Kelly sat quietly on the bench, staring at the paper trembling in her hands. She already knew what was written inside.
"Why did you call me here, Kelly?" a voice came from behind her. Startled, she turned immediately and met his gaze. For a moment, she couldn't bring herself to answer.
A heavy sigh escaped him as he walked closer and ruffled her hair.
"What is it?" he asked, sitting down beside her and waiting patiently.
Her hands shook, but she forced herself to gather her courage. You need to ask for help. Don't let your pride rule you now,she scolded herself silently.
Suddenly, she handed him the paper. He froze, caught off guard by her action.
"I'm scared for tomorrow," she admitted, trying to keep her voice steady despite her trembling hands. "J—Jonathan told me to give this to you." Her eyes welled up with tears.
They fell before she could stop them, and he was shocked to see her cry.
"I don't know what I'll do tomorrow. I can't handle it." She shook her head, feeling the weight of fear.
He stayed silent, simply listening.
"I understand," he said softly, nodding. "Whatever it is, it's not your fault."
"J—Jonathan told me to hand this over to you, but I don't know if I made the right choice. I'm terrified." The words spilled out in a rush.
He pulled her into an embrace. "It's okay. It's okay."
Even though she wanted to stay in that comforting hug, she knew she had to leave.
"Th–thank you," she whispered.
He nodded at her. Her cousin Jonathan was waiting nearby, playfully messing up her hair.
"Jonathan, w—what if I hurt Melissa tomorrow?" Kelly asked, worry lacing her voice.
He put an arm around her shoulder but remained silent for a moment. Then, meeting her gaze seriously, he replied, "This will be the last thing to mess with you, Kelly. Don't worry."
When she got home, Melissa was already there. Kelly knew her sister was her complete opposite.
"Melissa," she called softly.
Her sister turned, concern etched into her features.
"Sis, are you going to be okay tomorrow?" Melissa asked, her voice gentle.
"I should be the one asking you that, right? I'm really scared, Melissa." Kelly hugged her tightly.
"Don't worry, sis. I just need to be brave," Melissa reassured her. Then, teasing with a smile, she added, "I'm already used to your bossy attitude."
"You're such a brat," Kelly muttered, half-laughing.
Melissa only hugged her tighter, still smiling.
"I love you, sis."
"I already know that, Sis Kelly," Melissa chuckled, and they both laughed together.
******
Later that night, Kevin received a call from Jonathan.
"Yeah?" he answered.
"Can you explain your plan? I know she wasn't the one who texted me earlier," Kevin said with a sigh.
Jonathan chuckled softly on the other end. "Yeah, I was the one who texted you. She's too shy to do it herself." He laughed.
"So? What's your plan? Kelly gave this to me, and I know you've got something in mind." Kevin pressed.
"I asked her to keep that safe, just in case things get twisted against us. I want to make sure the truth is collected properly, you understand?" Jonathan explained.
"Kelly has a copy too, so it won't look like the original went missing. And… I wasn't the one who came up with this idea."
Kevin frowned. "Who then?"
"Chris."
"What? So Chris and Dave already know?"
"Yeah, they overheard after Kelly confessed to me. Her sister knows too," Jonathan admitted.
Kevin shook his head. "I get it. Even if you don't explain further, I already know what's going to happen."
"I know it sounds harsh, but Chris wants to gather more evidence. My sister and Julie are aware; that's why I told you too."
Kevin sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for finally telling me—even if I'm the last to know."
"Idiot, you've got an important role here. That's why I entrusted it to you."
"Yeah, yeah. I need to hang up now."
"Alright, bye."
The call ended. Kevin sat down and looked at the paper again, shaking his head.
"It's too much," he muttered.
The next morning, Kevin arrived early at school. He stopped by the faculty office to lock away the important item before heading to his classroom.
Just as he was about to enter, he overheard voices. Peeking inside, he saw Kelly with Vanissa and her group.
"Where's what we gave you?" one of them demanded.
Kelly handed it over.
"Good. We thought you'd given it to Jonathan. We just need to make sure no one else finds out. We don't want you to get hurt too badly, Kelly."
"After this, don't involve my sister anymore," Kelly replied firmly.
Vanissa smirked. "Yep, yep. That depends on how you behave, right, Claire?"
"You said—"
"Shut your mouth, Kelly. You're annoying."
Kevin watched as Claire ripped the paper in front of Kelly, crumpling it in her hand.
"W—What are you doing?" Kelly exclaimed in shock.
"Just making sure nothing leaks out." Claire smiled coldly.
They patted Kelly's shoulder mockingly.
"Be a good girl this time, Kelly."
Her jaw tightened, but she endured it.
"Throw that away."
The group was about to leave, so Kevin quickly hid himself.
"What an easy girl," Vanissa sneered.
Their laughter echoed as they walked away.
Kevin's thoughts stirred. Chris really knows what he's doing. Well, in case of that…
Once the coast was clear, he slipped out from hiding. He had to pretend he hadn't seen, heard, or known anything.
Inside, he saw Kelly sweeping up the shredded paper, lost in her thoughts. Kevin said nothing, choosing to quietly return to his seat.
Soon after, their classmates began to arrive.