Confession
Elliot's Point of View
My lungs still refused to work properly. Para akong ninanakawan ng hangin, kahit wala naman akong ginagawa kundi tumayo at tumitig kay Avery na nakahandusay sa sahig ng rooftop. Every muscle in my body was trembling, but I couldn't tell if it was from fear or rage.
One wrong move. Just one wrong move earlier and... God. Hindi ko na kayang ituloy ang thought na 'yon. The image of her body falling, disappearing into nothingness, kept replaying inside my head like a nightmare on loop. And every time I pictured it, my stomach twisted so violently I thought I'd vomit.
Never again. Never fucking again.
Tyron immediately rushed forward, his voice tight but controlled as he slipped his arms beneath Avery's frame. He looked angry, yes, but also terrified like he'd been two seconds away from losing his best friend forever. For once, I couldn't even bring myself to clash with him. Because right now, we wanted the same thing, and it is to keep her safe.
Edward was quick to support, crouching to steady Avery's head and back, whispering something I couldn't hear. His face was pale, almost ghostly, as if he'd aged years in just minutes. Tyler, on the other hand, was in full guard-dog mode. His fists clenched, his stance solid, scanning every shadow on the rooftop like he was waiting for the masked bastard to reappear.
And me?
I was frozen.
Not because I was scared. Not because I was useless. But because the rage inside me had grown so big, so consuming, that it locked my body in place. My fists twitched at my sides, my jaw tightened until it hurt.
That man. That masked son of a bitch.
Kung hindi ko siya sinugod agad, if I had thought just two seconds longer before punching him, baka nakuha ko pa ang pangalan niya. Baka may clue akong nakuha like an accent, a scar, a detail that would've mattered. Instead, I let anger blind me. He disappeared like a damn ghost, and all I had left was the echo of his words.
Tyler's voice snapped me out of my haze. He was carefully fishing something from Avery's jacket, the very pocket that bastard pointed out earlier. Tyler's hands shook, but he moved like he knew the weight of whatever he was about to find.
When he pulled out a folded piece of paper, my chest caved in.
"May note sa bulsa ni Avery," he muttered, handing it toward me.
My hands almost refused to take it. I didn't want to see. I didn't want to read. But I had no choice. I had to know.
I unfolded it.
Just one sentence and a signature mark that burned into my skull.
"This is just the beginning. – ₩"
For a moment, everything inside me went silent.
Beginning?
Beginning of what? Another attack? Another abduction? Was this just round one of a twisted game? If this was the beginning, then what did the middle look like? And the end... God, I didn't even want to imagine.
My knuckles whitened as I crumpled the note slightly in my grip.
And that mark. ₩. Not even a name. Just a symbol. Parang sinasadya. Parang gusto niyang ipakita na hindi namin siya basta-basta matutunton. That whoever he was, he had the luxury to hide behind one letter, one sign, while we scrambled in fear.
"Putangina talaga," I muttered under my breath, the curse slipping out before I could stop it. My voice cracked with fury. "Sino ka ba, ha?! Ano bang gusto mong mangyari?!"
No one answered, of course. The rooftop was empty now except for us and Avery's unconscious figure. But in my head, I kept replaying the masked man's words, his calm voice, his audacity to say soon.
Soon.
How soon? Tomorrow? Next week? Was he already planning his next move while we stood here like idiots, clueless and rattled?
I looked at Avery again and her fragile body in Tyron's arms, her face drained of color, her breaths shallow but steady. She didn't deserve this. None of us did.
But the sickening truth hit me harder than any punch that this wasn't just about Avery anymore.
If Mr. ₩ said this was the beginning, then it meant we were all part of whatever twisted story he was writing.
And the thought alone made my blood run cold.
Tyron's Point of View
Silence.
That was the only thing hanging in the air as we sat inside the clinic, the white fluorescent light above buzzing faintly like it was mocking me. Avery lay motionless on the narrow bed, unconscious but breathing steadily. No visible bruises, no scratches which I thank God but the sight of her still and fragile like this... it clawed at my insides.
