CHAPTER 12 : I Can Hear You Screaming

Something look different today.  It was unusual for Deandra to see his two friends in silence each other during the third lesson.  It was only natural that Dean had noticed.  Because the distance between his desk and Ivan-Devan's table is only one table adrift.  Moreover, the two of them sat in the same row in front of him.

 "Did they fight?  how unusual."  His mind wondered.

 The third lesson is physics.  Mr.Ibnu who is explaining in front of the class is one of the many fierce teachers at this school.  It was thanks to his existence that Dean couldn't ask what was wrong with his two friends until class ended.

 Time elapsed.  Dean – who had not been in school for more than ten years, clearly had greater learning difficulties than most of the children at this school.

 But Deandra is lucky because his mature age allows him to think more calmly.  Which meant that Dean wouldn't be as tired as the other kids even if he didn't absorb anything from today's lesson.

 Finally, the doorbell rang.  As usual the students immediately packed their bags and left the classroom in an irregular formation.

 Just like them, Deandra was getting ready to go home.  After packing his books into his bag, he carried the bag in his arms and walked towards Ivan and Devan's table.

 "Van, I'm not going home with you guys today okay?"  Dean said so when he arrived in front of his two friends.

 "Why so?"  Ivan looks disappointed.  Meanwhile, Devan didn't seem to mind at all.

 "I'm going to stop by the bookstore."  Dean smiled, trying to keep Ivan from whining too much at him.

 But of course, it wasn't easy to get Ivan to agree.

"We'll take you, okay?"  Ivan persuaded.

 "Van, Mami told us to hurry home.  Uncle Brian is at home today."  Devan interrupted.

 Ivan snorted in annoyance and put on a sullen face.  As expected, Devan would be hated even more after this.  But of course he wouldn't care.  Because persuading Ivan was as easy as persuading a child with candy.

 "The bookstore is near here.  I can go by myself.  You guys be careful on the road! See ya!"

 After speaking while patting the shoulders of his two best friends, Deandra walked out of the classroom.  Leaving Ivan and Devan in an awkward atmosphere left over from their previous meaningless fight.

***

 He had been standing here for almost five minutes.  There was nothing Deandra really did except stare at the rows of books that filled the shelves on his right and left.

 Until those people who have had time to go around will start to look with a wonder that written on their face when they see this young man still standing in the same place when they returned.

 Of course, Dean didn't do that to attract attention.  He was just confused because the book he was looking for was nowhere to be found no matter how much he searched.

 "Excuse me, Miss.  Are collection of novels really only exist on this shelf?"

 A woman in employee uniform stopped when the frozen youth she had passed by now asked her.  Suddenly she turned, then looked at Deandra and smiled kindly.

 "Yes, only on this shelf.  Are you looking for a certain book?"

"Yes.  Is there a book called Oasis?  The cover is blue, the quality of the cover is good, but the contents quality are trash." Dean described the type of book he was referring to as clearly as possible.

For a moment, the woman looked confused.  Within seconds, Dean knew that the woman was researching him to make sure he was only joking.

 Then after realizing that this young man's strange question was not a joke, the woman gave a very awkward smile.

"There doesn't seem to be a deck.  If the title of the book is oasis, there a lot.  But the one with the blue cover and the ... trash contents, I don't think there's any."  said the woman.

 "Oh okay.  Thank you Miss."  Deandra smiled kindly.  Then let the woman walk away from him.

 Dean snorted in his mind.  Even though he had expected this before deciding to come here, he still felt a little disappointed.

 In the end, he left the bookstore empty-handed.  His steps were so wobbly.  His mind was constantly on every conjecture that he could never completely ignore.

 "It's been three weeks, but it's still really hard to get used to it without thinking about that person and Fatamorgana."

 Deandra grumbled in his mind.  His footsteps carried this young man across a pedestrian bridge, with the intention of waiting for the bus at the bus stop directly across the street.

 But then, his footsteps slowed and finally stopped.  Just when he saw a girl in the same uniform as the one he was wearing – but in the kind of girl's uniform, standing on the edge of the bridge While looking down at the bustling street below.

 Deandra recognized the girl as Erika, who was none other than his classmate.  But there was no way Dean would be so interested in stopping just because he thought he recognized that girl.

