#wtrsa

Although many people can recalled The Red String of Fate tied two people together and are destined to meet, this legend isn’t specifically limited to “couples” or “soulmates”. Sometimes, the Red String of Fate will weaved a path to those who will cross paths make history and to those who will help one another, which will soon create a scarlet tapestry from the red thread we are born with.

What if we assumed that this whole thing would applied to six different people, who may or may not known each other for a long time? And that once they crossed paths...how would their lives change?

Perhaps...we will take a look at them right now and see how their fates concurs...

It all started in a local restaurant called Red Lotus. A tall, dark hair man dressed in his waiter uniform had just enter the back, taking out the trash. By the time he tossed out the last plastic bag into the dumpster, another guy, wearing the same uniform, ran up to him. “Dude, Aaron! I need you to do me favor!” The other waiter yelled in a pleading tone. “What is it, James?” Aaron asked him. James clasped his hands together and bow down, almost as if he was begging for forgiveness or something. “Can you take over my shift, tonight? It’s an emergency!” “Again?” The dark hair waiter raised his eyebrow questionably, “What’s the emergency this time?” “...Ok. Maybe not that kind of an emergency, but it’s still important,” James confessed but continued on, “I have a date with this girl I met last week, and I just got asked out at the last minute.” “Seriously?!” “Please, please?! I really like this girl and I promise this’ll be the last time I’ll ask you for it. I’ll even let you keep the extra tips from my shift!” Aaron blankly stared at the younger waiter for a few minutes before sighing, “Alright. I’ll take over. It’s not like I have anything else to do at this moment.” “Thanks, man! I owe you one!” James patted the dark hair on the back and quickly sprint back to the door. The latter followed behind and went to the front where all the tables are bustling with many people. Many of them were comfortable and enjoying the lively atmosphere while digging into their meals and/or beverages. Smiling and feeling the confidence, the dark hair waiter quickly grabbed his notebook and pen and went to the table he’ll be serving at. “Good evening and welcome to Red Lotus,” Aaron flashed a smile, causing the couple at the table to look up, “My name is Aaron and I’ll be your server for the night. May I recommend some of the specials we have for this evening?” Meanwhile at the other side of the restaurant, a bartender with auburn hair and wearing a sunglasses is pouring drinks and eventually served them in the glass for the two young women right in front of him, sitting on the other side of the bar counter. One of the women has dark hair with red strands, and the other has light brown hair with blonde ombré. “Here you go, ladies! One sunrise tequila for the gamer girl and one passion fruit cocktail for the teacher.” “Thanks, Flint!” The girls slowly took a sip of their drinks and savor the concoctions before their eyes glint from the taste. “Mmm...I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this,” the women with dark hair and red stands exclaimed, “You’ve outdone yourself again, Flint!” “Thanks, Mel. Just doing my best for my friends here. Especially, you,” The bartender quickly winked at her, causing the latter to giggled, “So how’s the gaming company treating you? They finally let you create your own Game app for an IPhone, right?” “Yep,” Melody, or rather Mel as Flint called her, replied, “Except that they expect me to follow this stupid theme of theirs for the new game app. I mean, who wants to create another game that involves birds again? They already did it for Angry Birds and Flappy Birds!” The gamer girl groaned while her friends started laughing at her reaction. “...At least you’re going somewhere with your new job,” The light brunette with blonde ombré told her, “I’m still stuck in that private tutoring company.” “...Still haven’t found another job, yet, Maisy?” Flint asked her sympathetically. “Not yet,” Maisy replied, “It’s hard to find a teaching job these days. Despite the pay, I really like the tutoring company that I’m working at, but I just want to do something beyond that. Besides, I’m getting tired of getting rejected after ten more interviews.” Melody and Flint glance at her sadly before the former gave Maisy a hug. “You’ll find something, Maisy. Don’t worry.” Before the brunette can reply, a guy with dark brown hair wearing a blue jacket over a scrubs entered the restaurant and sat at the bar counter next to the girls. “Hey, Ryan. How’s your day at the hospital?” Maisy asked him. “It’s fine,” he told her, “Just the usual tasks of taking of the patients again.” “You want your usual scotch on the rock, Ryan?” “Not tonight,” The dark brunette told Flint, “I have an exam coming up tomorrow morning and need to concentrate. If you can make anything non-alcoholic, it’ll do.” “Got it.” Flint quickly gather the ingredients to make Ryan a drink before the latter interrupted him. “By the way, you’re going to have to prepare yourself for a strange encounter at twelve o’clock right at the front door.” “...Wait, what?!” On cue, the door to the restaurant burst opened, causing everyone to become startled and stop whatever they’re doing before looking at the front entrance. From there, they saw a young woman with blonde hair and pink strands looking around frantically while wearing a white wedding dress. Yes. That’s right. She’s wearing a wedding dress at a local restaurant, clearly all by herself. “...What-?” “...the-?” “...HELL?!” Melody, Maisy, and Flint stammered at the scene (with the bartender dropping the glass and letting it shattered to the floor) finally breaking the scene while Ryan was just staring at it cooly. “...Told ya.” Meanwhile, everyone else,both  customers and waiters, were murmuring among themselves. “What is she doing wearing her wedding dress in a place like this?” “No idea.” “Were we expecting a large party tonight?” “I don’t think so. If there is, boss would’ve told us soon.” Aaron, who was waiting at the table nearby the group, finally managed to break out of his shock and calmed down a bit. “...Okay. I’ve seen a lot of strange things happening in this restaurant, but this...” he motioned to the bride, “...takes it to the next level.” Out of curiosity, Melody stood from her stool and glanced over at the bride before her eyes widened. “Oh my god. I know this girl!” Melody told her friends before waving her hand at the mysterious bride, “Chelsea? Chelsea over here!” The bride, now known as Chelsea, turned to Melody and gasped. “Oh my god. Mel, it’s you! I finally found you!” The blonde quickly throw herself after the gamer girl and hugged her tightly, nearly suffocating the latter to death. “Easy...easy...” Melody choked. “Oh, sorry sorry!” Chelsea quickly let go of her, “It’s just that I’ve been looking all over for you in the city. I even checked into the building you lived but you weren’t there. I was about to give up until there’s this cute guy wearing some sort of hospital outfit passing by and told me that you might be here, and you are! You are!”