My jaw clenched. My fists curled on my knees. Hindi ko mapigilan. The anger, the helplessness... they were eating me alive. Because this shouldn't have happened. None of it.
Why her? Why Avery of all people? She wasn't supposed to be dragged into this kind of mess. She was supposed to be laughing right now, making sarcastic comments, rolling her eyes at us whenever we fought over the stupidest things. She wasn't supposed to be lying unconscious on a clinic bed, caught in the middle of some twisted threat from a masked stranger.
And maybe that's why my eyes found Elliot.
Because every time I replayed the rooftop scene in my head, it always ended with him running toward the masked man, fists flying, rage spilling. He moved recklessly, like always. And in that recklessness, I saw danger. I saw Avery dangling even closer to the edge.
My blood boiled.
"Anong naisipan mo kanina, ha?" The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them. My tone was sharp, cutting through the quiet like a blade. "Iniwan mo kami para habulin 'yung lalaki?"
Elliot's head snapped toward me, his eyes cold, his jaw just as tight as mine. "At least may ginawa ako," he answered, his voice low but edged with steel.
I almost laughed at the audacity. At least may ginawa ako? That's his defense? That's what he calls saving her? My chest tightened with fury.
"May ginawa ka? Pucha, Avery could've fallen, Elliot!" I snapped back, leaning forward, every word laced with the anger I'd been holding in since the rooftop. My voice was louder now, harsh enough to make Edward flinch slightly at the side.
Elliot didn't budge. His glare locked with mine, unyielding. "At kung hindi ko siya pinigilan, baka mas lalong marami pa siyang nasabing kasunod."
I felt my blood pressure spike. So he thinks he was the only one who mattered? The only one standing between Avery and danger? The nerve.
"Lagi kang ganyan!" My voice broke a little, not out of weakness, but because of how frustrated I was. "Palaging bida-bida. Laging solo. What? Akala mo ba ikaw lang 'yung concern sa kanya?"
"Excuse me?" Elliot shot back, his tone colder than ever. "At least hindi ako useless habang may nangyayari."
That one hit like a slap. Useless? Ako? Useless? My fists twitched, and for a second, I swear I almost lunged at him. But Avery's unconscious figure was right there, lying between us, and that stopped me.
Before I could fire back, Edward groaned, rubbing his temples. "Guys," he cut in, his patience clearly fraying. "Wala pa ngang isang oras nakalipas simula nung muntik nang mamatay si Avery, nag-aaway na naman kayo."
Tyler finally stepped forward, his face serious, almost stern. "Enough. Save your ego trip for later. Avery needs peace right now. Not two grown-ass men acting like high school rivals."
The words stung, but they were true.
I locked eyes with Elliot, my breathing uneven, chest rising and falling too fast. Neither of us wanted to back down. The room was thick with tension, heavier than the silence before.
But then my gaze drifted back to Avery. Her steady breathing. Her peaceful face.
And just like that, my anger sank under the weight of something heavier which is guilt.
Because no matter how much I wanted to pin this on Elliot, the truth was he wasn't the only reckless one here. I was too. I'd been too caught up in my pride, in my own role, in the stupid rivalry we'd been dragging for months. And where did it lead us? Right here. With Avery unconscious and vulnerable.
So I bit my tongue. I swallowed the fire. I let the silence win this time.
Because right now, Avery mattered more than my pride. And maybe, just maybe, if we wanted to protect her from whatever nightmare had just begun, I had to set my ego aside.
For her.
Always for her.
Avery's Point of View
My body felt heavy, like I was floating in water. My eyelids wouldn't cooperate; every attempt to lift them only pulled me deeper into the darkness. Yet kahit hindi ako makakita, the world around me was loud.
I could hear them.
