THE JOURNEY OF SHEIRA HART

22 | How it Feels to Have Someone Famous Beside You

I looked around, I couldn’t see anything or anyone but the place does look awfully familiar. Where is Mikhael?

I looked above and squinted my eyes again. Before I got pulled by something and ended up here, the weather was gloomy. Where am I?

It was when I stood up and got a good look around that I realize where I was.

“What on earth?”

I looked behind me only to see Mikhael di Angelo so…disheveled. And when I say disheveled, I meant his shirt was missing buttons. And his ruffled hair looked more ruffled now and there were small leaves on it.

I didn’t realize my mouth was open from shock until he tugged my chin. “Don’t look too mesmerized now,” he mumbled and took a leaf from his shirt, mumbling something like a curse.

I clamped my lips as I watched him pick the leaves from his shirt. I have no idea where the hell he went and why he looked like that. I covered my mouth with my hand nodded. “You…you look dashing,” I said, stifling my laughter.

He gave me a bland look. “This is funny to you?”

I shook my head. “No. No, of course not.” I bit my lip ad he just groaned. “What happened to you?”

“Well, apparently, our time in your first stop has already finished and now we’re going to wait for the express train to go to your second stop,” he said and mumbled another curse as he threw foliage of leaves away.

I gave him a curious look as to what on earth happened to him. He must have read the question on my mind that he sighed aggravatedly and looked at me. “Drop your question. I don’t want to talk about it.”

It was another rare moment for him to look really annoyed so I clamped my lips and made a gesture of zipping it, imitating his gesture every time he does it. He continued to pick leaves from random parts of his shirt and I decided to help him, stopping myself from asking him questions that would probably make him flip me over.

I was about to take the last leaf on his hair when four ladies went in our direction. I looked at them but they were looking at Mikhael di Angelo. The latter hasn’t noticed their presence yet but I could tell they are like us. I mean, a live human being wouldn’t be looking at Mikhael di Angelo like they’re moments away from terrorizing him. Mikhael was still busy fixing his clothes. I just gave the girls secret looks as I continued to throw the leaves away. Mikhael was muttering curses about the world being so unfair and so on. One of the girls was looking in our direction and then smiled at her friends while they encourage her. I scoffed. It didn’t take much for me to figure out what is about to happen. So I face Mikhael and he gave me a confused look.

“What are you doing—“

I didn’t let him finish as I fixed his hair. The moment I felt the soft texture of his hair on my palms, I nodded approvingly. “Is it because you’re dead or did you always have hair this smooth?” I asked and he was looking at me with a surprised look on his face. I didn’t mind him and continued to fix his hair. Someone is about to confess. At least he should look presentable and not look like he just wrestled ten chickens.

I was about to take my hand away when I was satisfied with what I did to his hair when he held my wrist. His eyes narrowed, looking at me suspiciously. But then eventually, his lips curved into a smirk. “Are you taking your chances on me?” he asked.

The sheer confidence, the jumping into conclusions, and the audacity to even assume that thought were so unnerving that I dropped my jaw and gave him a scoff so loud both Mr. Grim would have heard it.

“Are you even thinking straight to assume that? That’s so bold of you, di Angelo.” I pulled my hand away but he wouldn’t let go.

“I mean, that’s bold of you to touch my hair and tell me you aren’t interested,” he said and his smile grew even wider.

I closed my eyes firmly. It was like his annoyance over some certain circumstance earlier suddenly vanished and now he’s back to his goofy, annoying self.

“Listen, I touched your hair because those girls—“ I pointed to where the girls were standing but I couldn’t see them anymore. “Wait, where are they?”

“If you wanted to touch my hair that bad, there’s no need for you to make excuses, you know.”

I gave him a glare and he just laughed before he let go of my hand. “You are insufferable, di Angelo,” I mumbled and he just shook his head as he continued to laugh.

“I will never touch your hair ever again,” I said and crossed my arms.

He chuckled. “Whoever those girls were, you drove them away unconsciously.”

I raised my brow as I looked at him. “I drove them away? Me?” I let out a taunting laugh. “They could feast on you for all I care—“

“You were touching my hair and being so romantic now they’re thinking you’re my girlfriend or something.” He groaned. He had the nerve to groan as if he was truly frustrated with it. “Now, no one will come to me and talk or even ask for my autograph.”

I scowled as I looked at him. “You are so full of yourself, oh my god.” I massaged my temples.

“You seem to have forgotten that I am a famous soccer player, Sheira darling. I am someone admired by so many people—“

“Souls.”

“—even Monica will hear my name from Hell.”

