Page Contents:
Piece 1: "Arrowheart" By Audriana Mountha
Piece 2: "A Friendly Obsession" By Khoa Chau
Piece 3: "One Warm Summer Day" by Christopher De La Cruz
Piece 4: "Fall Down Thrice" by Cedric Mayo
Piece 5: "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" by Lorein Lomboy
Cupid Strikes Again....
"Arrowheart" by Audriana Mountha
I draw my bow slowly, preparing for the final shot many times. In my line of sight, under my mental bullseye, a petite woman sips from a small cup of coffee. A suited man strides from a building across the street from the café, and I trace his path toward a nearby crosswalk. These are not just passersby; these are my targets. As the time ticks, I know my cue is coming. I watch the stoplight above the road turn red, yellow, then green. Passengers shuffle impatiently, eyeing the walking sign above them with desperation.
Then it happens; The sign flashes white. I loosen my fingers and let the arrow rush down toward the girl. I quickly pull at the string again, preparing a second quiver. Locking on to the businessman, who is moving at a surprisingly speedy pace, my aim hovers left, then right, with slight adjustments up and down. Finally, he slows, and I can feel my wrist giving out. With a snap and release, the second arrow fires. With another successful hunt, I sigh and lean on the soft cloud beneath me.
Feathery wings tuck behind my bare back. I gather my heart-shaped arrows and store them in a leather bag. Some may call me cold. Some may call me a killer. But most know me by a single name: Cupid.
"A Friendly Obsession" by Khoa Chau
October 30th
Do you know what true happiness feels like? When you're the only one he loves. I loved him so
much, you know. Remember that day I told you about? When he walked me home and kissed me on my forehead? It's like ever since then, we've been OBSESSED with each
other. We would always do this couple stuff together; he would walk me to class, hang out with me at lunch, and even give me a teddy bear for valentines.
November 3rd
I can't shake this feeling out of my head. He's been so strange lately, more distant, colder. It's as if
he's slipping away from me, and I can't lose him. You know, I heard she was deathly
allergic to p
November 10th
He stopped talking to me. I should have seen it from the beginning when he started to look at
her. His eyes drifted by. The way he looked as she walked by makes me so pissed. The way
he smiles and laughs around her. UGGHH. How can he leave me for that girl and break our
promise? You know what, diary, I'll get them back, I promise.
December 20th
You know I did something quite bad, the teddy bear he gave me.
"One Warm Summer Day" by Christopher De La Cruz
The hot summer day has motivated people to get out of their houses and go for a swim in the lake. Nothing stopped him from hanging out with her, the one person who had brought joy back to his life. After months of cowering, he mustered up the courage and told her he would go to the lake with her. It was a long way from his house to the lake. But he had already decided; he was determined to get there in time. Taking a bus to the train station, and from there, he took another bus until he finally arrived at the lake.
As he calls her on his phone to make out where she is, he notices her and pauses to contemplate her; as she sees him, she tells him to get closer. As they approach each other, his heart starts to pump faster and faster. His eyes meet with hers. He asks, "We should get into the water; it is starting to get hot." The only thing she can do at this point is agree. As they talked about their life to each other, they were getting ready to start heading into the water. Both ready to hop in, she stares back at him; she holds his hand tightly, slowly as if time slowed down for him; he sees her falling slowly into the water. To her surprise, he didn't move an inch from the place he was standing before, inches away from falling into the water.
Suddenly he lets go of her. He jumps into the water, and with her, they both start swimming to a deeper part of the lake. Now that they are both alone, he begins to tease her, but she isn't the best swimmer, so he must be close to her to keep her from drowning. As the hours passed, the sun was setting down. They both were getting ready to go home. They both change quickly back into their clothes.