Voices, familiar ones rising and colliding like crashing waves. Elliot's voice stood out first with deep, sharp, the kind that cuts without effort. Tyron's followed with low, firm, every word dipped in frustration. Parang naririnig ko rin si Edward, his tone exasperated, always the mediator. And Tyler, steady, commanding, parang siya na ang kuya naming lahat.
Ang kukulit talaga ng mga 'to. Even now? Even when I'm lying here like this? Maingay pa rin kayo.
Their words blurred at the edges, half-drowned by the pounding in my ears. But the emotion... the emotion was loud enough. Anger, desperation, and fear. All of it, stitched together in every syllable.
And then, amidst the chaos, someone reached for me.
A hand. Warm, steady, hesitant at first then firmer, as if telling me, "I won't let go."
I knew instantly. That grip that it could only be Tyron. His hand was larger, calloused, but it carried a gentleness that betrayed his usual stoic self. I wanted to squeeze back, to let him know I felt it, pero my body betrayed me.
Then a shift. A shadow closer to my ear. A whisper that cut through the noise like it was meant only for me.
"Pillow... I'm here. Hindi na kita iiwan."
Elliot.
My heart reacted before my mind did. A jolt, a soft ache, like a fragile glass cracking from within.
Part of me wanted to laugh. Pillow? Seriously? You're using that now, in this moment? But another part of me... the deeper part... clung to the sincerity in his tone. His voice shook, not in volume, but in weight.
Was that guilt? Regret? Or maybe something else entirely?
Bakit ngayon lang? Why say it now when I can't even open my eyes to see if you mean it?
Inside my mind, questions spiraled. Do they realize I can hear them? Do they know every word they hurl at each other cuts me more than this unconscious state ever could? That every ounce of guilt and anger they're throwing around, I carry too?
I wanted to scream, Stop. Stop fighting because of me. I'm still here. I'm breathing. That's enough. But no sound left my lips. My body wouldn't move.
So I stayed there, half-submerged in darkness clinging to voices. One steady, one whispering promises and wondering if, when I finally opened my eyes, things would be different.
Or would everything be the same chaos again?
Tyler's Point of View
I stood by the window of the clinic, my arms folded, eyes fixed on the faint glow of the hallway light bleeding through the glass. Pero kahit saan ako tumingin, my thoughts always circled back to the bed behind me. Avery that still unconscious, still too quiet for someone who used to be a storm of laughter and teasing remarks.
The sight of her lying there did something to me. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko siya ie-explain, but it was like the air in the room had thickened. Each breath was heavier. Every tick of the clock on the wall only reminded me that a few hours ago, she was almost gone. One wrong step, one second too late... and we wouldn't even be here anymore.
I turned my head, catching the scene inside the clinic. Elliot sat motionless at Avery's bedside, his hand hovering like he wanted to hold hers but couldn't bring himself to. His face was unreadable at first glance, pero if you looked closely, you'd see the cracks. Guilt clung to him like a shadow. He tried to mask it with silence, pero kita mo sa mata niya that he was blaming himself over and over.
Then there was Tyron. He didn't bother hiding his emotions. Ang init ng ulo niya, halata sa bawat pag-ikot ng kamao niya, sa bawat buntong-hininga. If Elliot was a storm brewing quietly, Tyron was already lightning, ready to strike. His frustration was raw, almost unbearable to watch.
Edward, on the other hand, paced slowly near the foot of the bed. He was the anchor, trying to keep us all steady. Pero kahit siya, halata ang pagod. His voice earlier carried more worry than reason, but at least he was trying.
I cleared my throat, still clutching the folded note from Mr. ₩ between my fingers. The paper felt heavier than it should, like it carried the weight of something none of us were ready for.
"Guys," I finally said, my voice steady, but inside, I was already bracing myself for the inevitable storm. "Kung may isa pang stunt na ganito, we better be prepared."
Edward nodded immediately, his expression serious. "Agreed. Pero this time, we should work together. Walang magso-solo hero shit. Walang paligsahan."
