From A to Z

In the middle of the crowd, Zane accidentally bumped into Alice. "Sorry!" she exclaimed and their eyes locked. Time slowed. Thump. Thump. Thump. His heart was beating so fast it was a wonder she couldn't hear it. She smiled at him. It was the same beautiful smile he fell in love with in the first place. Memories flooded his mind.

***

    It was her first day of attending his school as a new student and she kept to herself. He approached to greet her. As she lifted her head, he realized her eyes were swollen. She had been crying. He left. A while later, he returned with a pack of ice, passed it to her and just sat beside her, keeping her company. She nursed her eyes. They never said a word to each other. 

    A week later, she started hanging out with people. They made her smile, though it never reached her eyes. He noticed. He always noticed. She'd wrap her arms around her chest when she felt uncomfortable, especially when others were invading her personal space by standing too close to her. She'd laugh awkwardly when they joked although she didn't approve of their jokes. She'd always find an excuse to hide in the bathroom during recess because she needed to take a breather. Whenever she returned to her seat, she always found a bottle of milk in her drawer. She'd smile. That smile? It was genuine.    

    One day, she stopped coming to school. A day became two. Two became a week. Everyone said she transferred. He thought otherwise. Yet, he never saw her again. Until that fateful day. It was raining heavily and he was stuck at the convenience store, waiting for the rain to subside. A person ran into the store and headed immediately towards the slushy machine. He shuddered when the person took a big sip, already feeling extremely cold from the rain. Then, the hoodie fell. His jaws dropped too. IT WAS HER!

***

"Hey, stranger. Fancy seeing you here," teased Alice. He blushed. It had been a year since that fateful day, but he fell in love with her more every single day. "A-hah! Caught you!" She laughed and then took out a milk bottle from her bag. Then, she dumped a folded paper star into the half-full bottle. "Let's get married once the other 3 bottles are filled," she winked at Zane. He nodded.

Credit: This story is a challenge to make it as romantic and cringey as possible. I died multiple times trying to even get past the second sentence. Thanks.

The Box

Kevin was in a hurry walking to class, when suddenly he saw his best friend carrying a small box, dashing quickly towards the back of the building. She winked at him. He decided to follow her. When he turned around the corner, she was nowhere to be seen. However, the box was left under the shade of a tall tree. It would have gone unnoticed by everyone, except Kevin was meticulous for detail.

    He approached the box slowly, anticipating it to jump at him like jack-in-a-box. It didn't. Upon further inspection, the box smelled metallic, and there was something leaking from the bottom of the box. Something red.

    Blood, Kevin realized in horror. His hands shook as he reached out towards the opening. He counted to three. Then, another three. One...Two...Three...One...Two...Three... It seemed like he was paralyzed in fear. He really didn't want to find a dead body in the box. Just as that thought crossed his mind, he laughed. How stupid he was to think that a dead body could be kept in such small box. Maybe it's an infant, his mind reminded him. Before he could second guess his decision, he flipped the cover.

    He bit back a scream. His throat dried up. His ears were ringing. His vision went blurry. It was indeed a body, just not literally. Even when he shut his eyes, he could still see that decapitated head in the box. Hers.

    It was as though ages had passed before he came to his senses. He nudged the lid shut with his shoe and immediately emptied his stomach right next to the box. His breakfast, halfway digested, was splattered all over the ground, his shoes, and also mixed with the blood from the box. It was not a good sight at all. In fact, his consciousness decided to take a break and left him lying in his pool of vomit.

  ***

New school rules: Pupils are not allowed to pull an elaborate prank on anyone, which might cause mental and/or physical trauma to the victims. Any perpetrator caught commiting such an offence or reported with sufficient evidence, will be expelled.