Episode:- 2 — Stacy's Birthday.
After the whole mess with Joe, Edward dragged himself back to his room and collapsed onto the bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, he slipped into a deep sleep.
In the background, his phone began to ring, the soft ringtone lyrics filling the room with
"Runaway Aurora song"
"And I was running far away"
"Would I run off the world someday?"
"Nobody knows, nobody knows"
"I was dancing in the rain"
"I felt alive and I can't complain"
"But now take me home"
"Take me home where I belong"
"I can't take it anymore"
Instead of waking him, the music only pulled him deeper into sleep. He turned on his side, hugging the pillow, mumbling,
"Nice song… five more minutes."
The phone rang again… and again. Finally, with a groan, he cracked one eye open, fumbled blindly across the bed, and whispered,
"Okay, okay..alright.. I'm awake. Stop ringing."
Edward slowly took his phone. Stacy's name glowed on the screen, framed by two tiny hearts. A soft smile touched his lips, as if the world around him had faded and only her name still mattered.
Stacy—She was a very good friend of Edward; she's been his friend since his childhood.
He had a very good friendship with her. In fact, he likes Stacy so much, but he has a fear that if he expresses his feelings to her, she will hate him and stop talking to him, so that's why he doesn't confess his feelings to her.
He forgets that he has to lift the call; he was in imagination. After sometime he came to his senses and answered the call.
"Hi! Stacy."
On the call, he imagined her clearly—a beautiful girl with long hair slipping through her fingers as a soft breeze lifted it around her face. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear, her eyelashes fluttering over bright, sparkling eyes. Her glossy lips curved as she spoke, biting them in playful irritation, her round face glowing with bouncy, chubby cheeks and smooth, milky skin.
As she shifted, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot lightly, pretending to be annoyed—but her voice still flowed to him like a soft melody, calm, warm, and impossible to ignore.
Then it suddenly shifted, breaking the dream.
"Eddie!" she called out with mock annoyance.
"Are you even listening to me?Where are you? It's already seven. How long do you expect me to wait? Are you coming to my birthday or not?"
The sweetness was still there—softened by impatience that only she could make sound adorable. She had been Edward's closest friend since childhood, the only person who ever called him Eddie, a name that felt warm and special every time she said it.
Edward snapped back to reality, heart racing. He answered in a shaky rush,
"Yes—yes! Of course I'm coming! Just… just give me five minutes. I'll be there!"
The call ended. Silence.
He stared at his phone for a second too long… then gasped.
"Time to shower"
He sprinted to the bathroom, turned the shower on full blast, then immediately jumped in—only to jump right back out because it was freezing.
"WHY is it always cold at first?!"
Moments later, dripping wet, he rushed toward the mirror—slipped on the floor—and went down hard.—THUD.
He pops back up proudly… only to realize his underwear is sitting on his head like a hat.
He sniffed the air.
Sniffs again.
His face twists.
"Ugh… what is that smell?"
He sniffed again. Closer.
"…Wait."
He crossed his eyes, looking upward, and finally noticed the underwear hanging over his face, he froze.
"…Why do I smell myself?"
Realization hit. His face twisted in horror.
"EWW—NO NO NO."
He yanked it off his head like it was radioactive and tossed it away in disgust.
"I need a new life. Or at least a new head."
Panicking, he rushed back to the mirror, aggressively combing his hair—too much gel, then wiping half of it off with his towel.
He sprayed deodorant under his arms… then once more for safety… then directly into the air and walked through it like a model.
"Luxury."
He straightened his shirt, tugged at it, adjusted again, then gave his reflection an awkward nod.
"Okay… okay… not terrible."
He leaned closer, squinting.
"If I go like this… Stacy might not block me."
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"FLOWERS!"
He slapped his forehead.
"Who goes to a birthday empty-handed? What am I, a villain?"
He struck a dramatic pose in front of the mirror, covering half his face with one hand.
"I'm becoming romantic these days…"
He started humming dramatically, then broke into a ridiculous little dance—spinning, finger-snapping, moonwalking half a step.
"🎶 Love is in the air— 🎶"
His wet foot slipped and he slid down the steps like a cartoon character.
"WOAH—Ahhhh—!"
—THUD!
He landed on his back, raised one thumb confidently, and smiled at absolutely no one.
"I'M OK!". Completely fine."
He paused.
"…Okay maybe not compltely."
"But fine"
....He scrambles up, hops into his shoes while running, hopping on one leg like a confused flamingo.
"Come on, come on—why is this shoe fighting me NOW?"
He finally got it on, stumbled forward, adjusted it mid-run.
"Romance waits for no man!" he whispered.
—and dashed out in full chaotic hero mode.
Edward hurried toward Stacy's home, just two streets away, running the entire way. As he moved, a mysterious, glowing star flickered briefly in the sky above, but he barely noticed it, focused entirely on reaching her house in time.
The doorbell rang, and after a minute, stacy opened the door.
