Chapter one: Bad Things Happens To Good People

Ophelia’s POV

As usual I am sitting in the cafe which close to my college, the Bonjour la Cafe, waiting for my best friend Rose so we could head to class together. The smell of coffee and milk is one thing I enjoy. And the interior design is splendid. It is not a surprise that she is late, again. Rose is a habitual latecomer.

Rose and I have been friends since we were babies. And our mums have been friends since the freshman year and have kept the friendship for years. There is no doubt that Rose and I have grown up to be close friends. And she is the only person in my life majorly.

‘' what would you like to have today, the usual I assume?’' The beautiful waitress asked. Jane has been working in this cafe for like two years and has always had that signature smile on her face to enhance more of her beauty.

She has known what Rose and I like to order since our first year of college. She is really a kind lady that Rose and I got to know and she is also an English major student in the same college as us . I am a second year pre-med major student .

The usual is iced black coffee with no milk for me and hot coffee with three cubes of sugar and milk for Rose. I don’t like sugar that much and I prefer my coffee like that. Black and cold . It is one of the things that keeps me going for the day

‘ Yes please Jane and thanks’ I replied with a smile. Her smile is just too contagious.

‘ No problem dear, Rose is late again isn’t she as usual'' . She added while shaking her head in the form of a pity sign.

‘ Yes, please serve hers. she is going to be here at any minute '‘ I said while glancing at my watch to check the time.

Just then Rose arrived with a smile plastering on that pretty face of hers . She seems to be in a good mood today. Everyone does except me.

‘ I don’t know why you are smiling after keeping me waiting for long''.

‘'oh darling, I’m sorry about that and I promised to make it up to you. You know it has something to do with work, I woke up late‘' she said with that puppy eyes of hers.

‘'I understand but don’t be late again and you have missed your classes. I know you are going to say work again but please you have to care about your school’', I said with a little bit of concern. I'm really worried about her lacking of interest in education.

‘Who needs school when you earn more than a million dollars a night? I can even afford to pay my lecturer's bills'.

I think talking to her will be pointless. This is a phase that we have had over and over again, yet nothing yielded. Rose is currently working in a stripper club as a manager and a whore delivery. She assigned women to rich men who will pay to have sex with them.

She is indeed right, she can earn that much by just spending a night with one of the wealthiest men, even women in this country. All she need to do is to give them the satisfaction they want and the money will be all hers.

‘Here you go girls, your order and cookies for the coffee’ Jane said, suddenly interrupting our conversation.

I thanked her and took a sip of my coffee. The cafe is the best in the area and it also has a homey feel and vibe . I have been drinking a lot of caffeine since I came into the university.

After we finished drinking our coffees, Rose insisted on paying the bills and gave a generous tip to Jane for the free cookie she gave us . She claimed that it was a way to reduce the guilt she was feeling for keeping me waiting.

I had no other option but to agree with her. I still feel bad that she is always the one paying for our coffee for quite a long time .

We headed to class. I was taking my pre-med degree in biomedical science while Rose was studying international studies. I headed to my class while Rose to hers. The rest of the day went by, attending lectures and submitting my projects pretty much like any other day in my life.

I headed to my apartment to get some assignments done and also to do some studying while Rose were going to her work place . I tried to invite her for dinner but she said she was getting late for work.

I took a shower washing my hair and dried it . My hair is golden in color. An unusual hair color . Back then in highschool, kids made fun of my hair. They called my names like freaky golden, gold weirdo. I have always been insecure about my hair color.

I made dinner for myself with a simple meal of rice and liver sauce with a little bit of meat. Did my assignments and a little bit of studying. Checking the time to be two in the morning, I decided to get some sleep.

As I laid down on my bed to sleep I heard my phone ringing. I was a little bit worried about who was calling me and it indicated an unknown number on the screen.

I don’t have friends around here apart from Rose. You can say I’m a nerd that only cares about school-related stuff. I haven’t ever been to a party, never ever kissed anyone, not even talked about having a boyfriend. Although I have always desired to experience what falling in love means.