My gaze drifted back to Elliot. He didn't answer, didn't even flinch. Tahimik lang siya, pero his silence screamed louder than any outburst Tyron could make. His eyes... damn, his eyes. They weren't just worried. They were haunted. Full of guilt. Full of rage.
And in that moment, I realized something.
We weren't just dealing with Avery's safety anymore. Hindi lang ito simpleng away o tampuhan ng magkakaibigan. We were stepping into something bigger, something darker. And the scary part? None of us were ready.
But one thing was clear... Avery deserved better than seeing us like this. She deserved peace, protection, and unity. And if we couldn't give her that, then what the hell were we even doing here?
I tightened my grip on the note, glanced once more at her pale face, and muttered silently to myself.
We'll figure this out, Avery. Kahit anong mangyari.
Elliot's Point of View
Hindi ko kayang mawala si Avery. Kahit gaano ko subukan itago, kahit gaano ko pa sabihing kaya kong maging matatag. Truth is, the thought of losing her crushes me in ways I can't explain. Just the image of her lying unconscious on that rooftop earlier... it keeps replaying in my head like a broken record. Ang dami ko nang pinagdaanan, but nothing prepared me for that kind of fear.
At hindi lang siya basta fear. It was helplessness. Powerlessness. Two things I swore I'd never feel again. Pero kanina, ramdam ko lahat.
And now? Now there's a psycho roaming around, someone who seems to know us, someone who's using Avery as bait. Parang chess game, at ginawa nilang pawn si Avery. Hell no. Not on my watch.
I exhaled sharply and turned to the one person I least wanted to see eye to eye with Tyron. His posture screamed anger, frustration, at konting guilt na pilit niyang tinatago. Ang kapal talaga ng mukha niya, the way he stands there as if he's the only one hurting. But still... he's here. Hindi siya tumakbo. He stayed. He carried Avery when I froze.
And that truth burned inside me.
Napatingin siya sa 'kin, and for a second, it felt like the room shrank. Just me and him, two stubborn idiots who couldn't get over our pride. Dalawang lalaking parehong nasasaktan pero parehong nagmamatigas. Dalawang lalaking may iisang iniingatan.
I clenched my jaw. Pride wanted me to look away, pero Avery's pale face was still in my periphery. That was all the reminder I needed.
"Let's just focus on protecting her," I said, my voice lower than usual, steady pero ramdam mo ang pagod. Hindi ito tungkol sa akin. Hindi tungkol sa rivalry. Not anymore. This was about Avery. Always Avery.
He studied me for a moment. No smirk. No sarcasm. Wala 'yung usual na yabang niya. Just silence, then a nod. A real one. Walang paligoy-ligoy.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt like we were on the same side again.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Sa isip ko, naglalaro pa rin ang lahat ng "what ifs." What if we fought earlier instead of saving her? What if next time, we're too late? What if pride blinds us again?
Pero sa ngayon, just for this fragile moment, we agreed.
For Avery.
For the girl who unknowingly held the last thread that kept us from tearing apart completely.
Avery's Point of View
My eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. Slowly, I forced them open, and the blurry whiteness of the clinic light stabbed at my vision. I could feel the cold hum of the air conditioner against my skin, and the faint antiseptic smell that reminded me I wasn't in my dorm room, nor at home. I was somewhere I didn't want to be, but needed to be... safe.
The first thing I heard wasn't silence, but voices. Familiar ones. Loud, messy, overlapping in the way only they could ever manage.
"She's waking up," Edward's calm tone reached my ears, steady like always.
"Avery?" That was Elliot. His voice, softer this time, careful like I was made of glass.
"Ayan na, ayan na! Gising na siya!" Tyler's excitement practically shook the room, like a child seeing fireworks.
"Relax, 'wag niyo siyang sindakin," Tyron added, but the relief in his voice betrayed him. Grabe, parang biglang gumaan yung dibdib niya.
A weak smile tugged at my lips. My throat was dry, my body felt heavy, pero I still managed to say, "Do you guys even realize how ugly you all look when you're fighting?"
