Jenny's Shadow

Darkness crept on the skies above. Street lights began illuminating, and cars filled the streets in bunches.

It had been three hours since I reluctantly left my aunt Cathy and joined Francesca's family. We were supposed to be at her home in only an hour, but the heavy rains and harsh traffic intervened.

I fell asleep onto Francesca's lap as boredom kicked in. Even as my eyes closed, she caressed me and smiled admirably.

"Christine, we'll be home soon," Francesca whispered gently through my ear.

Finally, at 8:30 p.m., she aroused me from this long slumber. As my innocent eyes opened, I found myself at an unfamiliar location.

Francesca and her family lived in the southern reaches of Metro Manila. But unlike most Southerners, they did not have the luxury of living the rich and fabulous life.

Instead, they resided in a small village somewhere in Muntinlupa. The streets were narrow, but the houses were not as majestic.

It was a middle to lower class neighborhood. For someone who grew up in an affluent society, this was not what I had in mind.

Inside Francesca's house, the rooms were small and compact. With only two bedrooms, I was forced to share the same bed with Francesca.

But there were no complaints. Instead, I willingly offered myself to be a devoted houseguest in front of Francesca and her family.

"That's good to hear," she commented on my sacrifice. "We don't like guests who turn a corner."

Later that night, however, I experienced a terrible nightmare. As Francesca slept peacefully beside me, my brain started to play some mind games.

One day back in fifth grade, Jenny showed up along with her gang and stared wickedly towards me. Her eyes were like fireballs that were ready to explode any minute.

"See you later," Jenny said with a laugh.

As class ended, I was walking quickly downstairs when Jenny and her gang suddenly bumped into me. Their uniforms were scattered with dirt as a result.

"Better watch where you go dumbass," she yelled loudly in my ear. "Our clothes were stained no thanks to your inexplicable carelessness."

"Hey would you mind watching your step too?" I reacted harshly at Jenny.

"It's your fault Christine," she rudely retorted. "And since you stained our clothes, here's a little giveaway as a reward for your recklessness."

Jenny picked up a lipstick and smeared it all over my uniform. Humiliated, I hurried down the lobby in tears and cried incessantly.

Just then, I woke up screaming in agony in the middle of the night. That aroused Francesca as well.

"Christine, what's wrong?" she worriedly questioned.

"Francesca, there was a terrible flashback triggered inside me," I tearfully responded. "It was my old classmate Jenny back in fifth grade. She smeared her lipstick all over my uniform."

"Calm down, it's just a terrible nightmare," Francesca gently reminded me. "We better go to sleep now."

The next morning, I still could not get over that nightmare. At that moment, as breakfast was served on the table, Francesca and I ultimately decided to have a heart-to-heart discussion.

"Really?" she reacted upon realizing that Jenny caused friction between Michelle and myself. "Why did you immerse yourself to such wickedness and treachery?"

"I didn't know how evil and manipulative Jenny would become," my head shook in disbelief. "She just enjoyed making people suffer at the expense of others, and that is why Michelle stopped talking to me."

Later that Saturday afternoon, Francesca and her family drove me to a city park a few miles from their home. But as we leisurely strolled through the green grass, rain suddenly poured in.

Francesca soon caught a cold, and we were forced to return home. Within hours, she began to sweat profusely and her skin turned slightly red.

While Francesca's parents tended to their sick daughter, I received an ominous text message from Jenny.

"How's my frenemy doing?" she texted. "I guess Michelle is a sore loser now because of you."

Upon checking my social media pages, it turned out Jenny was correct after all. Michelle and her team lost their second consecutive game, and her poor play became the culprit for the embarrassing defeat.

Minutes later, I replied to Jenny's text message.

"Thanks for the note. But would you please stop sending me these hurtful and humiliating messages? My morale is at an all-time low, and you're making it worse."

Jenny never replied to my message. Just then, Cathy called on the phone.

Cathy: "How are you doing?"

Christine: "So far, it has been okay. But Francesca's a little under the weather right now."

Cathy: "Don't worry about it. She'll recover soon enough."

Christine: "But aunt, there's something I must retrieve at your home. My personal diaries were tucked somewhere inside your bedroom."

Cathy: "Why did you ask?"

Christine: "There was this old classmate of mine named Jenny, and she had just resurfaced. And lately, Jenny has been texting some hateful messages towards me. I need those old diaries for reference."

Cathy: "You better ask Francesca's parents to drive at my house. I can't go there because my legs are cramping right now."

Christine: "Okay then aunt. I'll see you around."

Upon waking up the next morning, Francesca's face was a little less red now than it was the night before. She was still in a peaceful sleep, resting quietly amid the fluttering of birds from a distance.

Fortunately, her parents were willing to drive me back to Cathy's residence. While Francesca's mother remained at home, her father transported me back to my aunt's majestic house.

After retrieving a box full of my old diaries, we returned home to the outstretched arms of Francesca. She had just woken up from a long slumber and was still in her pyjamas.

Inside, I eagerly carried the box to the bedroom and started reading my old diaries. Francesca soon joined in.

"These are some intimate and personal entries you had here," she remarked thoughtfully on my diaries. "But what's with all the suicide notes scattered everywhere?"

It was going to be a long and exhaustive Sunday afternoon. For once in my life, I quietly have asked myself:

"Who is the real Jenny?"