ask Hugo too many questions. She knew he didn't like talking that much so she respected it, but she did make small talk every now and then to try and get him out of his shell slowly.
         After dinner, Hugo and River began to play a game on River’s TV. They played Fall Guys. Hugo was surprisingly good at it. While they were in the middle of a game, Hugo suddenly stopped and said he needed to go somewhere. River didn't question him as he quickly left the house. He continued to play Fall Guys until his mother walked over and sat on the couch next to him. She ran a hand through his ponytail.
         “Where’s your friend?”
         “I don’t know. Hugo had to go somewhere, but I didn't mind.”
         “Ah. He’s a kind young boy. Very different from you, but I think I like him.”
         “Thanks, mom!” River smiled. “I think I might’ve made another friend today. His name is Tyler.”
         “Oh! I’m so happy for you, Cu tí!”
         “Thank you, mama. I love you.”
         “I love you too, my Bé.”
         River allowed his mother to kiss her on the cheek and leave. River looked at the time with a frown. He turned off Fall Guys and got comfortable on the couch, waiting for Hugo to return.

8:44 pm

         River snapped his head up when he heard the door open and some rustling. He looked over the couch to see Hugo. River felt a smile across his face. His friend quickly ran over to River with a wide sadistic smile.
         “Oh, River! I am so happy! And I'm happy you’re my friend!"
         River laughed, a little confused by his sudden confession, “I’m happy you’re my friend too.”
         “My life may still be beginning, but it’s good. People are going to be happy. I’m happy!”
         “Uh huh? Why?”
         “Just because, my dear friend. Don’t think so much about it.” Hugo patted River’s shoulder and chuckled. River couldn’t tell if he should be worried and asked where Hugo was. River decided not to say anything. Seeing Hugo in a state of happiness and one of peace, River didn’t want to ruin anything. They wandered into River’s room. They sat down on the bed. River looked at Hugo and smiled, but before River could speak, Hugo did.
         “What a happy ending to a happy day, my friend.”

12:05 am Wednesday, May

         When River found out about the death of Isaiah and Elizabeth three days after it happened, he felt distressed. No matter how mean they were to him, River didn’t want them to be dead. He felt horrible for their friends, but for some reason to River, they didn’t seem too bothered by the absence of their friend. The guilt on their faces was worming into their ears. River could tell. Then, River had a thought. Maybe it wasn’t a suicide. Hugo, that night, said it was a happy ending for a happy day.
         River couldn’t help but stare at Hugo. He felt like he knew. Like Hugo was Oguh who had killed. River couldn’t bring himself to ask. To turn him in as a possible suspect. River felt too connected and loyal to Hugo, but now, he’ll have to live with the suspicion that his friend is a cold killer.