Everyone else turned to Ryan with a blank expression in their faces, knowing that he was the one who sorta lead Chelsea here since he’s the only one not affected by the sudden scene. The dark brunette just merely shrugged it off.

“...Well, c’mon and have a seat with us,” Melody gently lead the blonde to the bar counter where her friends are at and let her sit at the stool next to the former, “By the way, everyone, this is Chelsea. She was an old friend of mine. Chels, these are my friends. Maisy, Flint, Aaron, and Ryan.”

“Hi there.”

“Heyyo.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“‘Sup.”

The rest of the group started exchange greeting Chelsea, who greeted back gratefully with a slight smile before settling down a bit. The gamer girl continued with the conversation.

“So...are you gonna tell us what’s going on or are we going to be waiting for some bridesmaids and a groom?” At that, Chelsea started bursting into tears, which shocks and confused everyone, especially Melody. And come to think of it, Melody noticed that Chelsea’s makeup is messed up and her eyes are red from crying, so she gave the blonde some napkins nearby and have Flint to bring a glass of water for her. It took Chelsea a moment to calmed down and finally found her voice to speak but was still stifling into tears.

“I’m sorry but...it’s just that something bad has happened before the wedding,” the blonde blubbered out while trying to dry her tears, “You remembered a while ago how I told you that I was going to get married to my fiance, Colton?”

Melody thought for a moment, “Yeah. Yeah I remembered how you told me that,” then the dark hair girl’s face soured, “I also remembered how you didn’t invite me to your wedding.”

“...Okay, I was hoping that wouldn’t be an issue,” Chelsea replied nervously to that, taking a sip of her water before continuing, “That aside, I was getting dressed for the wedding. Ready to walk down the aisle while everyone was watching. Just like I dreamed off. But then, I received a text from one of my friend, saying that Colton was cheating on me. At first, I didn’t want to believe it. I mean...we’ve been together for so long and I was certain he was the one for me. Then I decided to confront him about this to see if it’s true or not, even though it’s bad luck to see each other before the wedding. And that’s when I saw him...making out with another woman!”