I shook my head and just ignored him. I have never played or watch any soccer games before and the first I did was when I was already dead and I was forced by Mikhael to watch. It was my first time to watch and I didn’t have any criteria to how good is a good soccer player but when I watched Mikhael di Angelo play, I could tell he is, indeed good. He runs around the field as he owns it. Like it’s his turf and nobody is going to dethrone him. He’s so hyped up when he plays and he hypes his teammates too. Even the audience, apparently, as there was never a dull moment where they don’t chant his name. He is someone who must have been good at it while he was still alive. And I admit, he looked really cool as he scored goals and just play around with the ball. I couldn’t blame the earlier. He is someone, if I didn’t know how annoying he was, who would be that one guy in school whom everybody adores. Even the teachers and the nerds. He’s that kind of senior guy whom everybody looks up to. He’s the kind of guy that would have dated half the hot girls on campus.

But of course, I didn’t tell him that. Knowing him, he would assume things that are so baseless and he would probably tease me about for all eternity and I wouldn’t want that to happen. My life—afterlife—is already weird as it is, I don’t want another weird event coming. I don’t know how much I can handle.

“Sure,” I said and gave him the blandest look I could manage. He groaned. I smiled inwardly. He is good, but I will never compliment him. Not when he has the habit of ingraining it to his mind and then using it against you if he finds it useful to be used that way. He’s insufferable.

“You are the first-ever hater that I had,” he mumbled.

I looked at him. “Yeah? Remember that guy, Kali? He was chasing us and ready to snap both our necks. Remember him? If he doesn’t hate you at that rate, I couldn’t imagine what he’d do if he truly hates you, di Angelo.”

He chuckled and hit my shoulder causing me to stumble on my feet. I glared at him. “After all that crying you did earlier, you suddenly became so sarcastic it’s funny.”

I rolled my eyes. “I prefer not to be reminded by that again,” I said. From a distance, we could hear the sound of the train approaching.

“Duly noted,” he said and pressed his lips together but I know he’s itching to say something that would annoy me to the deepest core but wise enough not to continue.

I looked around and suddenly, I could see some souls who weren’t there earlier. The last time we got of this train, there were a lot of us but now, there’s just about twenty or less than that. They probably still have time remaining or perhaps some are …

I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about it. Not when we just experienced something near to the second death experience. I couldn’t imagine what could have happened if Monica managed to kill us all. If Mr. Thanis didn’t come, I couldn’t imagine what could have happened. We wouldn’t be here right now, waiting for the train to slow down so we could get in. I wonder what could have happened if Monica somehow succeeded. We would cease to exist. Even as ghosts. At least that’s what they say. I’d just simply…disappear. And it’s not something I would want to happen. Not when I’ve already made progress. I’ve come this far and I wouldn’t let anything stop me.

But I wish we wouldn’t meet more Monica’s. It would be so…troublesome and exhausting. It would be creepy as hell too.

The train stopped and opened its doors, signaling us to get inside. From a distance, I could see the four girls earlier who were Mikhael di Angelo meaningful glances. When they saw me looking at them, they looked away and quick as lightning got inside their own cabins.

I sighed. Mikhael might be right. I might have unconsciously driven them away. It wasn’t something they should interpret immediately. They should know the story first and I don’t want them to go around thinking I am someone to Mikhael di Angelo. As if what he did during that game wasn’t embarrassing enough. I don’t want to be labeled as someone associated with him. He is my partner and that’s it. We are going back to minding our own business as soon as I find out how I died.

“Where are you going?” I stopped and looked at my wrist where Mikhael was holding.

“Are you going to ghost me?” he said loud enough that I could hear collective gasps from some souls in the cabin.

I gave him a look. “Are you out of your mind?” I glared at him and pushed him towards our cabin and locked our door. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

He looked to the side then back to me. “Err…asking a question?”

I rolled my eyes. “Are you trying to piss me off, di Angelo?” I hissed and stepped closer. “Because it is very effective. I am opinion away from walloping you left and right.”

He then gasped. “You are such a violent lady—“ He didn’t finish what he intends to say when I covered his mouth and glared at him.

“What is your problem?” I hissed as I looked around. He raised both his arms, a sign that he surrender.

“Fine, fine. I saw you earlier about to go to those four girls you were talking about and I don’t like the idea of you talking to them because you might say terrible things about me and even though there are just four of them, it would be painful for me to lose four of my avid fans.”

I furrowed my brows. “Don’t tell them I got my ass whooped by another ghost.”

“That’s understandable. Anyone’s ass would have been walloped by Monica.”

“But still—“

“I wasn’t going to talk to them, okay? Geez.”

His grin was so wide it might have reached his ear. “You care for me, don’t you?”

“You’re too full of yourself. Go to sleep,” I said and he just laughed.

Silence covered the whole cabin—the whole train as we wait for the train to move. Mikhael positioned himself comfortably on the seat.

“Do you have any idea what your second stop would be?” he asked as he closed his eyes.

I never thought about it. I don’t even know how many stops I have to go to before I find the reason. But then Afterlife has so many surprises and I decided to just go with the flow. 

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