Hugo - 6:55 am Friday

         Hugo didn’t sleep. He couldn’t. He was too busy talking to the face in the wall. They talked for hours. They had deep conversations that drove Hugo mad with either anger or odd happiness. The faces often appeared throughout the day, but they only spoke in his room past nine o’clock. Hugo snapped out of his conversation with his friend when his dad knocked on the door and opened it. The door pushed away trash and clothes on his floor.
         “Get up, son.”
         “I am up, father.”
         Hugo got out of his bed. He slipped out gray sweats and his Winged Jet’s hockey hoodie. On came his shoes then his backpack. He ignored his father when he offered waffles while Hugo walked through the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water and stared at it. Hugo ran his tongue over a cut in his mouth, but the odd taste of blood was somehow pleasing.
         Hugo opened his water bottle and took a drink. He looked at his dad. He was a scraggly middle aged man. Ever since he lost his wife and Hugo’s mother, he hasn't taken care of himself. Hugo didn’t care about that, though.
         Hugo walked out of the house, heading towards the deadbeat truck. Hugo sat in the passenger seat and waited for his father. When he did, Hugo suddenly realized a butterfly in the car. It was a bright blue. Hugo liked butterflies. They drank blood, which is why you’ll often see them near dead bodies. More butterflies appeared in the car until it was overwhelming.
         Hugo felt his breath quicken as he realized his nervousness. When his father opened his car door, the butterflies were suddenly gone.
         “Alright, to school we go, kid.”
         Hugo didn’t respond. He looked out the window while his father drove. The ride was quiet except for the stick caught underneath the car. Hugo watched the large snow leopard following the car behind them. Hugo liked leopards.
         Once at school, Hugo met up with River. River was the only one left. The only person he could look at and stay happy. His mother used to be one. Until she died.
         They gathered papers from the front office and began to hand out Homecoming invitations. Hugo didn’t understand why the kids' first block teacher couldn’t just hand them out or just tell them and let them look up the details on Facebook. They were so lazy.
         Hugo didn’t want to hand out invites, but he had to. He had to give the papers out to Elizabeth and her little friends. As Hugo walked towards them, a shadow on the wall followed them. It made Hugo giggle. Once he was looking at Elizabeth, his smile dropped.
         “Do you-”
         “Here’s an invitation to homecoming,” Hugo interrupted. “You and Isaiah might win the homecoming king and queen or whatever.”
         “Oh, I mean, yes, we will. Who could beat us anyway? We’re the best couple in school.”
         “Yes.”
         Hugo walked away with River again. He hated Elizabeth. That girl bullied too many kids to be on Hugo’s like list. She didn’t deserve anything. The only thing that was going to happen to her was revenge and justice for any and every kid who got their feelings hurt by her. Once they were in the first block, Hugo did as he should. At one point, though, he got distracted.
         Little men appeared on his desk. Maybe around seven of them were dancing around with different sharp objects. Hugo was memorized by their talent. One little man, with a green hat, used two of the little men as a table and placed another little man on them. He took his sharp axe and sliced through the little man's body.
         The little men quickly disappeared when Hugo heard a harsh scoff, coming from Elizabeth.
         “Art won’t get you anywhere. Plus, it sucks.”
         Hugo wanted to snap his pencil or stab it into her sleek neck,
         “Elizabeth, as Alice’s friend, don’t you think you should be more supportive?”
         “What? No, I mean, I’m encouraging her to do something better in her life. Duh.”
         “Art could just be her hobby.”
         “Oh shut up and mind your business. What, do you like her or something?”
         “I’m not dumb enough to date any from this school.”
         “Whatever,” Elizabeth scoffed. River patted Hugo’s shoulder. Hugo snapped his head to glare at the desk.
         “I hate her. So much. Why can’t she just- just kill her-”
         “Hugo, please. Don’t say that.”
         “Fine, whatever, but we both know she’s a horrible person and doesn’t deserve the things she has.”
         “Yes, I agree.”
         River nodded and went back to his worksheet. Hugo was trying to do his, but he felt too distracted to focus. He needed to write. Write a plan.

