Silent Paws

Jason, an ordinary teenage student—or at least that was what he liked to tell himself, but no, he is far from ordinary. In reality, he was awkward, barely even average in looks, alone, and painfully invisible to almost everyone around him.

For God knows how long, he has been obsessed with a girl in his class named Stella. He admired her from a distance, learning her routines without ever speaking to her. Every morning he would walk the same route to school as her, always staying far enough behind that she wouldn't  notice. He sat where he could see her in the cafeteria, followed her home after school, and built an entire fantasy around someone who didn't even know he existed.

Looking back, most people would call it stalking.

But to Jason, it felt real, it felt like love.

Eventually, he convinced himself that if he could just tell Stella how he felt, everything would change. Maybe she would finally see him. Maybe she would understand. Maybe all those months, possibly even years of silent admiration would mean something.

So one afternoon, gathering every ounce of courage he possessed, Jason approached her in the cafeteria.

"Stella," he began nervously, "I need to tell you something."

Before he could continue, he noticed three tall boys standing behind him. Looking at them, he saw that those boys had looks far beyond average as compared to him.

A chill ran down his spine.

"Wha... what's going on?" he asked as drops of sweat streamed down his temple.

Then Stella pointed directly at him.

"It's him!" she shouted, loud enough that everyone could hear. "He's the creep who keeps following me everywhere!"

The cafeteria fell completely silent.

Jason's heart dropped, swallowing bitterly. "Why would she..” Jason said, his voice barely audible

Stella explained that not long ago she began to realize that someone had been monitoring her, almost like a camera in the shadows. She had been frightened, but was scared to face it until now.

Within seconds, the entire cafeteria turned into a tide of gossip, whispers, truths and lies about Jason.

Voices echoing through the walls of the cafeteria.

“He couldn't have possibly, he seems pretty chill to me. No stalker vibe.”

“So he actually did that, no way, he gives off that calm-innocent persona though.”

" No way this guy stooped so low as to stalk one of the prettiest girl in the school, how pathetic."

" Well I guess filth has to show its true colors sometimes."

"Did he actually think he would stand a chance with Stella? No way, she's just way out of his league."

Every harsh word hit harder than a punch.

Jason just stood there, trembling, confused, unaware of what to do to save himself.

Out of the three boys who are Stella's friends, the one in the middle with blonde curly-hair was the most furious.

The other two remained calm, though annoyed by what was going on and what they had heard.

Jason quickly turned his gaze back to Stella with a look of desperation.

"Stella, wait, please..." Jason stammered. "I-I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just... that's not what this is.”

Stella lowered her head. Her eyes went completely dark.

"Do you have any idea how terrifying that is?" she whispered. "Knowing someone has been watching me this whole time."

Her hands trembled, clinching to the sides of her skirt.

“It had always been you, hasn't it. Early in the morning on my way to school, looking through the windows to see if I'm in class, glancing at my direction during lunch, and following me when I'm going home or even to the convenience store. I noticed all of this, but.. I was just.. too scared.”

Her breath hitched.

"Every day, every single minute, I kept wondering if you were following me again. I just can't… I can't deal with this anymore.”

There was nothing but silence after that..

Then she began walking slowly towards him.

Jason, seeing this, felt a bit of relief, his heart began to race, he thought to himself, “Did she finally see me, does she understand how I feel, would I be able to show the love I've kept hidden from her all this while.”

He closed his eyes, hoping for just a bit of recognition.

But before he knew it, she had walked past him, whispering the words, “I will never forgive you..”

When he finally opened his eyes.

All he saw was.

Stella's long black hair, that shimmered like stars in its depth, her scent of sweet vanilla gliding through the air, skin as pale as the moon in the night sky.

His eyes widened in shock.

But before he had the chance to look back at her, a certain strong force struck his back.

He fell to the ground, hard, hitting his head onto the hard tiles.

Everything went blurry, and it just got worse as he found himself facing the ceiling.

All he saw then, was the clenched fist of someone, aiming straight to his face.

There were screams echoing throughout the walls of the cafeteria.

But in his ears, those weren't the screams of people in concern for him.

They were the cheers of people rather finding this to be entertaining, like something straight out of an highschool movie.. 

Unknowingly, there were actually students genuinely worried about him, though his actions seemed unforgivable, he didn't deserve such a beat down.

But they feared that helping him may do more harm than good for them. So they just walked out of the cafeteria, heads down feeling nothing but guilt.

Suddenly his entire world went dark. Unable to move an inch.

And by the time it was over, he was laying on the ground alone in the center of the cafeteria, where everybody saw.

No friends.

No support.

No one willing to stand beside him

For the first time, he realized something painful:

The version of Stella he loved had never existed.

She was a fantasy he had created in his own mind, while the real Stella had spent months terrified of him.

A couple of hours later.

The school was empty, not having its usual noisy environment.

Jason, barely able to walk, went back to his class to go and grab his bag.

The hallway was much more peaceful by that time of the day, as though there were no souls in the school.

But unfortunately, the classroom door was locked, so getting his bug would be impossible.

He gave off a bitter smile saying to himself, “ I doubt anyone even bothered taking my bag from the class.” He sighed, then a sudden stroke of pain passed through his ribs.

“This is the worst.” He murmured in pain.

The walk to the train station felt endless.

Jason moved through the crowded streets with his head lowered, barely noticing the people around him. His face ached. His ribs hurt. Every step sent pain through his bruised body, but none of it compared to the fact he might never get to see Stella face to face ever again.

The cafeteria.

The laughter.

The whispers.

The looks.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape them.

A few strangers glanced at him with concern. One woman asked if he was alright. Jason simply shook his head and kept walking.

He didn't know what hurt more—the bruises or the realization that he might end up being alone for the rest of his life.

By the time he reached the train station, the evening sky had begun to darken. He stood on the platform as train after train passed, his thoughts spiraling deeper and deeper.

Maybe things would never get better.

Maybe tomorrow will be worse.

Maybe this is truly my fate.

The approaching train's headlights pierced the darkness.

Jason stared at them, feeling smaller than he ever had in his entire life.

Then all of a sudden

A step.

Unintentional.

Unwillingly.

He had thought of it only for a mere second, and yet it was enough.

A single step is all it took, to end it all.

The few seconds before he would meet his end, Jason thought to himself, "What am I doing? Sure things are bad now, it could be for the next 5 or even 10 years, but it won't last forever, will it? I don't want to die, no, no yet. Why did my body move on its own?"

But it was too late now..

The train station erupted.

Screams echoed through the thick silence.

His vision was fading, but his senses were sharper than ever.

Jason's blurred vision was fixed on the people rushing his way.

" These people."

"These screams."

"They are screams of panic, not amusement."

"These strangers are actually concerned for me."

"But.. it's too late now… I'm a dead man.”

The train station only became louder and louder after what had occurred.

People rushed to see what was going on.

People grabbed their phones, calling emergency numbers.

A retired doctor rushed to check if he was still alive.

And in the midst of all those people stood a woman who had witnessed everything, looking in shock.

“Ohh, God, please have pity on your children.” She said with a silent voice.

But fortunately, though he just had his final breath, it wasn't going to be his last.