Crush

Bluey and Sandra's house  morning  7:55 AM

Bluey's point of view

"Come on, Bluey. How long will it take you to get ready? We are going to be late for class," I heard Sasha call from outside my door.

"I am coming, Sasha. Please give me a moment," I responded, attempting to manage my thick hair.

"Ugh," I muttered as the hair tie I was using slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor.

"You know what? I am leaving you as you are," I said to myself while gazing into the mirror.

I glanced around the room, picked up my book from the bed, and hurried out.

"At last! I thought you were taking an eternity in there," she remarked, looking at me.

"Wow, what is that you are wearing?" she continued with a hint of disbelief.

"What do you mean by 'what is that I am wearing?' It is, of course, clothing," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Seriously, Bluey, I've told you to change the way you dress. I don't know why you love wearing baggy clothes every time. If I were the one with your perfect shape.......Everyone in school is going to get it from me," she said with a smile.

“I genuinely enjoy wearing these clothes, so I kindly request, Miss Sasha, that you allow me to dress as I choose,” I responded with a sigh.

“Regardless, Bluey, let us proceed. I would prefer to avoid any potential reprimands from Professor Shirley this morning,” she replied, taking my hand and leading me out of the house.

Sasha is my long-time best friend, roommate, and course mate. We embarked on our academic journey at Harvard together last year, and thus far, it has been a positive experience.

The residence we occupy belongs to Sasha’s aunt, who is currently abroad. She has graciously permitted us to stay there until we complete our studies, given its proximity to the college. Sasha,holds a special place in my heart.

.I developed a friendship with her during our high school years, and I must say, she has a lively personality that often leaves people questioning how we became friends. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Bluey Johnson, and I am 21 years old.

I was raised in Australia by my single mother, along with my younger brother, Benny, who is 9 years old. At present, I am pursuing my studies at Harvard University.

."Taxi!" Sasha exclaimed as she flagged down a taxi.

"Please take us to Harvard University," she requested before getting into the vehicle, with me following closely behind.

"I believe we may arrive at class before Professor Shirley," she remarked while glancing at her wristwatch.

"Indeed, I hope so. I would prefer not to face her embarrassment again in front of our classmates," I responded, nervously biting my lower lip. The last occasion Sasha and I arrived late to class, she scolded us and mocked me, an experience that made me wish to disappear.

Although she is an attractive woman in her late thirties, her demeanor can be quite abrasive. I am uncertain as to why she harbors such strong dislike for me.

"Breaking news has emerged regarding a tragic incident that occurred last night. George Hilbert, the proprietor of Wander Foods, was discovered deceased this morning, with his heart removed from his chest. He had just returned from a business trip yesterday, and regrettably, it marked the final day of his life.

It has been confirmed that the perpetrator is none other than the Grim Reaper, as this aligns with his modus operandi. I can only contemplate how Mr. Hilbert's wife and children will react upon learning that their cherished husband and father is no longer with them.

"7Good morning to the citizens of the United States; I wish you a pleasant day and urge you to remain vigilant," were the words of the news anchor on the radio, and I could not help but feel a profound sadness for the family while also feeling a sense of unease.

"This individual has committed another heinous act. What drives such brutality? I wonder what they stand to gain from these actions," Sasha remarked with a furrowed brow.

"Moreover, he consistently extracts the hearts of his victims" I quietly added.

"He is truly despicable," I continued, only to be shushed by Sasha immediately.

“Please keep your voice down, Bluey. We cannot be certain that the taxi driver is indeed the Grim Reaper,” Sasha whispered, which only intensified my fear.

Since my arrival in this town, there have been numerous murders attributed to an individual known as the Grim Reaper.

This person reportedly kills his victims and removes their hearts, placing them close to the deceased. I find myself questioning his motives. His identity remains obscured, as he meticulously eliminates any evidence related to his crimes. Law enforcement and security officials have made substantial efforts to apprehend him, yet they have been unsuccessful.

There are whispers suggesting that he may have assistance from individuals in positions of power, although such claims remain unverified. The unsettling reality is that no one has seen him or knows what he looks like; there have been no photographic captures of him, which sometimes leads me to ponder whether he is akin to a ghost.

How could he remain undetected? I sincerely hope to never encounter him in my lifetime, I reflected, shaking my head.

"Thank you," Sasha said after handing the fare to the driver, and we exited the taxi.

"That was quite quick," she remarked as we made our way into the school.

"Every time I enter this school, it feels akin to stepping into a prison. Do you share that sentiment?" she inquired with a sigh, moving slowly.

"Come now, you feel that way because you have never enjoyed school in your life," I replied with a light laugh, resting my hand on her shoulder.

