登入"What do you mean?" Ava shifts uneasily in her chair, barely maintaining eye contact."I asked why you suddenly left when Laura showed up? You could have stayed with them back at the hospital."She scoffs like my suggestion is completely ridiculous. "Have you seen those two together before, Whitney?" she retorts, and I shake my head."No."Hell, I didn't even know Jayden and Laura were friends until that day Laura and Pen approached me in class."You should see them..." Ava trails off, bringing me back to the conversation. "You'd leave if you were me.""What were they like together?""Like inseparable lovebirds," she says, and I notice that same bitterness in her voice. "She was just all over him like Jay was the love of her life. I had to leave — to give them the privacy they clearly needed," she clears her throat awkwardly."And how did that make you feel?" I ask, trying to get at something. I've noticed she doesn't seem pleased talking about Jay's affair with another woman, which i
Two days ago, I meant it when I said I was starting over. For someone who's been so hellbent on getting revenge from the start, I think I'm doing pretty well at letting go so easily. Or that's what I like to believe.I've been so obsessed with finding justice for my friend to the extent that I forgot I have other important things to do with my life and time.I haven't been studying, and I have Mrs. Jill's test coming up in roughly two days. I haven't been hosting nor attending group studies with my coursemates either because I've been so occupied lately. However, it's time to put an end to all that unseriousness. It's high time I remind myself of the reason I'm in college and focus strictly on maintaining my grades.I couldn't give two fucks about what Jayden wants now — that's his problem to deal with. I'm not sure if Ava later told him what I shared with her, but since there has been no new action taken to proceed with the police investigation, I'm guessing it's one of two things. E
My voice cuts through the heavy silence that has descended upon us."You asked me what was wrong last night when I suddenly stood up and left you at dinner," I begin gently, looking into her doe-blue eyes.Ava bobs her head with interest, pushing flying strands of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Yes, I did.""What do you think happened, Ava? Do you have any clue?" I ask, arching an eyebrow as I watch her try to figure it out, her expression shifting with contemplation.She shrugs after a few seconds, her face blank. "You claimed nothing was wrong, Whitney. I probed a few times this morning, but you said you're just worried about Jay. So I thought that was it. Isn't it?" Her brows furrow with confusion and skepticism."That's correct," I nod with a small smile, averting my gaze as I say, "I am worried about him. But why do you think I said that after staying strong for so long?" I turn back to her."I don't know. How about you tell me?" she presses.My gaze flickers over her clueless
I step out of the hospital, heading nowhere in particular since I have nowhere to go.Although I'm pissed, abandoning Jayden and returning home isn't the solution I need at the moment.There's a bitter chill in the air — and in my chest — as I stand rooted at the hospital entrance. My hands are tucked into my jacket pockets, and my boots unusually feel heavy beneath me.My expression is solemn because of what just transpired back in Jayden's ward. I'm still thinking about it, yet I still can't wrap my head around his bizarre decision. In fact, at this point, calling it 'bizarre' is an understatement. It's an absurd decision — very stupid, to say the least. And I cannot believe he actually suggested that.The Jayden I know would never back out of a fight, especially when he's not the one in the wrong. We've been friends for a few years now, so I can attest to the fact that he will always retaliate against anyone who wronged him or any of us. Who do you think taught me revenge is a dish
A familiar, charming face with shoulder-length brown hair, sharp blue eyes, and other defining handsome features is staring at me, yet I still can't seem to recognize the person standing in front of me because of the words he just uttered. I'd call them blasphemous if they came out of someone else's mouth, but they didn’t.They came straight from the horse’s mouth—aka my friend, Jayden Logan.I can't believe what he just suggested. And what’s even more provoking is him having the guts to repeat himself after I expressed my disbelief initially.For us to move on and forget what happened? That’s what he boldly said.Like hell that’s a plan that will work.He’s been in the hospital for nearly a month, hovering between life and death, while we were ferociously praying he’d recover swiftly—even having mental breakdowns when there was no progress in his health reports—doing everything we possibly could to protect him. He’s the witness and also the victim of the incident that landed him here
"What?" Ava's bewildered exclamation cuts me out of my trance. "Selective amnesia?""Yes," Dave affirms solemnly. "We are hoping he recovers from it soon."Disbelief courses through me as I process the bad news. God, I can't believe it.A tidal wave of disappointment crashes over me, washing away the optimism I once had about this investigation. What do you mean we had to endure Jayden not speaking for weeks only to end up with this?Selective amnesia… what the fuck?How did we even get here?I don't even know what to feel right now—only that I’m overwhelmed with pain and anger."H-how come?" I hear myself ask Dave after some time. "What caused the amnesia?""Trauma," Dave responds, turning to me."What do you mean?" I press, casting a glance at Jayden, who's now drinking from a bottle of water.Redirecting my gaze to Dave, he explains, "The brain tends to block out certain disturbing memories as a way of coping after a traumatic incident. We all know what happened to Jay, so this is