Stacy groaned, eyes flashing at Eddie.
"Eddie! What took you so long? It's my birthday—did you forget?" She looked cute, even when angry
Edward said "No! "I could never forget your birthday, Stacy."
Stacy asked "Then why were you so late to my birthday party?"
Edward laughed awkwardly
"Had some trouble at college… that's why I'm late." he answered to Stacy.
She stared at him angrily. "You're always the same! Even on my birthday, you still do this.
Edward quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry! I won't do it again."
Stacy gave a small smile, though she still pretended to be upset.
Eddie knew just how to calm her. They stepped inside and closed the door as the party buzzed with rocking music, disco lights, sounds of horns and laughter. Then Stacy called out with a smiling face, "Alright everyone, let's cut the cake!"
People gathered around, clapping and singing, "Happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you, Stacy!"
With a soft —phuff—, she blew out the candles, and the room burst into applause. She cut the cake and held out a piece to Eddie.
Edward took a bite, then laughed and fed a piece back to Stacy. Around them, everyone cheered and enjoyed the moment, everyone was dancing after she cut the cake the celebration full of warmth and joy.
Suddenly a loud noise resounded near Eddie.
—PHATT—
A balloon popped nearby, —a flash of fear jolted him—sending a shiver of fear through him. Edward's eyes shot open. He sat up on his bed, heart racing, looking around in confusion.
"Wait… what…?" he whispered voice trembling. "was all of that just a dream?"
That's when he slowly realized…he had been dreaming.
He let out a quiet breath and whispered, "Damn… it felt so real. Such a beautiful moment."
His hands shook slightly as he rubbed his eyes, trying to convince himself it hadn't really happened.
Beside him, his phone buzzed, the sound muffled and echoing in his sleepy haze.
Edward blinked, still half-lost in the remnants of his dream, and froze when he saw the screen—Stacy's name flashing.
"No… wait… this isn't the dream," his voice shaking. "It's really her… calling me."
His heart skipped a beat as reality hit him, and panic mixed with guilt twisted in his chest. Stacy had called him more than twenty times.
Edward froze, staring at the phone in disbelief.
"Oh no… —no!, no! What did I do? It's already twenty!...twenty missed calls…!"
His voice trembled. "What am I supposed to say? How do I even fix this?"
Panic clawed at his chest, leaving him frozen between dread and regret.
After the incident with Joe and his friends, Edward dragged himself home, aching and exhausted. He barely made it to his bed before collapsing, sleep pulling him under almost instantly.
Somewhere between pain and dreams, his phone began to ring. Through heavy eyelids, he saw Stacy's name glowing on the screen.
A faint smile touched his lips—she's calling…he answered in a half sleep.
But sleep claimed him again before he could move.
In that hazy half-dream, her voice broke through—sharp, upset, and familiar.
"Edward! Are you even listening to me?" she shouted, again and again. "are you coming?"
But Edward didn't wake. The phone buzzed beside him, unanswered, while he lay lost in sleep.
When his eyes finally opened, panic rushed in. His heart pounded as the memories replayed—I answered… she yelled… she hung up…
Then reality hit him hard.
None of it had happened.
It had all been a dream.
The phone rang again.
Edward's heart slammed against his chest. When Stacy's name flashed on the screen—for real this time—his breath caught. He grabbed the phone with trembling hands.
"Okay… okay," he whispered desperately, gasping for air. "I'm answering—this time I swear."
He swallowed hard and finally picked up the call.
Stacy's voice broke the moment she spoke, heavy with hurt and frustration.
"Eddie—where have you been?" she yelled.
"Do you have any idea what day this is? It's my birthday!"
She took a shaky breath, her anger trembling into pain. "I kept calling you—again and again. I waited. I thought you'd answer… but you didn't."
Her voice softened, cracking. "I just wanted you here, Eddie. Just you. And you made me feel like I didn't matter at all."
Swallowing his fear, he took a trembling breath. "I—I'm sorry," Edward said weakly.
"I just… I fell asleep."
"What?" Stacy growled. "You just what?
Say that again—you just fell asleep?"
"Alright. Go—go and get your sleep then. Bye." She ended the call.
Edward stared at his phone, his chest heavy with disappointment, and slowly walked over to the window.
"What did I do? Why am I always like this?" Edward whispered his voice was heavy.
"I'm smart… so why can't I deal with people?" He disappoints.
He buried his face in his hands.
"If I were stronger, I could've stood up to Joe… or just talked to Stacy. Why can't I be like that?"
"Today had been… a disaster. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong," He gasps.
With tear-filled eyes, he slowly lifted his gaze to the darkening sky, the weight of disappointment pressing down on him.
Why did that strange glow appear in the sky again—was it a warning, or just a coincidence?
Would Stacy's anger going to fade?
Would she ever forgive Eddie for hurting her?
Most of all, would Edward can change like he thought —or would his doubts win again?