That was when the blonde woman started crying again, leaving everyone else in the group felt sympathy for the woman and disgusted at what the guy did to her. Even Mel started to feel bad what her old friend was going through.

“Oh god…”

“Alright. That guy is a total bastard,” Flint declared with the guys nodding in agreement. Maisy went over to the crying woman and gently placed her hands on her.

“Do you know who was that woman your ex was having an affair with?”

Chelsea shook her head, “No, I don’t. I was too shock by all of this that I didn’t even get a chance to look at her face. Though, by the way she was dress, I could tell that she could possibly be one of my bridesmaid but that was it.

“...Oh, but it doesn’t really matter who it was. I was so stupid!” Chelsea whimpered before burying her face in her hands, “What went wrong and what’ve I done to deserve this?”

At this point, none of them could’ve give an answer to the situation. It’s been one of the craziest, miserable night so far.

Couple hours later, the gang invited Chelsea to stay over their apartment for the night. She managed to change into a more comfortable clothes Melody and Maisy lent her and decided to take her mind off for a bit by watching Avengers on the flat screen tv with the others. However, the used-to-be bride received a phone call not so much later and is currently yelling through her phone, whom everyone can assumed must be her ex-fiance.

“Good god, this is becoming more like Rules of Engagement. Only with more drama,” Flint commented.

“I don’t want to hear anymore of this, Colton! You betrayed me!” Chelsea cried out while the others sat at the couch looking concern. The movie was paused so they can hear what was going on. “What? That’s your excuse? Well, I wished you would’ve told me that-! Y’know what? Forget it. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Hell, I DON’T EVEN WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE ANYMORE!”

Chelsea turns off her phone and threw it across the wall, shattering it into mechanic pieces, frightening the five friends in the room. They can see that her violet eyes are glowing red in anger.

“And she have finally evolved into a Gyarados,” Ryan commented.

She calmed down a bit and sat on the couch next to Aaron, who slowly back away from her, mainly because of her rage earlier.

“...Sorry you guys have to see that,” the blonde told them, “I...I never been this frustrated to someone other than my sister.”

“...You have every right to be,” Maisy reassured her, giving her a comforting hug, “What he did...was unforgivable. You did the right thing by ending it with him.”

“Still doesn’t make me feel any better,” Chelsea replied.

The light brunette nodded in understanding. “Is there anything we can do for you?”

“...I don’t know. But I do want to lay down and be alone right now,” Chelsea got up from the couch and head up to a room, making Maisy’s head quirked up.

“Um...Chels. That’s actually-” The door slams shut, making her flinch, “My room,” the light brunette sighed “Guess I have to sleep on the couch this time.”

When she said that, Ryan started smirking, “Y’know. There’s still some space in my room, maybe you can come over and-”

“Don’t even go there, Walker,” Maisy glared at him.

“I really feel bad for the poor girl, though,” Aaron told them while sympathetically glancing at Maisy’s room where Chelsea is in, “She’s been in a committed relationship for while and this happens. That’s a lot for anyone to take in.”

“What do you think she’s going to do now?” Flint asked in concerned.

“Well, Chels and I did discuss a bit before that break up happens,” Melody answered rather uncomfortably, twirling her hair with her finger a bit, “She’s going to stay here for a while and is planning to go back to her old apartment to pick up her stuff. However, it’s the one that she and her ex shared, and with the state she’s in, I don’t think she wants to go back.”

“So...you’re volunteering to do that for her?” The waiter asked.

“...Honestly, I’m starting to feel weird about that. I mean, it’s been a while since I saw her, and…” the gamer girl paused for a bit before deciding to change the subject, “Anyway, can at least one of you guys come with me and help me bring her stuff back? Just to make it less awkward for me.”

“Sorry, but I already told I have an exam tomorrow. Plus, I have to go back to the hospital for work,” Ryan replied.

“Wish I could help you, Mel, but someone already made an appointment with me for the private tutor,” Maisy told her.

“And I have morning shift at the cafe,” Aaron added.

