I AM WATCHING YOU

CHAPTER : 4

I was staring at the journal for the past 4 hours. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away again. My tears stopped falling a long time ago. I didn't sleep. I was too scared to even blink. I was in no condition to get up and go to school. But I knew I had to. 

"Sophia get up! You're gonna be late for school" I heard my dad shout from downstairs.

I got up and went to the bathroom and was shocked to see my reflection. I looked like I had seen a ghost. My skin was so pale. My eyes were puffy from all the crying. My hair was all messed up. I didn't look like myself.
I couldn't believe I let myself down over a book. For all I know, it may be someone pranking me. I'll show up to school and someone will be laughing at me because the prank worked. I kept repeating this over my head, again and again but deep down I knew something was definitely wrong and it was not a teenage prank.

I wasn't too keen on dressing up to school today but I also couldn't let it ruin the day for me. I had to be strong. I put on my white top and black sweatpants and the locket my grandmother gave me on my 16th birthday. Everytime things got hard, she would always help me get through it. The locket was the only thing I had left of her.

I didn't bother eating my breakfast because I wasn't hungry. I waited outside waiting for Madison. Soon enough she reached and after seeing me, her mouth flew open.

"What's wrong soph? You don't look too good."

"Um thanks" I said getting in the car .

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way. You look like you've been crying."

"It's just this-" I couldn't finish my sentence.  I started crying. I was too scared. I told her everything that had happened. She listened to me and looked very calm unlike me, who was bawling her eyes out. It has been always like this. I couldn't get any emotion out of her. She was the tough one.

"It's gonna be fine, Sophia."

"You don't know that. It's creeping me out every second. All I know is that, the haunted book may appear in my bag out of nowhere. I can't even expect anything anymore. It comes back Maddie, It comes back" I practically yelled at her. I know it was wrong of me to do that and that she was just trying to calm me down but it wasn't helping.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this" She said and started the car. I looked at the time and we were already late. My day couldn't get any better?

I hung out with Maddie during the first period. She kept murmuring something which sounded like , 'am i bad person'. I have no idea what's with her today but after I accidentally yelled at her in the car, she's been pretty quiet.

The bell rang and we went to our classes.
I was sitting in literature, my favorite class but I was zoning out for the most part. Some were busy taking notes. I used to be one of them but not today.

I came back to my senses when I felt someone poking my sides. I turned to my left and saw a girl smiling at me.

"What do you want?" I didn't mean to come out rude but her smile was pissing me off.

"Ah relax. I was just going to ask you if you wanted to be my partner. You don't need to be so rude"

"Partner? For what?"

"For the group project. Were you not listening?"

Great! A group project. Just when I needed some alone time.

"Uh sure, I can be your partner."

"Cool. Can we start today at your place? My parents won't be home and I don't have the key."

"Yeah fine by me." The bell rang and I rushed outside. I couldn't bring her to my house. What if she reads the journal? What if she's the one doing it?Is that why she wanted to come to my house? To laugh at me in person? I kept on walking until I bumped into someone's shoulder. I fell due to the impact. Whoever the person was, I gotta admit, they were pretty tough. I looked up and met a pair of blue eyes. He looked around my age. He looked down at the floor and I realised the zipper on my bag was open and my books were now spread all over the floor.

"Here" , he said picking some of my books while I picked the rest. I quickly mumbled a thank you and started walking away from all the humiliation caused in the hallway but stopped when the helper boy called for me. He came running to me and handed me a book. "You forgot your journal. See you around" And with that he walked away.

I was processing what just happened and realized, I don't own a journal. It was probably someone else's. But when I opened it, I felt like screaming.

The words got darker each time I looked. I saw there was a new entry. I opened it and almost wished I didn't.

Another day! I see you've been torturing yourself. I never meant for this to happen. But doing this, I feel satisfied. I like the outfit you're wearing, btw. Also, you shouldn't cry about this. Crying doesn't suit you.
Hope to receive entries from your side too.
Much love<3

The mystery person has been stalking me this whole time? How do they know about my outfit and the crying? I swear, there was no one around.

I turned to the laughter coming from my right side. There were people surrounding a fire? In the morning?

"What's going on here?" I asked in a low voice. All heads turned to look at me.

"Oh we're just doing the 'sad remover mantra'. I still don't know who named it and you're not supposed to ask. Anyways, you practically burn the stuff which makes you sad." One of the boys answered.

I looked at the fire and all of the stuff lying around. I looked back at the journal in my hand. I could end this, I thought.

I released my breath which I didn't know i was holding. I closed my eyes and threw the journal into the fire..

..or at least that's what I thought.

I opened my eyes to look at the girl from my literature class holding the journal in her hand.

"Phew, you almost burned your journal! Here, keep it in your bag." She handed it to me and walked away smiling.

I didn't feel any anger towards what just happened. I felt empty. "It always comes back", I whispered with tears in my eyes.