For a second, silence. Then, laughter. Parang sabay silang apat na huminga after holding it in too long.
"Welcome back," they chorused, almost too perfectly timed.
And then, I noticed Elliot. Still by my side, still holding my hand but gentler now, not with that desperation I last remembered on the rooftop. His thumb brushed my knuckles absentmindedly, like he was reassuring himself I was real.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, Avery," he whispered, his voice trembling despite his attempt to sound steady.
I let out a weak laugh. "Then why don't you try getting kidnapped next time? Fair lang, 'di ba?"
He shook his head, but there was a smile playing on his lips. "Next time, you only let me rescue you. No one else." I know he's just being playful para pagaanin ang loob ko.
My brows rose. "Wow. Possessive much?"
His smirk deepened. "Always been."
My heart, traitor as always, gave a violent lurch. Stop it, Avery. Don't give in. Don't... but of course, useless. My brain says no, my chest says yes.
After that rooftop nightmare, everything shifted. They hovered around me constantly, each of them on high alert as if I was some fragile vase they were all afraid to drop. They wouldn't let me walk alone, wouldn't let me eat alone, heck they wouldn't even let me breathe alone. Overprotective wasn't even the right word anymore. But if I had to rank them, Elliot was on a whole different level.
The way he lingered beside me. The way his eyes followed every step I made. The way he pretended na wala lang pero kita mo naman... he was always one second away from grabbing my hand just to make sure I wouldn't disappear.
And I couldn't tell anymore if it was just concern, or if it was his excuse to be close to me.
But then, the thing I never thought would happen actually happened.
One week later, life tried to return to normal... or at least pretended to. Classes, lectures, noisy hallways, familiar routines. Everyone was moving forward like nothing had happened. Edward and Tyler threw jokes again. Tyron walked around with that stubborn scowl softening a little each day. And me? I did what I always do best... pretend. Pretend that the rooftop didn't happen, pretend that I wasn't still shaken, pretend that my heart wasn't betraying me every time my eyes accidentally met his.
But the truth was, things had changed. Not just with them, but with me.
Because after everything, I finally went back. Back to our dorm.
I remember standing at the threshold of that familiar room, my suitcase by my side, my chest pounding like it wanted to break free. The same walls, the same scent of books and detergent, the same faint hum of the air conditioner. It felt like walking into a memory I once swore I wouldn't revisit. For days, I had convinced myself I was better off away... detached, safe, unreachable. But in the end, I realized that running didn't solve anything.
Convincing Dad, though... that was another story.
The night I called him, my hands wouldn't stop shaking. "Dad," I began, my voice quieter than I intended, "I want to go back. To the dorm."
There was silence on the other end. Heavy. Weighted. I could almost hear his worry pressing through the line.
"Anak," he finally said, voice steady but laced with concern, "sigurado ka ba? After everything? Hindi kita pinilit lumayo para lang magpumilit kang bumalik."
My throat tightened. "I know, Dad. I know why you did it. And I'm grateful... sobra. But I can't keep running every time something bad happens. If I keep doing that, I'll never learn to fight for myself. Or for the people who matter to me."
He sighed deeply, and for a moment, I thought he'd say no. Then his voice softened. "You've always been stronger than you think, Avery. If this is what you want... then I'll trust you. But promise me, kapag may nangyari ulit, don't carry it alone. Call me."
Tears blurred my eyes, but I smiled. "Promise, Dad."
When I hung up, it felt like something inside me settled. Like I wasn't just returning to a dorm, I was returning to a part of myself I almost abandoned.
So yes, on the outside, life pretended to be the same. But inside me, I knew I was different now. Stronger, maybe. Braver, hopefully. And more aware than ever of the feelings I could no longer deny.
But the truth was simple. Nothing was normal. Not anymore.
Because tonight, standing on the balcony with Elliot, I could feel it in my bones. The air itself seemed to hold its breath with me. The stars above weren't just twinkling, they were like a thousand silent witnesses, glimmering with secrets they've seen but never told.