Melody sighed in disappointment. At that, Flint stepped in, “I don’t have anything to do tomorrow, so if you need someone to take you there...I’m your guy.”

“Thanks, Flint. I appreciate it,” The gamer girl smiled weakly at his offered. Although she tried to hide it, it’s clear to everyone else that she’s still feeling uneasy at this.

The next day...

“So…” Flint finally break the silence as he and Melody were walking their way to Chelsea’s old apartment, “What’s the history between you and Chels?”

“...I don’t want to talk about it,” the gamer girl replied bitterly.

“C’mon Mel. Chelsea is going to be staying at your place for a while. The rest of us might as well get to know her a bit while we can. Besides, I could tell that there’s this tension between you two. More from you than her.”

“Stop using that bartender talk on me.”

“Not until you tell me.”

Melody bit her lip in silence before she decided to speak.

“Chelsea and I used to be so close as kids. Kinda like how Maise and Aaron are,” the gamer girl revealed, “We always hang out with each other and help each other when one of us is down. But...we fell apart in high school.”

Flint raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity, “How so?”

“Well for one thing, we became different,” Melody explained, “Maybe it’s partly because we became interest in different things. Me in video games. And Chels in fashion. That didn’t bother me much. No, it’s from a crowd she’s been hanging out with. I mean...some of them were bitches. And I feel like she change because of that. She became a person I don’t even know anymore. We drifted apart during high school graduation. And now that’s she’s back...I don’t know. I feel everything is rushing back to me when I see her again. Plus, why now?”

The bartender pondered for a moment before giving his answers, “I don’t know for sure, but to me, it seems like she needs a shoulder to lean. Someone she can trusts and turn to. And that’s pretty much you.”

Melody scoffed once they reached the apartment, “Yeah, right. That can be anyone, I’m not the only one who lives here.”

“And yet, she still turns to you.” Flint pointed out as he knocks on the door and then they both wait for an answer.

“Whatever, let’s just get over this. The sooner the better.”

For a few seconds, the door opens revealing a woman around their age with a short, dirty blonde hair, who stared at them cautiously.

“...Can I help you, two?” she asked.

The two friends stared back at her in confusion and the auburn hair turned to Melody.

“Question. Is Colton a guy or a girl?”

The gamer girl ignored him. “Um...Hi. I’m Melody and this guy is Flint. We’re Chelsea’s friends and we’re just here to pick up her belongings.”

It took the other girl to ponder and nodded in realization, “Oh, I see. Then, c’mon in. My name is Leah and as for Chelsea’s stuff is on this side of the room. I believe there’s not a lot for you two to carry anyway.”

Melody and Flint went inside and went to the space where the boxes are stacked up, labeled “CHELSEA”. They could see that some of the box contain some fabric, scissors, threads, and other essentials for clothing. One of them oddly appears to be smaller than the others, which caught the gamer girl’s attention and she carefully picked it up.

“So…” Melody started the conversation while absent-mindedly examine the box, “How did you and Chelsea know each other?”

Leah hummed for a bit, “Well...Chels and I worked at this designer place and we’ve known each other since college. I was one of her bridesmaids for her wedding but it was called off last night because she ran off. She must’ve had a cold feet or something.”

“Cold feet, huh? Interesting,” Mel’s eyebrow raised up suspiciously at Leah’s story, “So tell me, Leah. As her friend, did you ever attempt to call her, text her, or at least email her just to check on her? Or find out why she left?”

“Hey, I was exhausted last night. It was a rough time at the wedding because you-know-what,” The dark blonde girl turned to Mel, “Wait a sec, were you at the wedding last night, because I don’t think I ever saw you.”

Suddenly, the dark hair girl’s blue eyes started twitching in annoyance and Flint had to put his hand on her shoulder just to calm her down.

“Then did you, by any chance, heard from anyone that there’s a possibility that her ex-fiance cheated on before the wedding?” The bartender asked the woman in a calm, serious tone.

Leah tilted her head in confusion, “Really? I never heard that from anyone.”

Neither friends really buy that, since they both can tell that the oblivious tone she’s using is fake.