As her father picks her up, all he can think about is what her father would do to him if he found out he went swimming with him instead of her usual friends that she hangs out with. He nervously walks with her to ask her dad to give him a ride home. Surprisingly, he was not upset and managed to get a ride home. He tried his best to remain calm; since their van had limited space, he had no other option but to sit in front of her father. Once arriving at his house, he thanks his father, but to his surprise, her father tells him, "No, thank you for being with my daughter; I couldn't stand her being by herself at the lake." He smiles back and says, "Not to worry, I enjoyed swimming with her." He looks back at her in the car's back seat and notices her moving away and covering her face. He waves back to her father and starts to drive off. After taking a shower, eating, and brushing his teeth, he lay in bed; his mind would not stop thinking about her, but he managed to find the courage to go somewhere with her. What would he do next, he wondered to himself.
"Fall Down Thrice"
"Are you ready to order?"
Ethan quickly turned to the waiter, the sound of his phone screen hitting the wooden table, shattering his eardrums. He winced, smiling awkwardly.
“Haha, uhm, no. Not yet.”
The waiter passed him a puzzled look, rehearsed many times but without elegance. "Oh, so do you want to start with drinks?"
"Nononono, I'm waiting for someone."
"Ahah, gotcha." The waiter stiffly stashed the pen into her pocket, walking away. "Just press that button when you're ready."
"T-thanks." His voice promptly said before sputtering out like the engine of a car. Christ. When will she be showing up… Any time now. Ethan thought to himself, his face starting to burn up, his posture awkward, his hands– he knew he was fidgeting again, he couldn't stop.
My phone, yes. I can look at that. Ethan quickly picks his phone back up, swiftly turning it on. The weather is 76° Fahrenheit, slightly cloudy, but no chance of rain. He scoured his phone for something to stare at; he had to look busy. She'll show up. I need to have faith!
But he could feel the pit of despair in his chest sink more, its gravity field seemingly twisting the surroundings around him, even pulling him down. The stares of the employees couldn't feel more sharp. He knew the passersby were gawking at him. It's okay. It won't be like the last time. She's different. She's different. She's–
"...not coming?"
Ethan snapped back to reality, scrambling to attention. He quickly corrected his posture before turning to the voice. "B-but? Huh?" He found himself staring up.
"She's not coming," Allen repeated himself plainly.
"S-sorry, but when did you get here again?" Allen ignored him, instead interjecting with his own question.
"Your date still hasn't shown up yet?" Allen said in a tone of fake disbelief. "How many times do I have to tell you they aren't showing up."
"Oh." He sighs, a mix of disappointment and leaded exhaust. "You– you scared me, I thought-"
"Thought that I was Melissa?" Allen's face scowled, disgust laced in his voice. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Allen sat down, taking the only other seat in front of him. "Y'know, I don't get why you keep coming out here. It's not like they'll ever come."
"Ah hah…" Ethan didn't like this. Well, not like hating, but he didn't want Mel to think the wrong thing when she arrived. "Maybe, but it wouldn't happen again, right?"
"Is that so…" He smiled the classic Allen smile. "At this point, I think you should just date me." Allen chuckled a bit, "I don't think she'll be showing up any time soon." Ethan frowned but knew he was right. He trusted him. The two had been best friends since… forever. He couldn't remember when he hadn't been with Allen.
Silence. Time seems to pass so slowly for Ethan, even with Allen here now. How many times had he been stood up now, twice? None of them ever showed up or even bothered looking at his messages. This was going to be the third one. He starts to chuckle to himself, a tinge of sadness infecting his face.
"Ethan." He glanced up, locking eyes with Allen. "You've got that look on your face."
"It… It just sucks. I've been stood up; what is this, my third time?" His vision started to blur, struggling not to rack his body with sobs. "I hate it. So much." He squeezed his eyes shut, his head collapsing into his hands.
Allen stood up, grimacing, going to grab some napkins for Ethan. He felt his sleeve yanked back, turning back to look at Ethan. He was broken. His eyes glistened as beautiful crystal tears fell, and his cheeks flushed, letting it all out. Allen's eyes feasted, greedily indulging himself.
He closed in, wrapping his arm around Ethan's shoulder, his smile slightly fading. "Shh… It's okay. Don't think about them anymore. I'm here."
Ethan buried his face into Allen's shirt, gripping the sleeves hard. "T-thank you." Allen gently pressed Ethan's head in.
"I'll keep protecting you from them. Always ." He said, and a thought rang out through Allen's head at that moment.
All mine.