The night breeze was cold, brushing against my skin like a warning, but my chest burned, restless, unruly. The silence between us wasn't empty. It was overflowing, filled with the words unsaid, the feelings unspoken, the tension waiting to break free.
My heart was racing, each beat a reckless drum, as if urging me to leap off a cliff without a parachute.
"Avery," Elliot finally said, his voice low but steady, breaking through the quiet like a stone thrown into still water. He turned, and the way his eyes locked onto mine is steady, piercing, unflinching that made my stomach twist and my knees weaken.
"May gusto akong sabihin."
I tried to act cool, tilting my head as if unaffected, pero deep inside it's chaos. Absolute chaos. Shemay, is this it? Huwag kang assuming, Avery. Baka sasabihin niya lang na may quiz bukas. Baka nonsense lang. Pero... what if it's real? What if this is the moment?
His lips parted, and with each word, it felt like arrows piercing straight into my chest.
"Alam kong may mga bagay na hindi natin pwedeng pilitin," he said each syllable heavy with conviction. "Pero may mga damdamin na kahit anong iwas mo, lumalaban. At kahit sinubukan kong ilayo sarili ko sa 'yo... hindi ko kinaya."
I froze. My eyes widened. My brain blanked out. Wait. Did he... did he just—?
Then came the final blow.
"Gusto kita, Avery."
No hesitation, no stumble. Just Elliot, blunt and raw, as if the universe itself had been pushing those words out of him for years and finally succeeded.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, my pulse deafening in my ears. Part of me wanted to laugh, part of me wanted to cry, and another part of me wanted to run around the balcony screaming.
"Elliot..." That was all I managed, my voice weak and trembling, pathetic compared to the hurricane swirling inside me.
But he didn't falter. He only gave me that faint, tired, honest smile. "You don't have to answer right now," he said, his tone so gentle it made my chest ache. "I just need you to know this is real. I don't want to lose you again. Kahit anong mangyari, I need you to know that I love you."
Love. The word struck me like lightning. My heart nearly stopped altogether.
I bowed my head, unable to meet his gaze, tears welling despite my desperate attempt to hold them back. My hands trembled uncontrollably, not with fear, but with the weight of emotions I'd hidden for far too long.
This is real. This is happening. The one thing I swore I'd bury forever, he's saying out loud without shame, without hesitation.
Because the truth? I did like him. Maybe from the start. Maybe from that very first argument, that very first accidental glance. I told myself, no. I told myself it was dangerous. That it was a line I should never cross. But he kept slipping through the cracks of my walls, and I kept pretending I wasn't letting him in.
But here I was, cornered by his honesty, my walls collapsing like sandcastles against a storm. What's the point of hiding anymore? Kung siya nga, nagkalakas ng loob. Who am I to keep running?
I forced myself to look at him again, my eyes glassy, my chest heaving. Then, almost like a reflex to release the tension, I punched his arm lightly. "Gago ka," I muttered, half-laughing, half-crying. "Ngayon mo lang sinabi, tanga."
He chuckled softly, relief spilling from his lips, then reached for my hand without hesitation. His warmth against my skin grounded me, calmed the storm in my chest.
And in that moment, I realized that hiding was pointless and pretending was exhausting.
I inhaled deeply, let my heart take over, and whispered, "Gusto rin kita."
The words tumbled out shakily, but the second they left my lips, I felt lighter, as if I'd been carrying a boulder for years and finally dropped it. My confession, fragile but fierce, no longer chained inside me.
His smile widened, brilliant, disarming, like it could outshine even the stars above. His grip on my hand tightened, anchoring me in the present, making sure I knew I wasn't alone in this.
The sky glittered, the wind hushed, and for the first time in a long while, my heart felt free.
This was no longer a secret war inside me.
It was real.
It was ours.
45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qIQBDBwhG
and then Add to home screen.