Sky's Point of View
I felt an unusual joy when I saw her smiling at me. I was so sure about my feelings. I never doubted. I really fucking love you, Luna. You completed my life, Luna. I am slowly rising from my despair.
I blushed when our gazes met and her shining eyes captivated me.
What a Goddess.
"Thank you," I said.
She looked at me with confusion. "For what?"
"For everything. Alright. I'm here. Bye." I kissed her cheek again and turned away.
"SKY!" I heard her calling me. I immediately turned to her.
"Why?"
"I LOVE YOU!"
She what?! OH MY.
I turned away again and ran away from her. My heart felt like it was about to explode. I wanted to go wild.
Did she really say that? I wanted to die of joy.
I stopped to text Luna.
"I love you too."
I never expected to have a girlfriend after what happened to me two years ago. I thought I would never be interested in girls again. I thought no one would be interested in me because of my avoidance of people. After two years, I didn't make any new friends because I never trusted anyone.
Luna is different for me. I don't know what it is about her that makes me comfortable around her. And now she's leaving.
As I walked, I saw a guy standing next to a lamppost as if waiting for someone.
I was about to pass by him, but I was surprised when he approached me and held my arm.
James?!
I haven't seen him for months. The last time I saw him was when I bumped into him at the school cafeteria.
"So you're going out with Luna, huh?" he sarcastically said.
I pulled away from him and adjusted my uniform. "Yes. And so?"
"You're going to face a bad fate."
I approached him and knelt down. "What kind of game are you playing now?!"
"Jude is planning to attack you from behind. When he found out that you're courting Luna, he got really angry and saw you both entering a motel," he said.
What the heck?
"Sky, about what happened two years ago, I'm sorry. All the bullying I did to you was ordered by Jude."
"Ordered? Why?"
"He wanted you to look bad." I clenched my jaw. This is another one. Just like what the girl told me before, Jude wanted to ruin my reputation.
"I'm with you. I'll help you," he said, reaching out his hand.
I didn't want to trust him. How can I be sure that James has good intentions towards me?
"Look, I'll tell you what really happened. Just let me be on your list. Please. Trust me."
I shook his hand. He took me to his house, which was just inside the subdivision.
"What's here?" I asked.
He just looked at me and smiled. After a while, he took out a small bag shaped like an envelope. He took out the contents one by one, and I covered my mouth when I saw a familiar photo.
That naked girl.
"Sky, these are the original photos. And these are the edited ones." He showed me photos that were almost identical to the ones he was holding, but with a different face.
"You just edited them?" What the fuck? First, I found out that Jude was spreading rumors about me and using other people's problems just to follow him, and now those photos were edited?
I bowed my head and felt a heavy weight in my body.
"Bravo! You brought her here, James." I turned to the voice and widened my eyes when I saw who was speaking.
Jude.
"I saw you, passionately kissing. In public." He took out a knife from behind him. "YOU ARE GUILTY OF PUBLIC DISPLAY!"
Jude attacked me, but I managed to dodge his stabs. He looked drunk and was out of his mind. When I found an opportunity to grab his arm, I took the knife, which ended up cutting my right cheek.
"Sky, I thought we were best friends?" Jude asked. He sat on the floor and leaned against the wall.
I could feel the trembling of his body caused by what he was carrying.
"I just wanted to be better than you. Everyone always noticed you. I'm doing my best, but why do I always feel out of place?"
"I just wanted to be noticed by people. But even without doing anything, you effortlessly get their attention..."
"You even got Luna's attention and heart..."
I sat next to him. "Sorry for outshining you. But it's not right for you to step on someone's dignity just to make yourself appear superior..."
"The true winner is the one who works the hardest," he said.
"And you're the winner, Jude."
"I can't believe that's how you saw me back then, Jude..." I said.
"While you thought I was trying to outdo you, I admired the things you could do," I added.
"I'll forgive you for what you've done to me. All of it. On one condition..." I looked at him.
He looked at me and sat up straight. "What is it?"
"You're going to apologize to your victims." I stood up and walked out of James' house.
I knew he was drunk, so I knew he wouldn't remember what I said to him. I was ready to forget everything and bury them in the past. I forgive him. I know it wasn't easy for him to be second to me.
I didn't intend to steal the spotlight from him. I held my cheek with a small cut from the knife. If Kuya Azu sees it, he'll probably be angry at me.
Kuya Azu was one of the witnesses to my struggles in life. Since the incident, he has been the one helping me to rise again and ignore people.
Ever since that happened, I felt that I didn't need to trust people, whether they were acquaintances or friends. I lost the desire to make friends because of that incident. I lost trust and interest in women around us.
After that night at prom, James spread the edited sex video throughout Lindway Academy. Since then, I experienced intense harassment from girls. There were times when I was alone in the boys' bathroom and a girl would come in just to watch me pee. They kept asking me if my genitals were as big as what was shown in the video. It reached a point where I was treated that way almost every day by people at Lindway. So since then, I avoided all the girls at Lindway Academy.
But now that it's over and I'm ready for a new chapter in my life, I'm also ready to bury my past. I am mad, but
I forgive you, Jude.
Sometimes, we don't need to hold grudges against those who have committed big sins against us. It may sound like a martyr, but that's one of the things that can help both of you with your problems. Yes, you hurt each other, but does asserting your anger really matter? No. It doesn't really matter who started it and who was wronged. It doesn't matter what happened, whether it was severe or trivial. At the end of the day, when we forgive people without them begging for forgiveness, both parties benefit from peace of mind and a good relationship with each other.
Thank you, Jude. Thank
you for giving our friendship another chance to be fixed. Even if you don't say it, I know deep down in your heart that you want to reconcile with me despite the anger brewing inside you.
I believe in your kindness, Jude.
I forgive you.