“Hmm. I see,” Flint nodded and eyed her suspiciously, “Y’know, I really find it strange that you, of all people, are in Chelsea’s apartment since it belongs to her and her ex. And it’ll be one thing, if she called you to pick up something from here, but considering she didn’t call anyone else who’s her family or that sick bastard...I find it weird. Plus, Chels never mention any one of her bridesmaids’ names except that one of them is the one he cheated with.”

Melody quickly lean towards Flint’s ear and whispered, “And clearly, this woman right in front of us didn’t even attempt to hide evidence. I mean, look at the clothes she’s wearing. That shirt looks too big to even be a woman’s size!”

For a moment, Leah sighed and held her hand up in defeat and gave them a serious expression.

“Alright. I admit, you two caught me. But I really don’t see why you two are making a big deal out of this.”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because we care about her and you’re the one went behind her back,” Mel sneered at the dark blonde.

“That might be true but the truth is, Colton and I have a thing for each other and did kinda date for about four months.”

“FOUR MONTHS?!”

“Yes yes. That long. And too be honest, Colt is getting tired of her and tried to end it himself. Though, I can see why. Despite being so sweet, Chelsea is really a klutz and can be really annoying and dense when she’s around other people. I’m not sure why you two are friends with her, but I think it’s about time that she starts to grow a pair.” All of sudden, something snaps inside Melody and her face started to turn red full of rage. Before anyone can say anything, she grabbed a water bottle that’s nearby a desk, opened it, and splashed the contents on Leah, who gasped in shock.

Now, it was Leah’s turn to glare at the two friends in rage. While the gamer girl glared back at the woman, Flint started to trembled.

“...Oh shit.”

Meanwhile back at the apartment, Chelsea woke up from her nap due to the noise that sounds like a blending machine. She slowly got out of Maisy’s room and saw the said woman helping Aaron making a drink while Ryan was setting up the gaming consoles on the Nintendo Switch. The trio looked up, noticing the blonde’s presence.

“Hey you’re up!” Maisy chirped and paused the blending machine and went over to guide Chelsea over to the machine, “How are you holding up?”

“About the same,” the blonde replied before looking around, “What time is it?”

“5:30pm,” Ryan answered.

“...Really. I was out that long?”

“Apparently, so. You needed rest after what happened last night,” the lighter brunette explained, “Why don’t you go freshen up a bit while we’re setting up for dinner?”

“So that’s what all the noise is,” The blonde woman mumbled while rubbed her eyes sleepily. She then eyed on the blending machine containing a yellow, fruity looking drink, “What’s that you’re making there?”

“Pina colada.”

“What’s in there?”

“Um...there’s pineapple, rum-“

“Oki, gimme!” Chelsea snatched the pitcher from Maisy, who was startled, and starts drinking the content through the straw. Then, Aaron walked by and quickly snatched the pitcher of the alcoholic drink from the newcomer.

“Hey!”

“Easy with the potion, new friend, this one’s pretty strong,” The dark hair warned her before turning to his childhood friend and whispered, “Make the non-alcoholic version, quick!”

However, Maisy ignored him. Instead, she have Chelsea sit down at the kitchen table and gave her a reassuring, determined look.

“Chelsea, listen. We know you’re going through some patches right now. And we may not know you as much as Mel does, but we can tell you’re a good person. So, we’re going to help you get through this and I think the first step you should is to turn a new leaf. Set your priorities straight again.”

The guys quickly joined in the conversation in the kitchen.

“Yeah. Melody told us you’re into fashion and that you’re currently working at a department store,” Aaron added.

“She even told us you want to create your own design and sell them to the public someday. Is that true?” Ryan asked and the blonde nodded.

“It is,” Chelsea hummed, “Though, my manager isn’t expecting me back until next week. Maybe I could brainstorm some ideas to keep my mind off until then. Plus, I need a new place to live.”

“That’s a spirit!” Maisy smiled, clasping her hand together, “See, at least you have a plan figured out.”

“Yeah...I do. Although I don’t know if I’ll be able to get over him, I can’t let that bring me down,” the fashion designer let out a small smile at her new friends, “Thanks you, guys. I feel a little better now. You really are good people. I can see why Melody likes you.”

“Well, we tried.” Aaron replied.

