Eric stressed over the preparations for Jason’s birthday more than his final exams.

Jason, his best friend, was well known throughout their tiny village. Not only was he good-looking enough to turn heads, but his good deeds were praised by all grown-ups. He was equivalent to that good-at-everything cousin to which parents usually compare their children to.

Given how he was everyone’s golden boy, every year, there would be a grand celebration for his birthday at the town’s village. When they were younger, Eric never knew why he deserved this big of treatment, but he did hear rumors that he took a bullet for some higher-up whose name he had forgotten. There were other rumors of how he saved several tourists from their forest, since they hadn’t known about the presence of certain wild animals. All this throughout his teen years.

Jason was humble as well, which only ever spiked Eric’s jealousy. He often gave credit to the police officers, whom Eric believed should just retire from their jobs given how useless they were every time.

Was Eric jealous of Jason? Absolutely. However, he would never do or say anything that could tarnish their friendship. To make up for the jealousy, he would help with the birthday preparations the most.

Which was why, to his surprise, he saw that no one was preparing anything for Jason’s birthday at all. He could literally hear crickets at the Central Hall, where they usually held the party. ‘Did the grown-ups forget his birthday?’ he thought to himself. Nonsense. Those grown-ups always remember it 2 weeks prior.

In addition to that, Jason was missing as well. Eric hadn’t seen him for 2 days. Did they change the location without informing him? That made no sense! Everyone knew that he was Jason’s best friend.

He ran from the Central Hall to his neighborhood and started knocking on each and everyone’s door. No one really answered their doors, and the ones who did were the housewives or servants, who told him that their husband/owner had left for their jobs.

This was starting to get really funny. Did everyone collectively decide to play a prank on him? How come no one was doing anything for Jason’s birthday this year? Did they lose interest in him?

Where even was Jason?

‘Fine,’ Eric thought when he realized that even the other villagers were ignoring him. ‘I’ll just take it in my own hands. I’ll give Jason the best birthday party ever!’

With that, he began to gather balloons, streamers, banners and a bunch of other decorations he was planning to cover the Central Hall with. He bought Jason’s favorite cake, not noticing the stares and concerned looks by the other locals in the bakery. Even after buying Jason’s gifts at the market, he didn’t catch the way the shopkeeper was hesitant to hand over the wrapped gifts after the payment. ‘Hmm,’ he thought, ‘I should really stop getting him this blue and white polka-dotted gift wrap every year. Eh, whatever.’

By the time he finished decorating the party hall, the sun had begun to set. ‘Ah,’ he realized, ‘Mom’s probably home by now. I don’t remember if she took the house key. I should probably call-’

Just then, the doors at the other end of the hall slammed open; Mrs. Ellwood, his mother,  had burst in, looking frantic as ever. Her eyes grew wider each second as she hurriedly scanned the hall, which had been brightly decorated from head-to-toe.

“Oh- hey, Mom,” Eric said, his back to his mother as he examined whether he missed any of the decorations. He turned back to see his mother approaching him with long strides. “How was-”

Before he could finish talking, she raised her hand and slapped him across his right cheek, her eyes teary and wide in disbelief. Eric blinked, hazed, as red, hot pain spread across the right side of his face.

“What were you thinking?” she screeched. “Have you no shame? Do you even know how disrespectful it is to Jason’s parents? Remove all this.”

Eric’s eyes teared up, not from his mother’s insults, but the pain from the slap. “What? It’s Jason’s-”

“Do you even know how humiliating it is to hear other people and all our neighbors to come and tell me one by one on about you inquiring them about Jason’s birthday? What are they going to say about us? That your father and I never taught you anything?”

Eric’s eyebrows furrowed. This was getting ridiculous. “But it is Jason’s birthday! Why wouldn’t anyone celebrate it, like every year? What’s so wrong with it?”

“Because he’s dead, Eric! How many times do I have to tell you? For two weeks, you’ve been in this belief that he’s been alive, to the point you never went to see his funeral!”