Chapter 8: The Truth

"ANNE..?"

I slowly turned to the woman who called my name.

"Do you know her, Anne?" Daniel, who was beside me, whispered.

When our eyes met, the curiosity on her face quickly turned into anger.

"I knew it was you. Hah! Look at this. The world is really small. I thought this place was peaceful and relaxing until I saw you, bitch!" she said furiously.

My friends approached me, puzzled.

"Whoa, miss, watch your language. You're disrespecting our friend," Mark interfered.

Joana laughed scornfully at what Mark said.

"Really? She's your friend?" Joana shouted, feigning surprise as she laughed.

"What's your problem with our friend, you witch?" Dondon said angrily, stepping in front of me to face Joana.

I couldn't say anything. She had the right to insult me because I knew she still hadn't accepted that her sister died because of me. She's Say's sister.

"Really? Am I the bad guy here? Why don't you ask this woman you call your friend why I'm like this?" she shouted angrily, her eyes welling with tears.

"You know what, miss, we don't care about your problem with our friend. So could you please just leave?" Jane said snappily.

"Yeah! You talk like if you lost a boyfriend because of our friend. Who are you, anyway?" Ara chimed in.

"Do you think we won't fight back just because you're alone? We can fight back, you know!" Mani shouted, stepping in between them.

"Girls, that's enough," Jay calmly interfered.

"How dare you say that to me? Do you know the woman you're defending? Do you know why I'm angry at her? Do you know?" Joana shouted angrily, now in tears.

My friends fell silent.

Joana glared at me. Ritchel, Maritess, and Marivic came closer to comfort me.

"Has she told you what she did to my sister?" Joana cried out to my friends.

"So what? What did Anne do to your sister? You're so dramatic...as if you lost someone important," Dondon said mockingly.

Joana laughed scornfully again and then looked at Dondon seriously.

"She didn't just kill my sister!" she shouted, silencing my friends.

"She also killed her own sister!" she shouted again, causing my friends to gasp in shock.

My eyes began to well up with tears at her words.

I slowly approached her. Daniel tried to stop me, but I just gave him a bitter smile and walked towards Joana.

"Joana... I didn't mean for anything bad to happen to them. Do you think...? Do you think I wanted to lose my own sister?" I said as tears began to fall.

Joana glared at me.

"I know you didn't like Say for Jake. I know you only tolerated my sister because Jake loved her. I accept that you didn't approve of my sister for your friend! But what I can't accept is that she died because of you!" she shouted and slapped me hard.

My friends quickly intervened and pulled me away from Joana.

"You witch! I don't care if your sister died because of my friend, but you have no right to hurt her in front of us!" Dondon shouted angrily and slapped Joana in return.

"Don, stop!" Nicko and Leo quickly restrained Dondon.

"You witch! I'll pull all your hair out!" Dondon shouted, still not calming down.

"Joana..!" someone shouted from behind us. Homer and Jessica, Joana's friends, came rushing towards us.

My friends looked at each other in confusion, realizing that the band members they idolized were friends with the woman they were arguing with.

"What's going on here and wh-!" Homer stopped asking questions when he saw me.

"Anne...?" he exclaimed in disbelief. He looked shocked. He probably didn't expect to see me there. He was Sam's closest friend, even though we were the same age.

"Oh my god, girl! You know them?" Dondon asked me incredibly. I couldn't respond to him.

My world was shrinking. I knew it was only a matter of time before my friends found out my connection to Danny, besides being childhood friends.

"Jessy, please take Joana. You two go back to the hotel," Homer said to Jessica, who also gave me a dirty look. Bryce was her ultimate crush, and she probably blamed me for his death as well.

"Homer, don't tell me you're going to pity that woman again! She killed my sister and your best friend!" Joana shouted.

"I know what I'm doing, Jo. Please leave us," Homer replied.

Joana walked away angrily, with Jessica following her.

My friends remain silent as they looked at Homer.

"Anne, I'm sorry about Joana. She's just still upset about what happened, and I'm sorry I didn't show up to Sam's funeral," Homer said sincerely.

I was about to respond, but Ara spoke first.

"Wait, what? Sam's funeral? You mean Sam...as in your new band member, Sam?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Homer slowly nodded.

"Oh my god..!" the girls and Dondon exclaimed almost simultaneously.

I knew they were shocked because they had just been talking about Sam earlier.

"And Sam is your brother, Anne?" Mani asked.

"He's my one and only brother. I'm sorry for not telling you guys," I said, biting my lip to hold back my tears.

"I'm sorry if I didn't tell you everything... Actually, there's something I want to confess to you," I said, thinking it was the right time for them to know the truth.

They all remained silent, waiting for me to speak.

I looked at them one by one as I recall what had happened to me and my friends a year ago.

Even Homer seemed to be waiting for what I was about to say.

I lowered my head and sighed.

"I planned to transfer here, not because I really wanted to. My relationship with my grandparents is not good, so I never intended to come to this place until now. It happened last year. It was Jake's birthday, he's my friend, when the minivan we were riding in, which belonged to Jake, got into an accident. He and Say, Joana's sister and Jake's girlfriend, had an argument. At first, Jake was driving, but because he was in a bad mood, I was late took over the wheel. Since it was late, I took over the wheel. at night and there weren't many other cars on the road, I hit the road even though the light was red. Sam, who was in the back of our car, shouted to slow down, and that's when a sports car crossed the line and hit us."

Everyone gasped at what they heard. Some began to cry, as if they already knew how my story would end.

I looked at Daniel, who was clenching his jaw and looking down.

"I don't know if it was a miracle or just not my time yet, but out of everyone there, I was the only one who survived," I tearfully recounted as I remembered that night.

"I woke up after our car rolled over several times on the highway. I checked on my friends as soon as I woke up, but they were all dead. I looked for my brother, but I couldn't find him inside the car. But my world shattered when I saw him lying lifeless on the road..." I broke down in sobs after saying that.

We were silent for a moment, crying quietly. I felt Homer approach and hug me.

Everyone was sniffling and crying. Even the boys had teary eyes.

"...and that's when I found out that the occupant of the sports car we collided with was Danny," I added.

"So I was right. There was a survivor from that accident. Why didn't you tell us sooner, Anne?" Daniel asked, full of hurt, as he looked at me.

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I wanted to tell you sooner, but fear got the best of me," I replied.

"Fear got the best of you? Anne, if we hadn't seen Joana, would you have told us the truth?" Marivic asked, crying.

"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean to," I said tearfully.

"Now I know why Craig showed up to you even though he's already dead," Maritess remarked.

I didn't know what she meant, but whatever it was, I probably wouldn't find out anymore.

I knew that after tonight, I would lose my friends again. And just like before, I would have to move on and do it on my own.

Maybe I'll just transfer to another school again.

"I know you're all angry with me now. And maybe, just like my old school, you're thinking that it should have been me who died that night," I said, forcing a laugh.

"Don't worry, because that's exactly what I thought too. After that accident, I tried to kill myself many times. But here I am, still alive. Maybe it's God's way of punishing me for what I did."

No one said a word. Maybe they thought what I said was true.

That it was right for me to continue living to regret what happened.

"I know our friendship will end here. But I want to thank you for all the happiest moments you shared with me, even if it was just for a short period of time. I know I don't deserve your kindness, but I want you to know that I'm very grateful to have met and become friends with you, even if it was just for a brief moment," I said, giving a bitter smile as I remember the happy moments we had shared just a while ago.

"I'm sorry..." I said before turning my back on them.

Tears immediately started to flow as I walked away from the people I considered friends, even if it was just for a very short time.

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