While shaking and holding his head, "Tuk...tuk," Axel's shoulder was suddenly tapped from behind. Axel turned to see who was standing there. His face instantly went pale, his eyes wide, his mouth hung open, and then "Blugh," "byek," he fell back onto his rear, sitting in the pool of blood, his trembling hand pointing forward.
"Wh-what? Why?"
What Axel saw were five female wraiths, or ghosts, standing in front of him, their faces full of regret and sadness.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you away… I was just a kid back then and scared of getting bullied with you… I'm so sorry, please don't hate me, and just give me a chance so I can be with you," the first wraith said.
"Sorry… I really did say I liked you because we had the same hobbies… but… back then I thought I was in love with Derek, turns out he was just using me… I regret leaving you and… please give me a second chance," the second wraith said.
"I-I miss you, Ray. I apologize for ignoring you and not caring about your feelings and even going to my ex's birthday party in 11th grade. I'm sorry, please don't hate me, I love you, and give me just one more chance," the third wraith said.
"I-I'm sorry, Ray, I love you… I-I was wrong, I thought you were boring and had no future… I went partying and… dated several people just to hurt you and hoped you would chase me… I-I'm sorry, I was wrong, I promise I'll change, please don't hate me and give me a second chance," the fourth wraith said.
"M-my husband, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to insult your job as a game developer, I… I felt insecure. You worked yourself to death to support our family… but… I kept wasting your money… if I made you look bad, I felt relieved. I was stupid, I was selfish, I was awful. Please forgive me and don't divorce me… I love you… I'll go to therapy, we can do couple's therapy, I'll sign anything just to get you back," the fifth wraith said.
"What the hell is going on?" Axel yelled in his head, completely confused.
***
Okay, before we continue, let me explain these five ghosts, or wraiths, in front of me.
The first wraith is my childhood friend, Sharon. Since I was little, I loved to tell stories and imagine things. Sharon was always beside me, listening eagerly, sometimes even adding to my stories. Everything changed when we started school. I started getting bullied because of my wild imagination. At first, Sharon defended me and always stayed with me, but one day…
"I hate you, don't ever come near me again," Sharon said, pushing me into a puddle.
Then Sharon turned and walked away with her friends without looking back. My heart hurt so much because, after that, Sharon joined in on bullying me. But soon after, my family moved because of my dad's job. I met Sharon again when I started middle school. She suddenly came up to me and talked like an old friend, without ever apologizing for hurting me so badly. I ignored her and refused to talk to her every single day.
One day, she cornered me and demanded to know why I was ignoring her. I didn't answer and just stayed silent. That's when she finally realized how much she hurt me back in kindergarten and elementary school. She immediately apologized, but I told her it was too late and left. A few days later, I heard the news that Sharon died after being hit by a car. Of course, I didn't feel any sadness, but I wasn't happy either—just empty.
The second wraith is Valerie. She was a girl who looked like a bookworm and spent all her time in the library when we were in 8th grade. I was also a library regular because I loved reading fantasy literature and adventure novels about good versus evil. Since we saw each other every day, we started talking, and I found out Valerie had the same hobbies as me. After a few months together in the library, Valerie confessed her feelings for me, and I accepted because I felt the same way.
But when we went into 9th grade, Valerie hardly ever went to the library anymore. She still came to my class, but I felt something was strange, like she was only meeting me or going home with me out of obligation. Still, I didn't ask her anything.
Finally, one day during lunch break in the cafeteria, Valerie told me she didn't love me anymore, and a guy named Derek, a basketball player, suddenly came up and put his arm around her. After that, they just walked away, leaving me alone in the cafeteria with a broken heart. But I stayed silent, didn't yell, didn't get angry, and didn't make a scene.
Two months later, Valerie suddenly came to see me at my house during break. I was shocked because she was crying and had a bruise on her cheek. Of course, I asked what was wrong, and she told me everything. It turned out Derek forced Valerie to sleep with him and was rough with her, forcing her to give up her virginity, and then he dumped her.
But what made my blood boil was that she had the nerve to say she still loved me and wanted to get back together. I knew the reason: she wanted me to take responsibility in case anything happened to her after being with Derek.
Of course, I immediately pushed her away, opened the door, and told her she chose Derek, so she had to face the consequences. Valerie was completely shocked to see me standing there with a blank face, not yelling but firmly kicking her out. She immediately apologized repeatedly and begged for a second chance.
I finally closed the door on her forever, and a month later, Valerie never returned to school because she was pregnant and died trying to abort the pregnancy herself. Again, I felt nothing, as if all my love and affection for her had completely vanished after she left me.
The third wraith is my ex from 11th grade, Bella. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly Bella, the prettiest girl in my class, confessed her feelings to me, and I said yes. Since I was still traumatized by Valerie, I was careful with Bella, even though she was very pretty and really tempted me to think with my other head.
Our relationship was like a normal couple. I sometimes went to Bella's house to meet her parents and sister, and she sometimes came to my house to meet my parents. Everything seemed fine until we reached the middle of 12th grade.
Bella started making a huge fuss, trying to force me to go to the same college as her. Of course, I refused because I chose IT, and she chose marketing; we had to go to different cities for college. Because I kept refusing, Bella started avoiding me and acting cold. Our conversations were just superficial, not intimate—like casual friends who sometimes had sex at hotel. I kept asking what was wrong, but Bella always waved me off and wouldn't talk about it.
My breaking point was when Bella told me she wanted to go to the birthday party of Justin, her ex-boyfriend from 10th grade, whom everyone knew was a wild kid who got drunk and used drugs. I forbade Bella from going, but she insisted and threatened to break up with me if I didn't let her.
Finally, since I couldn't take her attitude over the last three months, I broke up with her that night instead. She hung up the phone with a loud slam that hurt my ear. I didn't hear anything about Bella during 12th grade, but when we were about to graduate and after our final exams, her mom suddenly called me, sounding like she'd been crying.
She said Bella wanted to talk to me. Since I didn't want to be a complete monster, I went to her house. When I went into her room, I was shocked by Bella's condition: she was incredibly thin, her eyes weren't focusing, her arms were full of needle marks, and I don't know how long it had been since she showered.
When she saw me, Bella immediately burst into tears, regretting that she left me. She said that at the party, she was forced and given drugs until she became addicted, got a venereal disease, and dropped out of school. Of course, I told her I forgave her, but what freaked me out was that she asked to get back together with me.
Naturally, I couldn't agree because my heart still hurt. After that, when I was in another city starting college, her mom called me again, and this time the news was terrible: Bella had died from an overdose and cried right up until the end.