Chapter 82: The Truth That Broke Us
(Keifer's POV)
New York was loud.
Too loud.
Cars.
Voices.
Sirens somewhere far away.
But none of that mattered.
Because my head—
Was louder.
Memories don't just disappear.
No matter how far you go.
No matter how much time passes.
They wait.
And then—
They come back.
Tonight—
They came back.
Keifer (quietly):
"…it wasn't supposed to end like that."
Jay was beside me on the rooftop.
She didn't interrupt.
Didn't ask questions.
She just stayed.
And that made it easier.
Keifer:
"You asked me once… what happened that night."
She turned to me.
Jay:
"I remember."
Keifer:
"…I never told you the truth."
Silence.
Then—
Jay:
"Tell me now."
And just like that—
I went back.
(Flashback — That Night)
Rain.
Heavy.
Relentless.
The kind that makes everything feel dangerous.
Aries was laughing.
Too loud.
Too reckless.
Aries:
"Relax! I know how to drive!"
Percy sat in the passenger seat.
Percy:
"I regret every decision that led me here."
Yuri and I were in the back.
Yuri:
"This is a bad idea."
Keifer:
"Then why are we here?"
Yuri didn't answer.
Because we all knew.
We were young.
Stupid.
Reckless.
And we thought nothing could touch us.
Kuya Angelo's car.
Stolen.
Night drive.
Rain pouring.
Everything felt like a joke.
Until—
The road curved.
Too sharply.
The tires slipped.
Percy:
"ARIES—"
Aries tried to control it.
But it was too late.
The car skidded.
Toward the edge.
A cliff.
Time slowed.
Everything blurred.
Yuri moved first.
He grabbed me.
Yuri:
"KEIFER!"
And then—
He pushed me.
Out of the car.
I hit the ground hard.
Pain exploded.
And everything went dark.
(Flashback Continues — Yuri's POV Perspective)
The rain didn't stop.
It never stopped.
Yuri stood there.
Frozen.
The car—
Half hanging off the cliff.
Inside—
Aries.
Percy.
Both alive.
Both looking at him.
Percy:
"Yuri—!"
Aries:
"HELP US!"
He could have moved.
He should have moved.
But he didn't.
Fear.
Pure.
Crippling.
Fear.
His legs wouldn't move.
His mind screamed—
But his body didn't listen.
Percy saw it.
Understood it.
And made a decision.
Percy (softly):
"…it's okay."
Aries looked at him.
Aries:
"What are you doing—"
Percy didn't answer.
Instead—
He pushed Aries.
Out of the car.
Aries fell.
Safe.
Alive.
Percy looked at Yuri one last time.
Not angry.
Not scared.
Just…
Calm.
Then—
The car slipped.
And disappeared.
Gone.
(Flashback Ends)
(Keifer's POV — Present)
When I woke up—
Everything was already broken.
Aries was alive.
Barely.
I was alive.
Yuri was there.
Percy?
Gone.
Keifer (quietly):
"…that's what really happened."
Jay didn't speak immediately.
Her eyes—
Were soft.
But heavy.
Jay:
"…Yuri saved you."
Keifer:
"He did."
Jay:
"But he didn't save them."
Keifer clenched his jaw.
Keifer:
"He could have."
Jay:
"But he froze."
Keifer:
"He chose me."
Jay:
"No."
I looked at her.
Jay:
"He panicked."
Silence.
Keifer:
"…that's not what he said."
Jay frowned.
Jay:
"What do you mean?"
Keifer:
"After everything…"
My hands tightened.
Keifer:
"He told me Aries could have saved Percy."
Jay's eyes widened.
Jay:
"…what?"
Keifer:
"He said Aries didn't try hard enough."
Jay:
"That's not true."
Keifer:
"I know that now."
Silence.
Heavy.
Keifer:
"But back then… I believed him."
Jay:
"…so you fought."
Keifer:
"We all did."
(Flashback — Aftermath)
Aries was furious.
Aries:
"YOU'RE LYING!"
Yuri:
"I SAW IT!"
Keifer:
"ENOUGH!"
Aries:
"YOU'RE DEFENDING HIM?"
Keifer:
"I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND!"
Everything shattered.
Trust.
Friendship.
Everything.
And just like that—
The group was gone.
(Present — Jay Jay's POV)
I felt it.
The weight of it.
All those years.
All that anger.
Built on something that wasn't even the full truth.
Jay (softly):
"…Percy didn't die."
Keifer nodded.
Keifer:
"I know."
Jay:
"My stepmom found him."
Keifer:
"Yeah."
Jay:
"He survived."
Keifer:
"He did."
Silence.
Jay:
"…but none of you knew back then."
Keifer:
"No."
Jay:
"And everything broke because of it."
Keifer:
"Yeah."
I stepped closer.
Jay:
"You all blamed each other."
Keifer:
"We did."
Jay:
"But the truth is…"
I looked at him.
Jay:
"No one meant for it to happen."
He didn't answer.
Because that's the hardest part.
(Keifer's POV — Ending)
She was right.
But that didn't make it easier.
Because guilt—
Doesn't disappear just because you understand it.
Keifer (quietly):
"…we were kids."
Jay:
"You still are."
Keifer huffed slightly.
Keifer:
"Not anymore."
Jay stepped closer.
Jay:
"You don't have to carry it alone."
I looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And for the first time—
That night didn't feel as heavy.
Not gone.
But…
Lighter.
End of Chapter
Chapter Moral ✦
The truth has the power to heal—but only when it's fully seen.
Sometimes, relationships don't break because of what actually happened,
but because of what people believed happened.
Fear, guilt, and misunderstanding can destroy even the strongest bonds.
But when the truth finally comes to light,
it offers something rare—
A chance to forgive, to understand, and maybe… to rebuild what was lost.