 The only reason why he would take the time to be quiet and pay attention, was the fact that Erika was now standing on the edge of the bridge.  Or rather, on the outer side of the guardrail.

 "Again?"  His mind asked in a disturbed tone.

 Deandra gave a lazy look.  For a moment, his gaze wandered around.  From the front and back, there was no one on this pedestrian bridge other than the two of them.

 Dusk is breaking.  The sun in the west had turned yellow and was ready to fall asleep.  Then here, there is Deandra who is faced with a ridiculous deja vu.

 "Suicide is a trend among girls, isn't it?"

 Deg!

 "Uwah!"

 Erika shouted loudly.  The shock almost made her slip off the guardrail that was her only foothold.

 Suddenly, after holding on so tightly to the same fence, the black-haired girl turned her head and looked at him in protest.  Precisely at Deandra who just stood leaning on the inside of the fence while putting on an indifferent look.

 "Hm, why you held on?  I thought you came here to jump."  Dean smirked.

 Having received this sarcasm from her classmate, Erika couldn't do much other than try to defend herself.

 "Indeed!  I'm going to jump, so go over!"  she snapped.  It was as if she didn't realize that her hands and feet were shaking violently at this moment.

 For a moment, Deandra chose to remain silent.  The only reason for his attitude was the sight of the setting sun which was a pity to miss.  Especially for him who had spent ten years without seeing it beauty.

 "Erika right?  You know, if a person dies by committing suicide, they won't go to heaven."  said Dean while still looking at the sun, which only remained dim light.

 "W-what the hell?!  What you want to say won't matter!  I've made my decision, and you don't know anything about me!"  Erika was still trying to show her resolve.

 However, for Deandra, who had been faced with this situation many times, the girl's attitude made him laugh.  A loud laugh that infuriated Erika's heart.

 "Please don't misunderstand okay?  I'm not here to stop you from committing suicide.  Frankly, I gave up, the last time I helped someone like you, I was slapped."  Deandra chuckled in between his words.

Erika raised an eyebrow in surprise.  For some reason, the incoherent conversation between her and Dean that irritated her, had somewhat lessened this girl's fear and made her forget the fact of where and in what position she was standing now.

 "I just wanted to offer help."

 Dean's words this time of course made Erika even more confused.  The young man hadn't even looked at her at all since the beginning of their conversation.  But somehow, Dean could smile so casually.

 "What kind of help?"  Erika was suspicious in her question.

Once again, Dean paused before he answered the question of the girl at his side.  And his attitude was only for the sake of creating a brief silence, so that he could enjoy how the rest of the sun's rays disappeared quietly.

 Only then did Deandra turn around.  This time their eyes really met.  The smile of course had not disappeared from this young man's handsome face when he finally answered the question of the girl who was on the verge of death.

 "I have two offers.  First, I can kill you.  With that way you still have a chance of going to heaven, and you will still die as you wish."

 Deandra's words took Erika by surprise.  Is this true?  A high school kid is offering to kill her?  This is ridiculous!  What kind of crazy young man is this person?!  Erika had many questions in her mind.

 "What the hell are you-"

 "The second,"

 The nagging that was originally about to come out of Erika's mouth was stopped because Dean suddenly raised two fingers to her face.

 "I know a good, wallet-friendly caffe nearby."  Dean's smile widened.

 Erika looked up with sharply knitted brows.  Because she knew from the smile Dean was showing her, that this young man was trying to play a trick on her.

 But still, she couldn't be sure that Deandra wasn't serious about his first offer.  Meanwhile, Dean himself knew from the start that Erika had absolutely no faith in death.

 The girl's hands and feet had been shaking from the first time Dean had seen her.  Which means, there is doubt in the girl's heart.

 Dean was the one who knew best – at least as far as amateurs did, that when there was doubt in the hearts of those people who were contemplating suicide, the chances of them actually doing so would drop to fifty percent.

 As someone who always wanted to stay out of trouble, this was not at all like the usual Deandra.  But as a good adult, Dean also feels that he can't just sit still when he sees a poor teenage girl who has lost her way.

 It was this inner conflict that used to get him a slap in the face for saving the wrong person.  Now his pride as a 'good adult' had Dean prepared to regret if he made the same mistake.

 To be continued....