I consciously pressed the answer button, hoping it won’t be something that I would regret.

‘ hello, is this miss Ophelia Lim? ''

‘ Yes please who is this? ''

‘I am officer Jason and I will likely to inform you that we found your parents' dead bodies''.

``''What officer, please stop playing with me. I was going to surprise them this weekend and now you are telling me crapy things. Are you sure they are even my parents? It must be a mistake, please. It has to be! I could feel my heart breaking into pieces. I honestly didin't want to believe it but everything he said makes absolute sense. This explains the unanswered call and unread messages I sent yesterday.

‘Sorry for your loss miss but we need you to report to the station tomorrow to confirm the bodies of the deceased we found out that you are the only relatives that we can contact as the next of kin we need you as fast as you can be available tomorrow ’

The phone went off as it dropped from my hand and landed on the tilted floor I could not believe what was happening. I spoke to mum and dad for two days. They were all doing okay. I wanted to surprise them this weekend. I grabbed the beside lamp and threw it to the left side of the room. I started grabbing various things and breaking them. I need something to vent my anger on. Why? I can't believe that they are dead. No no, it's not possible as uncountable tears rushed down my cheeks. Different thoughts kept running in my head as I fell on the floor crying. They are the only relatives I have. They are the nicest people. They aren't supposed to die. Screaming and crying and breaking stuff continuously, hot tears constantly rushing down my face as I tried to process what was happening.

" Why did you guys leave me? Mum , dad, I can't live without you guys " I kept repeating the sentence, hoping this will all be a lie. After hours of crying, I wiped my dried tears and started packing my things with trembling hands to go back home, the things that were so important to carry, and arranged them in a small backpack. It took me a while before I was able to pack. My body has already in a trembling mess right now.

I arrived home the next day. It was a three-hour drive. I kept on crying throughout the ride. ; 'This has to be a lie. Mum and dad are okay. This has to be a lie' I said, trying to give myself some assurances.

I couldn't even believe this was happening. I wish this could all be a hell of a nightmare that I could wake up from any moment from now. Please let it not be real. Those were the thoughts that were ringing in my head as I made my way to the station.

‘Miss Ophelia Lim, my name is officer Jason, you can call me Jason. I am so sorry for your loss, please come this way to identify the bodies’

I was feeling numb all over my body, kept on shaking uncomfortably. Tears kept rushing down my cheeks. I moved straight to the place where the bodies were kept and the bodies were horrible.

Who could do such an evil thing to someone? Their hearts here are pulled out of their bodies. My blood ran cold at the sight, a sharp headache spread through my head releasing a violent scream of horror I passed out after seeing this horrible image.

I woke up in the hospital with Rose and her parents beside me . They were all trying hard to console me but I was feeling really shocked right now that I cannot feel anything. I can't even cry. I didn't feel anything at that moment. I was still like a statue. Why do bad things happen to good people?

The burial was nice and just Rose's family and a few of my parents' coworkers. None of my relatives came. It’s funny growing up, I haven’t really heard my parents talking about any of my cousins or aunts or uncles, it has always been us alone. They were so protective of me that I was not allowed to go out and play like normal kids, just Rose was allowed to be around me.

After taking a break from school I returned back to school but I cannot miss the stares people were giving me. Apparently, my parents' death was seen on the news and people kept on sending pitiful looks toward me. I hated it when people saw me as a charity case. They were sending pitiful glances at me. This made the pain more intense. The pain of losing both parents wasn't enough. Now I'm the charity case of the town . After the burial reality drew to me that my parents were really dead. I spent weeks crying and moaning about their death. Everything reminded me of them. I'm not a strong person. How will I be able to cope without them? I kept having nightmares. Most of the time I woke up around midnight and cried myself to sleep without anyone consoling me. I don't think I can survive without my parents. There is only one way to find out.