         Hugo really wasn’t ready for lunch. While he waited for River he ate a packet of crackers. Once he was there they began to pass out papers again. Some of the insults they received just made Hugo smile. Why wouldn’t it? It was such a happy thing to be happy about. The flying ferret above River’s head agreed.
         “Are you okay?”
         “Wonderful, River. I am wonderful,” he chuckled then made his way over to Isaiah’s table. That made his smile disappear like the ferret above River’s head.
         “Homecoming invites,” Hugo mumbled in his usual quiet monotone voice.
         “Thanks, hockey puck.”
         “Don’t call me that, only my friend can.”
         “It’s okay, Hugo. Isaiah, Hugo doesn’t like you calling him that. It would be greatly appreciated if you would please stop.” River patted Hugo’s shoulder.
         “Oh, shut up, I’ll let my country bomb you again. Hiroshima part two.”
         Hugo saw River frown and take a step back. How dare they hurt his friends feelings? Hugo felt the anger rise in his chest. He raised a fist and yelled.
         “The hell did you just say? I’ll punch that dumb smirk off your face!”
         “Okay, hockey puck. I hope the French come for you again.”
         “You slimy son of a-”
         “Isaiah!” Tyler raised his voice and snapped his fingers for Isaiah’s attention. Tyler slowly shook his head, crossing his arms and putting on a firm expression. Hugo wanted to grab Isaiah by the throat and squeeze it until he was dead. River grabbed Hugo’s wrist and quickly walked them away to sit at some table.
         River sat Hugo down and tried to calm him down. His hands were shaking and his eyes were filled with rage. His voice was fast and quick.
         “I hate them! Those idiots deserve to die! Isaiah is one sick turd whom I laugh at for his death. The idiot thinks he’s so cool with his insults. You’re not even Japanese! He thinks he can just talk to us like that? He thinks I’ll let him get away with this? He thinks-” Hugo noticed Tyler. He needed to tell him that his friend needed to die. To get punished for what he did.
         “Tell your friend to die!”
         “Hugo! Calm down, please, just ignore them!” River spoke frantically. He wrapped his arms around Hugo to get him contained. Hugo felt like he was going to explode when he felt River’s arms, but he didn’t calm down.
         “Hey, I’m really sorry about my friend. I don’t tolerate that. I told him to stop but I don’t know if he will.” Hugo raised his wide eyes to look at Tyler. He was suspicious. Could Tyler possibly not be a threat. The flying frog above his head said that he was fine, but Hugo wasn’t sure.
         “Oh thank you, do you know why Isaiah bullies Hugo?”
         “I think it’s really because you guys are different. Really I’m sorry about him. But uh, how have you been?”
         “Oh, good actually! Our cat had kittens last night.” River smiled happily then it quickly went away. Hugo gave Tyler a warning look, even if he didn’t notice it.
         “That sounds awesome. What type of cat? Also, what’s your name?”
         “Well, Bông is the mom and she's a Siamese. Dung is the dad and he’s ginger. They had four cute kittens. Which is cool because we got two flame tip kittens! And those are rare. The other two are ginger and regular siamese. And my name's River.”
         “River? Wow, that’s a nice name. Your cats sound cool and cute. I gotta see them some time.”
         “Totally! Hugo was going to come over this weekend, maybe you can too. My mother said it was alright.”
         “Cool, you alright with that Hugo?”
         Hugo slowly turned to look at Tyler. He could feel his friend’s smile. Hugo knew he couldn’t say no, so he nodded.
         “Yeah, anyway, I’ma go now. Landon said if I beg him enough he’ll give me a dollar.”
         Hugo scoffed softly when he saw River wave bye to Tyler. Hugo tried to calm down. The little men were in front of him again. They patted his hand like how River pats his shoulder. River thankfully shared his lunch so Hugo didn’t have to starve. Hugo went through his next class fine but fourth block wasn’t.
         “Hey hockey boy, why did you move to South Carolina if you love the snow so much? Where’s your racoon hat?”
         Hugo never responded back to them. Lately River has been teaching him to just ignore the people who bully him but it only worked in this class for some reason. Apparently the atmosphere of science relaxed Hugo. He didn’t understand it fully himself either. This is also the class with the least amount of weird things showing up, like little men, flying ferrets, and shadows. Hugo jumped when he heard Tyler’s voice all of a sudden.
         “I’m bored and my parents are out of state, so I’m throwing a party. You’re all invited.”
         “Oh my god, yay! Are you sure you want the hockey puck to come?” Elizabeth pointed to Hugo who rolled his eyes. Hugo watched as Isaiah scoffed and got out of his seat. Of course he did.
         “Yeah, I don’t mind if he comes,” Tyler shrugged and nodded.
         “I don’t think I’ll come,” Hugo mumbled. Or maybe he will. The tiny black cat in front of him was staring at him with wide white eyes telling him what he needed to do.
         “How come? Because we’ll have football on the TV?” Tyler laughed then patted his shoulder firmly. “I’m just messin’ with you, bro.”
         “Yeah…” Hugo wasn’t really paying attention to what Tyler said. The cat was staring so intently.
         River patted Hugo’s shoulder. He did that a lot.
         “He’s just joking around. I can tell he didn’t mean it in a racist way. He knows you like hockey.”
         “I don’t care.”
         “Oh, okay, do you want to hear about my story?”
         “Sure.”
         River smiled widely and began to rant about his story. The concept of River’s story interested Hugo very much. He liked listening to River talk. Especially when he was happy about it. Hugo might’ve even taken some notes in his mind while River explained his story. Once he was finished, River let out a breath from all his talking. Hugo smiled.
         “That story sounds really good, River.”
         “Thank you!”
         “Is Oguh a real name?”
         “I don’t know.”
         River and Hugo both laughed for a moment. Hugo thought of the spelling of Oguh and who Oguh could be. Hugo felt like Oguh was supposed to represent someone but he didn’t think much of it. After the class was over, they walked to the car rider line. Hugo was a little excited, to be going somewhere new and, better yet, with his friend. The creatures following behind Hugo looked angry and betrayed.
         “No, no, it’s just for a little bit, my friends. I will be back. I will never leave you.”
         Hugo watched his creature friends hunchback as Hugo entered River’s car.

