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**
Shelron was just across the street, with his usual black tee without any print on it. His tantalizing eyes could captivate anyone, including those with impaired vision. His bursting masculine scent with a hint of sweet honey could hold butterflies as captives. I could smell him from afar. Literally! *But how?*

He used to be the man I hate the most. The campus bully who never failed to poke fun on those whom he thought were inferior than him. He was the most arrogant person I had ever known. And I had been one of his victims. I remembered one time, he kept a coconut husk in my bag. I was complaining on my home because my bag got heavier than usual. When I got in my bedroom and unpacked my things, the husk was there. I detested him since then.

But…

One day, all the hatred I had towards him just disappeared, in a blink. And honestly, I didn’t know how or why.

“Hey, Margaux!”

I jumped in surprise when he called me. But what startled me the most was the fact that he was already standing beside me. I didn’t even see him crossed the street!

“Uh, hi?” I awkwardly responded. My mind failed to process how fast things had happened.

“Can I walk you home?”

“Why the sudden change of heart?” I asked. Suspicious, I furrowed my brows. “Are you planning on putting something in my bag again?” I immediately clutched my bag pack, making sure he couldn’t get his hands on it.

My heart was pounding in my chest! Why am I ecstatic about him being by my side?

The fist-size organ residing in my left chest was blissful seeing him, although my brain was totally against it. This enigmatic feeling began when I hung out with him, just because I had to accompany my cousin who had a crush on this bully. We had some liquor then. We were no longer minor, so it was okay.

“No. I swear. I just want to walk you home.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I kept walking without answering him, trying my best to hide the butterflies I was having. The scent of his perfume lingered in my nostrils, and it was driving me nuts in a positive way. My nose seemed to enjoy his smell.

*‘What on Earth was going on with me?’*

**

That night, when my cousin and I were talking, she gave me a scornful look. Her eyes were daggers, slicing my sanity away.

“What is wrong with you, Mica?” I asked her. Confused with her cold treatment towards me.

“I saw you with Shelron. Do you like him?”

My jaw dropped at her accusation. “What?! Why would I?”

“Just wanna make sure! I don’t like the way he looked at you earlier. I’d seen floating hearts everywhere by just the way he stared at you.”

“Don’t be silly. You know I’m not into bullies, right?”

“Whatever. Just stay away from him. You know I really like him, right?”

I ignored her sour reaction, but I couldn’t ignore what she was doing.

She had created several heart-shaped origamis and kept kissing each of them three times. She even sprayed some perfume on those hearts before putting them under the pillows—my pillows!

“What are you doing? You’re creeping me out.”

“None of your business!”

She kept doing her creepy thing, so I went to the bathroom to freshen up. 

When I stepped out of the bathroom, she was lying. I went straight to bed and tried to sleep, annoyed with the pitter-patter of paper under my pillow.

*

The next few days had been so weird.

Shelron kept bugging me, giving me fruit juice which he said was made by his mom. But what was even weirder was that I couldn’t say ‘no’ to him for some unknown reason.  I bet there was really something wrong with me, but I couldn’t figure it out.
Mica also continued with her creepy night routine.

Until one day, all those odd events and the questions keeping me awake at night were answered when I met with my best friend, Cassidy.

“Have you heard about the new club?” she asked.

“What club?”

“The Manifestation Club!”

“So? What’s the big deal?” I asked though I wasn’t really interested. I just wanted to respond to Cassidy, so we could have something to talk about.

“Mica and Shelron are both in that club!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. My cousin likes him a lot. She must’ve been stalking him.”

“Do you know what they do in that club?”

I gave her a quizzical look.

“They create potions, talismans, and other seduction rituals.”
I shrugged and simpered at her. “You believe those?”
Cassidy responded with an uncertain stare.

**

When I went home that night, Mica was hysterical. She had been throwing things and almost turned our room upside down.

“Hey! You’re not the one tidying things in here!”

“I don’t care! Shelron is in love with someone else!”

A pang of pain struck my heart. Hearing that Shelron already liked someone made me feel jealous. But why?

“You can’t force someone to like you. You know that.”

“Of course, I can!”

“How did you even know he’s in love with someone else?”
“His best friend told me that Shelron has been brewing love potions, mixing them in fruit juice, and giving it to the girl he likes!”

I was stunned. I remembered how Shelron would insist on making me drink the fruit juice. I couldn’t find the words to say. I’d been drinking love potion for the past few days without even knowing it!

“I’ve been manifesting him for some time now! And that’s what those heart origamis are for. Speaking of which—” Mica checked her pillow case. “Where are they?”

“The what?” I asked, still trembling about the revelation I heard.

“My heart origamis. Each of them has his name. I sprayed perfume on them, so he’ll get addicted to my scent. I even slept with those under my pillow. I’m sure I did the instructions correctly. How come it didn’t work?”

“You what?” 

Enraged, I grabbed my pillow, and we both gasped when the origamis scattered on the floor. I picked one of them and smelled the hint of cucumber-melon perfume.

“This is my perfume?! You used my perfume and my pillow for your manifestation ritual?!” I yelled at her, not able to control my outburst.

Mica was petrified. 

She had been doing the ritual wrong by using my scent and pillow to lure Shelron to her. 

So, that explained why he suddenly took interest in me. I was the one sleeping on the origamis this entire time just because Mica was stupid enough not to pick her own pillow every time she would do her ritual. She was silly to use my perfume instead of hers.