"Indeed, you say that because you are quite intelligent. If you were not, you would comprehend my perspective," she retorted with a playful hiss, which prompted me to laugh even more.

I did not mention to anyone, but I too possess a high level of intelligence and am among the top students in our department.

"Bluey!" came a voice from ahead, and we looked up to see Prescott waving at us with a broad smile.

"Oh, look, there is your admirer," Sasha remarked with an eye roll as we approached him.

“Come on, Sasha, I've told you like a million times—Prescott isn’t into me. He’s just a buddy, nothing beyond that,” I said as we reached him.

Prescott’s a pretty charming guy in our department. Sure, he’s good-looking, but he’s definitely a nerd too. He’s always buried in books at the library, and he’s super smart. He likes being on his own, but for some reason, he always wants to hang out with me.

“Hey, good morning,” Sasha greeted, but he didn’t even look her way or respond.

“Morning, Bluey. How was your night?” he asked with a smile, peering at me through his glasses.

“My night was awesome. How about yours?” I replied.

“I’ll take the lead. See you in class, Bluey,” she said, throwing a glance at Prescott with a roll of her eyes before walking off.

“Alright, we’re following you,” I called out to her, smiling.

“My night was good too. You look great with your hair down,” he said with a grin.

“Thanks, Prescott! Let’s get to class. You definitely don’t want Miss Shirley to pull the same thing on you that she did to me the last time I went to class late," I said , and we started walking to class.Thankfully, Miss Shirley hadn't shown up yet.

'Catch you later, Prescott,' I said quietly and dashed over to Sasha, who was sitting nearby.

'So, how did it go with your crush?' she asked with a wink.

'If you call him my crush one more time, I swear I’ll smack you,' I replied, rolling my eyes.

'Sorry, bestie! Just teasing,' she laughed.

'It better be. Prescott and I are just pals,' I said as I pulled out my phone.

'Did you see how he totally ignored me when I said hi earlier?' she hissed.

'Yeah, I noticed, Sasha. Maybe he’s just not feeling great today,' I said while scrolling through my phone.

'Not feeling great, my foot. He’s acting all strange, Bluey. He won’t talk to anyone but suddenly just chats with you. I can't help but think he’s into you,' she insisted.

'Whatever, Sasha. Seriously, that’s enough of the 'he likes you, Bluey' talk,' I said, already over it.

"Oh, right, Bluey. There's this huge party downtown at a club today, and we're totally going," she said, which made me roll my eyes in disbelief.

"Wait, did I hear you right, Sasha? A club? Me? I really don’t think you know who you’re talking to," I replied, scoffing.

"Come on, Bluey. Don’t be such a buzzkill. It’s just a party, and we’ll be back before you even notice. Just relax and have some fun… You’re not seriously thinking about ‘staying a virgin forever,’ are you?" Sasha said, and all I could do was stare at her.

“It’s just a party at a club, and honestly… I don’t do clubs, let alone parties. Sorry, but you might wanna go without me, Sasha.” Just then, Miss Shirley walked into the classroom, and everyone suddenly got quiet. You definitely don’t want to upset Miss Shirley.

A hideout

Somewhere in Cambridge

Knight's point of view

"You're back on the news, Terminator," Xena said with a grin, glancing at the TV.

"Guess so," I said, taking a sip from my brandy.

'You were quick last night, Knight. I didn’t think you’d do it again," Cody, my best buddy, said, cigarette hanging between his lips.

He’s the only one who actually uses my name. Everyone else just calls me the Terminator because the last time someone else called me by my name, let’s just say they didn’t make it out alive.

I live with Cody and Xena in this place. Xena’s a girl Cody found on the streets. He brought her home even though I wasn’t thrilled about it and trained her to roll with us.

"Yeah, I did. You know me, Cody; I don’t mess around," I said with a sigh and headed upstairs to my room.

I stripped off my clothes, flexing my biceps and showing off my tattoos. I was just about to take off my pants when the door swung open.

"What are you doing, Xena? Did you forget how to knock?" I asked, turning around to see her standing there. "I’m sorry," she mumbled, looking down right away. "You really need to learn how to knock.

"What’s up?" I said in my low voice, giving her a chilly look.

"Boss Cody told me to tell you that...... there was a call earlier and there’s a target at the club downtown tonight," she said, and I couldn’t help but smile. That sounded exciting, I thought, with a bigger grin spreading across my face.

"Is he coming with me?" I asked.

"No, he said he’s got his own mission to handle tonight," she replied.

"Alright, you can go," I said, watching her head out of the room.

Tonight’s gonna be wild, I thought, grinning as I strolled into the restroom.