3:12 pm

         “Do what I do.” Hugo heard River whisper before he greeted his mother. “Hello, Aunt Anh!”
         “Uh hey, Ms.Pham.”
         She smiled and dipped her head, “Hello, boys. Hugo is it? I would like to tell you there are some ground rules. Shoes go off at the front door, you do your homework first, then chores, and then you can have fun. No eating until everyone is seated. No yelling or slamming doors. And lastly, you have to try my sister's Canh Chua!”
         “Ah, sounds good.”
         Hugo glanced at River which he just smiled brightly at him. Hugo talked to River about his usual. River’s car had flowers and plants poking out the seats. He found it odd, but didn’t say anything. When River put his hand on the seat and over the flower, the flower poked out of his hand. Hugo rubbed his eyes a little confused.
Once they made it to the house, Hugo began to walk inside when River put his arm in front of him. River moved him aside while he held the door open for his aunt. Hugo shifted awkwardly. He didn't think about the fact that the elders had to go first.
         “Oh, sorry.”
         “It's alright. It's just here, we respect our elders.”
River smiled and walked inside with Hugo. They took off their shoes then walked to the table and sat down. Hugo followed River as he took his homework out. Once that and some chores were finished, they had to go on a walk. Hugo didn’t really want to go on a walk.
         “A walk? What?”
         “I do it everyday as my form of exercise.”
         “Okay…”
         River informed his aunt they were going on a walk then left the house. They went out the back door and began to walk into the woods, following a small trail. Hugo didn’t understand why River pointed out almost everything, even if it were just a pinecone.
         There was a moment of silence between the two when Hugo paused. It was so quiet. Hugo felt he could bring anyone here and no one would know. Hugo could kill anyone here and no one would know. No one would see him.
         “Deep in these woods… It's so quiet. It's like even if we screamed no one would hear it. Anything could happen here.”
         “I never thought of that. I kind of just like the feeling of being alone.”
         “That's surprising coming from an extrovert.”
         “Even some extroverts need some time to themselves.”
         “Fair.”
         They walked for about thirty minutes before walking out of the woods and onto the sidewalk. It was just a little detour River said he wanted to take. They stopped by a stop sign when River looked at Hugo.
         “Want to race back?”
         “Do we have to?”
         “Pleaseeeee?”
         “Fine.”
         River got ready then sprinted. Hugo heard his laugh then quickly followed behind. The kids went up and greeted their parents. Hugo then noticed a little girl. She got out of the car while her dad was busy talking raced down past some buildings when River looked back and Hugo had slowed down.
         “See you back at the house!”
         “Okay…”
         Hugo let out a breath. He walked for a moment, passing by the daycare. Kids were running up to their parents. Hugo then noticed a little girl walking across the road. He also noticed the car. Quickly, Hugo yanked her back. The car drove by. Hugo looked down at the little girl with sharp eyes.
         “You almost got hit. Look both ways before crossing.”
         “Oh. I- I just wanted the flower.” Bonnie pointed to the flower. Hugo sighed and crossed the road. He grabbed the flower and made his way back. He crouched down and handed it to her.
         “Thank you! What’s your name?”
         “My name?” He was quiet for a moment, he wasn’t sure if he should tell her, but he decided to. “Hugo.”
         “Yay, Hugo! Thanks. You’re super nice, and you saved my life!” Bonnie hugged Hugo with a small giggle before running back to the truck. It felt weird getting a hug from a young child. Usually they avoided him. Hugo then looked up when he saw River’s mom in front of them. She offered to drive them back home and he agreed.
Once they made it back, River needed to help his mom with dinner. While Hugo sort of just stood there, River cooked. At some point, Hugo saw River wander away to a small shrine of photos. Hugo felt a little curious as to what the photos he was looking at were.
         “It's a shrine. My brother.”
         “Oh. That's sweet.”
         River nodded. Once his mom sat down, they began eating. Hugo was a little surprised at how good the food was. River’s mom could really cook. Except the small eyeballs in the food kept staring at him. Thankfully, River’s mom didn't bug him too much, but she did make small talk every now and then to try and get him out of his shell slowly.
         After dinner, Hugo and River began to play a game on River’s TV. They played Fall Guys which Hugo found out he was really good at. That’s when Hugo realized he needed to leave. He needed to do what had to be done. He quickly dismissed himself. He grabbed one of his bags and quickly left the house.