“...Come to think of it, where’s Mel and that bartender friend of yours?”

Meanwhile on the streets…

“I’M GOING TO KILL BOTH OF YOU!!!”

Both Melody and Flint were running for their lives from that witch, Leah, who managed to chased them out of the apartment to the streets and is gaining up on them.

“Did ya have to use the move, Splash, on that pathetic bitch?!” Flint yelled at the gamer girl, both in fear and anger.

“Hey, at least compare to the other Pokemon who uses it, it’s SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!” Melody retorted.

They reached to the nearby building where the construction site is going on. Leah was about to grab one of them when she suddenly knocked against the ladder nearby. The ladder managed to regain balance. However, it had a bucket of white paint on top, which tipped over and spilled white content on the dark blonde girl, ruining her hair and her outfit. She then started screeching how much of a mess she is, which made Melody and Flint laughed in triumph and satisfaction.

“Ha! Karma’s a bitch, yo!” The bartender shouted before high-fiving the gamer girl.

Unfortunately, their triumph was short last when another bucket of paint was spilled on them, this time in red. The construction worker looked over and saw what happened, giving them apologetic look.

“Oops. Sorry about that!” “Aw dammit!” Melody cried out when carefully wiped the red paint from her eyes without stinging herself, “This was my favorite Pikachu shirt!” “...And clearly, I spoke to soon,” Flint grimace while trying to wiped the paint from his sunglasses.

Back at the apartment, the remaining trio are showing Chelsea how to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch with the newcomer playing as Princess Peach. All of the sudden, the door slammed open, causing everyone to turn around and sport bewildered faces when they see the state the gamer girl and the bartender are in.

“Oh my god,” Maisy stammered. Ryan, on the other hand, made a joke.

“Did you two auditioned for that horror film based on Stephen King’s novel? Because I got to say, you two made a good Carrie and Tommy...covered in pigs blood.”

“Shut up, Walker!” Melody glared at him.

“No seriously. What happened to you two?” Aaron asked them in concern while throwing them couple of wet towels.

“Well..” the gamer girl started, “We stopped by at Chelsea’s apartment when-“

“-when all of a sudden, that affairing bitch went full ‘REEEE’ on us and then this happened!” Flint shouted furiously, putting an emphasis on the REEEE sound that sounds like a dying bird, while scrubbing the red paint off himself with the towel, “Turns out that she is the bridesmaid who made out with the ex. Toxicating shrew she is!”

“Dude, chill. We get that you’re angry considering that you’re already red,” Ryan pointed out, earning a glare from the auburn hair. On other hand, Melody held out the small box (surprisingly, she still has it in her hands) to Chelsea, who received it questionably.

“Here, this is all we can get from your old apartment,” The dark hair woman told her old friend with a frown on her face, “Now you can go ahead and tell your friend, Leah, that you’re going back to your old apartment yourself to retrieve your stuff because Flint and I are not going back there to deal with her again!”

That gotten Chelsea to widen her eyes in shock. “Wait. Leah’s the one who-?!” then she shook her head, “Y’know what. I rather not talk about that now. Did you really went to my apartment to move my stuff here?” Melody stared at the floor in silent for a minute before crossing her arms and speaking again, “Well...they’re not going to move itself and it’s not like I have anything else to do- GAH!”

The blonde woman lunges herself at the dark hair and hugged her tightly and gratefully, not caring if she get any paint on herself, “Oh Mel, thank you so much! You didn’t have to do that!”

“But-“

“Seriously, I owe you one,” Chelsea told her, giving Mel one of her brightest smile for the first time, “I know you and I have drifted apart, but to be honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”

“You haven’t,” Mel asked her.

“Of course I haven’t. Despite everything, I still think of you as my best friend. And if you like...maybe we can start over?”

Melody pondered silently for a moment before smiling a bit and nodded, “Yeah. I like that.”

The two best friend hugged each other while everyone else stared at the scene with smiles on their face.

“You think everything will be okay with these two?” Maisy asked the bartender, which he nodded and gave out a confident grin.

“I know it will. Trust me.”

Maisy nodded and whispered, “By the way, you still need to take care of the paint chaos otherwise people will think you murder someone.”