MASON WILLIAMS AND THE CELESTIAL SYSTEM

THE ACCIDENT

"Why are you harassing my girlfriend?" Asked Jacob, holding Mason's gaze.

Natalia's face beams the moment she sees Jacob. She turns to Mason with irritation. "Babe, can you believe this lowlife is accusing me of stealing his money!"

Jacob scoffs, staring at Mason. "Have you lost it, Mason, or is this the aftermath of your poverty?" His eyes were sharp as those words flew out of his mouth.

Mason ignored his insult, as the only one that hurt was Helen's. "All I want is the money this cheater took from my bag," Mason replied, turning to Helen.

"Did you hear that? Mason just called Natalia Hallow a cheater. What's going on? Were they dating?" a curious voice murmured from the crowd.

"How can you say that? Helen would never date someone as poor as him," May, who was beside her friend, retorted at the statement.

"Give me back my money, Natalia!" Mason yelled, causing Helen to shiver at his sudden outburst.

Jacob, who saw this, pretended to be shocked when he heard Mason's words. He burst into laughter, and his friend behind him followed suit. "Is this how you beg for money nowadays, Mason!" Jacob said, holding his stomach.

Mason ignored his stunt and kept a straight face at Helen, who overcame her shock and joined in Jacob's laughter. She was acting like she never even knew Mason, whom she had been dating for six months.

"I know you are poor, but has poverty made you this delusional to accuse my girlfriend of not only cheating but stealing from you?" Another laughter erupted from both Jacob and his friend's circle. "Do you even have anything worth stealing?'

Mason gritted his teeth. He still couldn't believe he would wake up one day and the girl he loved would turn into a two-faced cheating bastard who would leave for money.

"Is this your way of getting back at her because she turns you down after you confess your love?" Jacob asked between his laughter.

"Mason Williams confesses to Natalia! What was he thinking? Was he expecting Natalia to leave Jacob and date a broke guy like him," The student who heard this burst into laughter?

Mason's face twitches with anger, and his heart tugs with pain. It seems like the entire school knows Natalia and Jacob had been dating except him. He hated himself for not only loving such a person but also getting manipulated by love.

"How much do you need?" Jacob's voice dragged Mason from his trance. "A dollar? Hundred dollars?" Jacob ridiculed. He put his hands into his front pocket and pulled out a white envelope, the same one that contained Mason's salary. Mason recognized the envelope, making his body stiffen with anger, but he remained calm.

"Here you go," Jacob tossed the envelope to the ground. "This contains a five hundred dollars; take it as a good gesture from me." He said with a proud smile.

The crowd around gasps in surprise at Jacob's action.

"Oh my God, Jacob is just too generous." a voice from the crowd was thrilled at his action.

"He even gave someone who accused his girlfriend of cheating a thousand dollars to show how generous he is."

"He's a real man,"

Mason knew Natalia and Jacob planned everything, knowing he would come for his money so they could both humiliate him. Jacob has successfully fooled them into thinking he was the owner of the money.

Mason's eyes daggered at Jacob, but Natalia's voice cut him. "Just take the money and leave," Natalia hissed.

Mason retrieved his money from the ground. Arguing with Jacob or Natalia was useless because the crowd had already painted him to be a liar. Mason placed the envelope in his pocket and retreated from the crowd. He wasn't planning on staying for the class anyway.

"Did you see that? He is a hypocrite!" one student spat back at Mason.

"Jacob is being generous to him, and he can not appreciate his kindness; what a hypocrite!" another spat, but Mason ignored them and exited the classroom.

He headed downtown to look for a day job since he could only work at the restaurant at night. He knew getting a decent day of joy in this part of the country without connection was like casting a hook without bait in the river, hoping to catch a fish.

Mason glanced at his watch. It was already 2:00 pm. He had been walking for hours and hadn't seen any jobs, and the ones he saw wouldn't even give him a chance or a listening ear.

He decided to cross the road and get a bottle of water as he was dehydrated from the terrible sun. The loud honk popped him out of his thoughts as he was crossing the road. Mason tilted his life to see the car speeding out of the next street, but it was too late, and Mason was spinning in the air with his life flashing before his eyes.

The screams of people nearby soared the air.

"Oh my God! That car just hit that man!" a passerby who saw the accident screamed.

Mason landed hard on the floor, bleeding from the impact. His vision was blurry, and his body was heavy. It was the aftermath of the accident, and his mind slowly drifted away.

'Is this the end for me,' Mason thought in his half-conscious mind, which was slowly fading away with each passing second. With that, Mason knew death was knocking at his door.