8:09 pm

         Hugo walked around for maybe 20 minutes before he hid behind some trees. He pulled out a black hoodie, black gloves and covered his face up. He changed his shoes then went back to walking. It didn’t take long until he found the loud, booming house of Tyler. He took note: everyone was in the back, so he went in through the front. He hung around in the kitchen for a moment until the time was right. He noticed Elizabeth storming into the house, muttering about how immature and annoying Isaiah was.
         As Hugo got ready for his strike, shadow figures appeared in the room. Their eyes glowed white as they watched Hugo. Hugo grabbed a knife off Tyler’s counter. He put pressure on his foot before slowly standing. He wasn’t going to do this in a messy sense. He had to plan right.
         “Elizabeth Daisy King.”
         “Huh? What? Who are you?”
         “Who am I? That’s for you to decide.”
         Elizabeth looked Hugo up and down and scrunched her nose up in disgust. Hugo scoffed. The shadow figures moved closer.
         “Alright then…”
         Hugo took his knife and swiftly shoved it into her throat before she could let out a scream. The only noise that left her lips was a guttural grunt before falling to the floor. Her blood seeped into the brown floor. Hugo chuckled and took off his ski mask, then heard a sharp gasp.
         “Oh my god, is that blood? Hugo? Is that your blood?”
         “Blood? Oh no, Isaiah, this isn’t mine!” Hugo cackled. Blood smeared on his shirt as he wiped it away. “It’s her’s!” Hugo tried holding back his giggles but failed. He pointed to the girl on the floor next to the fridge. Isaiah turned on the rest of the kitchen lights on and moved more into the kitchen to see. A loud gasp escaped his lips. Something got knocked onto the floor when he stumbled back. The sight of Eliabeth’s body on the ground must’ve been a shocking experience. Isaiah fumbled for his phone.
         “Elizabeth!”
         Hugo smacked the phone out of the boy’s hand. A knife raised to Isaiah’s throat. “No, no, no, don’t do that, buddy. If you do, I won't hesitate to have you join your girlfriend…” Hugo chuckled.
         “You’re crazy, man! Is this because of what we said? We were joking!” Isaiah began to hyperventilate. Hugo smiled wickedly at him.
         “Exactly. I thought you’d know how seriously I take things,” Hugo pressed the knife against Isaiah’s throat, making the football jock let out an unmanly whimper.
         “Look, dude, I’m sorry! I- I’ll pay you or something. Why did you have to go and kill Elizabeth? She was hot.”
         Hugo scowled. “That’s disgusting, Isaiah.” Hugo pressed the knife closer to his throat, causing a small trickle of blood to trail down the already bloody knife. “I thought she was your girlfriend. You’re upset that a hot girl died, not that your girlfriend died?”
         “I- well- wait-!” Hugo wasted not a second. The knife dug deep into Isaiah’s throat. A guttural choke. Isaisah’s eyes dimmed and his body went limp, falling to the ground. Hugo looked at his fingers. Dabs of blood still lingered on Hugo’s hand. Slowly, he licked the blood off.
         Hugo crouched down and settled the knife into Isaiah’s hand and tucked it back into his throat. Hugo pulled his ski mask back on then wandered away from the kitchen and out of the house. He ran back towards his spot, the shadow figures chasing him and engulfing his body. He changed back into his original clothes. He dug a hole and hid his previous clothes there. Once that was done, he ran back to River’s house.
         Hugo couldn’t help but feel joy. Today, he’s done a good deed. He’s done something that helps him and the people around him. Finally, they were free. And it was all Hugo. He’s done the world a good job. Yet, no one sees him.

         Hugo reached River’s house and rushed in. He eagerly took his shoes off and ran to his friend, smiling and giggling to himself.
         “Oh, River! I am so happy! And I'm happy you’re my friend!’
         River laughed, looking confused. “I’m happy you’re my friend too.”
         “My life may still be beginning, but it’s good. People are going to be happy. I’m happy!”
         “Uh huh? Why?”
         “Just because, my dear friend. Don’t think so much about it.” Hugo patted River’s shoulder and chuckled. Hugo could see the confusion on his friend’s face, but Hugo couldn’t explain. River wouldn’t understand. They wandered into River’s room. They sat down on the bed. Hugo giggled at his friend's smile, but before River could speak, Hugo did.
         “What a happy ending to a happy day, my friend.”

         They call it murder, but murder is uncontrolled and messy. This was art. Now that they’re gone, the world could breathe and feel a little lighter. To Hugo, it was beautiful to see the grief that consumes the people. There was guilt, grief, regret. When Hugo looked in the mirror, some of the holes in his face were filled. He was feeling a little less broken. It felt nice to stand there and feel the storm of emotions. This was only the beginning. The screams and sirens still echoed in their minds. They can’t know it was him, but the way his friend stared at him. It was like he knew. It annoyed Hugo but that wasn’t the point. They need to feel this pain and realize it was for the better good. Hugo can tell that some people looked a little more free with them gone. Still, no one sees Hugo. He sat in silence and he felt good that they could never know. Every time they walk past that house, they don’t see him. Everytime they remember that night, they don’t see him. Hugo can live feeling comfortable that he’s done a good deed. People are free and the weight of Isaiah’s and Elizabeth’s bodies are gone.
And still, no one sees Hugo.