That night Oscar was passing the time huddled up in Abdullah's room.
Abdullah was playing racing game on his console.
"I won!" Abdullah cheered raising his arms.
"Hmm…" Oscar muttered.
They were both in Abdullah's rom. Oscar was lying on the bed writing to Samantha.
"Dude, when is the next full moon?" Oscar eyes with his eyes still on the diary.
"The night after tomorrow." Abdullah replied.
He paused the game and put the controller down on the floor next to him.
"Man you gotta leave it." Abdullah said.
"Leave what?"
"The book, man. It's messing with your mind."
"Oscar glared at his companion. "Let it."
"You really believe that book contains a soul?"
"I thought you believed in this kind of stuff."
Abdullah adjusted his square-framed glasses. "I thought you didn't."
Before Oscar could reply, his cellphone beeped. He checked the text message he had received.
"It's Aunt Leona. I better get going." Oscar quickly got up and headed for the door.
"Bye." Abdullah said without looking at him.
Oscar walked down the hall towards the staircase. There was some funky music playing from the room nearest to the staircase. The door was slightly left ajar.
Oscar peeked inside. Amna was on her bed listening to music on her cellphone. She saw Oscar and stood up.
"Oscar, you're leaving already?" she came to the door and opened it.
"Yeah. You know Aunt Leona's temper. I gotta be home before ten."
Oscar glanced at Amna then at the floor. He was still a bit shy of his first crush.
"Hey. I'm reading a new book. Maybe you've read it before." She motioned for Oscar to come inside.
The walls of the room were pink and fortunately did not contain fortune-telling related objects.
The music was playing on the speakers of the computer on Amna's desk. There was a medium-sized bookshelf next to the desk. Amna searched for the book on one of the shelves.
Oscar noticed she was still wearing those tight pajamas. The curtains of the bedroom window were set aside.
"Checking me out again?" Amna asked all of a sudden still searching for the book.
"What?"
"Nothing."
She is seriously acting weirder than normal, Oscar thought.
Amna finally turned around and handed him a large-sized book.
Oscar read the title. A Midnight Summer's Dream.
"I've read this three times. It's beautifully written." Oscar commented.
"Isn't it?" She came closer to Oscar.
Their eyes met. He felt the same tingling sensation he had felt when he had first met her. Their lips were coming closer and closer but Oscar hurriedly moved his face away before they touched.
"I'll see you later." Oscar told her standing by the doorway.
She bit her bottom lip. "I know you will."
Oscar left the room and went down the stairs. He was unaware that someone had been watching them through the bedroom window. A tall figure was standing a few feet away from the Masood residence.
Oscar left the house and soon the cold air pressed against his body. He started rubbing his hands together as he made his way to Aunt Leona. The night was pitch black without a star in sky.
Oscar stopped dead in his tracks. He was still standing on Abdullah's front yard. He glanced sideways. He heard the sound of footsteps on the grass nearby. Oscar turned around and no other human being was seen.
He continued his walk. Suddenly, out of one of the bushes, someone caught Oscar by his jacket.
"Salim!?" Oscar exclaimed almost falling off the sidewalk.
"Oh, surprised to see me?" Salim flashed him an evil grin still clutching on to his jacket.
Oscar tried breaking away from his grip. "Get off me!"
"Still trying to charm Amna?" Salim asked.
Oscar noticed that Salim's other hand was clenched into a fist.
"Hey, I don't know what she wanted."
Salim came closer to Oscar. He glanced at the diary in the pocket of Oscar's jacket and tried to grab it.
"Stop it you asshole!" Oscar shouted angril.
Salim finally got a hold of Oscar's prized possession.
"The Diary of Samantha Nicole." Salim read the title.
"Give it back Salim."
"You've gone so low that you stole some girl's diary?" Salim mocked.
Oscar ignored him. His eyes were focused on the magical book that was now in Salim's grasp.
"Salim, I'm serious. Give it back."
For a moment, Oscar thought that Salim would punch him but something even worse happened.
"Here you go." Salim threw the book hard on Oscar's chest.
Oscar clutched his chest. The book sure packs a punch.
Salim pointed his finger at Oscar's face. "Now listen here. If I see you with my girlfriend again. You're dead."
Oscar picked up the book lying on the pavement without looking at Salim. He then looked at his archrival and noticed a bandage on his neck.
Salim noticed what Oscar was staring at. "Amna cut me on the neck yesterday when we were making love on Abdullah's bed."
Salim removed the bandage and threw it away in the bushes. The wound still seemed fresh. Oscar ignored him and started walking away. "She's my girlfriend, loser! And she's way out of your league." Salim called after him.
ns 15.158.61.42da2
