'S-She nearly killed the man'

Hours had passed... Empty bottles, scattered peanuts, and chips were messing the center table in the living room...

They were just both drinking without exchanging any words at each other... They seemed like in a drinking race that neither of them wants to be defeated.

"Whoa... I'm not sure if we have a high tolerance for alcohol or the drinks are just really light... We almost emptied the second case"

Harry said, staring at the 5 bottles left in the case. He glanced at Tristan who was silent since they started drinking.

"You know, I feel like I was just drinking alone while talking to myself... Yes, I said you don't need to say anything if you don't want to but, I didn't mean to be this quiet... I almost think I brought a ghost not a human"

Tristan just glared at him then drank his drink at once. Harry flinched at his glare and decided to stop saying anything else, letting him be.

'That glare was so intimidating', he thought.

Harry opened another bottle and drank it without pouring some in his shot glass anymore.

He just continuously swallowed everything until he emptied the bottle, then... Passed out...

Tristan was paused when he heard a loud knock on the floor. He glanced at Harry who was now lying flat, drifted off.

'Light drinks, huh.' Tristan thought, shaking his head then continued to drink by himself.

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Harry blinked as he awoke by the ringing of Tristan's phone. It was too loud and noisy that even a drunk man like him was pulled out from a deep slumber.

He got up with a severe panging on his head.

'Dang it. Why does my home is spinning?'

He looked for Tristan but only messy mats and scattered bottles were left on the floor.

He stood up and went to the balcony where he spotted Tristan, standing while staring outside.

It was around 4 am... The cold breeze kissed Tristan's cheeks and blew the tip of his ponytailed hair. As usual, his face was impassive.

Harry massaged his forehead while pacing towards him. "Don't your head hurt?"

Tristan glanced at him. "No."

"Are you really a human?"

"I don't usually experience hangover"

"Good for you then"

Harry noticed Tristan's loneliness... He may be expressionless but the pain in his eyes was visible.

He went to the mini cabinet at the corner of his living room and pulled out the box of cigarettes and a nicely designed transparent lighter.

He came back to where Tristan was and lit the cigarette in his mouth. "Do you want a smoke?"

Tristan confusedly looked at him.

"No thanks. It's bad for the health."

"Lol. And the alcohol, not?... Everything is bad if you're not disciplined enough to use it moderately... Besides, I'm only smoking if I need to think or am stressed." Harry explained that put Tristan in deep thought.

"Okay. Give me one" Harry paused at Tristan's immediate decision.

"Ah. Sure... Here." He gave a stick of cigarette.

"Careful. You might cough."

Tristan lit the cigarette and slowly smoked it. Again, silence wrapped them which Harry couldn't stand anymore... He glanced at Tristan...

"I know I gave you options and I respect your choice but... I felt bad to see you suffering alone... If you want to pour it out, go ahead... I'll listen"

Tristan tapped the cigarette onto the railing, dropping its ash outside. He was silent for another moment then he let out a soft sigh.

"I... Disregarded everything that I really want to do... I left behind who truly am and became someone else... I lost myself just to receive her love... But..."

Tristan's voice started to crack. He paused for a while to calm his shaky voice and prevent the tears to fall off but even the tears were traitors, they still ran through his cheeks unstoppably.

"But... No matter how hard I tried... I'm still nothing... It never changed... I was still in shadows."

Tristan didn't sob nor wince... He wiped his tears as if it was just raindrops that fell to his face. Despite his suppressed expression, the ambiance was filled with his overflowing gloominess.

"Mhmm" Harry looked up to the clouds... He slightly smiled as he saw the lone star shining brightly amid the darkish sky.

"If I were you... I'd rather shine my own light alone rather than dimmed myself to be lighted by others."

Tristan's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Harry looked into Tristan's eyes seriously.

"Let me ask you... If you were finally appreciated, would you be really alright to be accepted as not who you truly are? Do you want them to love the colors that weren't yours? Do you want to see someone else when you looked at your reflection in the mirror?"

Tristan lowered his gaze as Harry's questions strummed his thoughts and slightly poked the sleeping realization within him.

"That's a lot of questions"

Harry chuckled. "I'm not interfering with any of your business and decisions. I also respect how you take your feelings about it. But I just want to impart my thoughts to you..."

"Even though they will shower you with overflowing affection, you will never find happiness and be satisfied with what you gained... Unless you're okay throwing the real you and lived your life trying to be someone else without regrets." He added that shut Tristan up.

"I don't want to admit it... But... You struck me there" Tristan coldly told.

Harry stared at him as he blew the smokes out of his mouth. His pointed nose and long eyelashes were emphasized by the light of a lamp post. Harry averted his gaze and puffed a cigarette.

"That's one of my skills."

'Oh, God. Why am I not as perfect as this one?' he sighed, envying Tristan's beautiful appearance.

They both heard a loud ring of a phone again. Harry's forehead wrinkled. "Was it yours?"

"Yeah. Ignore it"

"Why don't you answer it?"

Tristan became silent... Clearly, he had no intention of answering both Harry's questions and the call.

Harry just shook his head and walked towards Tristan's phone to turn it off.

"I'll silent it"

He paused for a moment as he saw 20 missed calls and 38 texts all from Summer. And another 15 texts, 5 missed calls from Whifler.

"I guess they're worried about you."

Harry didn't receive any response from Tristan... He understood... Tristan wanted to be unbothered right now... While apologizing to his best friend—Whifler—in his thought, Harry silent his phone then headed back to the balcony.

"Don't tell them you're here or else Whifler will hang me to death" Harry said to Tristan.

"Mhm. I'll tell him and help him hanged you afterward."

"Okay... I listed all the liquors and foods costs that you consumed earlier... Want to see it later?"

"I'm just kidding, you fool"

Harry just laughed, but deep inside... Yeah, remembering all the bottles they emptied, he was internally crying... Those were expensive liquors... Poor Harry...

Meanwhile, Summer's dark circles were blatantly displayed under her eyes... She was literally sleepless while staring at her phone... Restless and bothered about the unresolved conversation she had with Tristan.

'Is she mad at me?'

'Is she avoiding me?'

'Will this be the end of our friendship?'

What was she thinking while scanning the unreplied messages she sent to Tristan back and forth.

"Summer?" She heard Amber's several knockings. "Summer?"

"Yes?" Summer made her voice sluggish to fool Amber that she was awoken from a slumber.

"I'm going out."

"Alright" She responded then she heard her footsteps going down.

Summer glanced at her phone once again.

'This is hopeless... Maybe I'll talk to her personally tomorrow' She thought as she rested down her phone and covered her eyes with her arm.

After a moment, she lost consciousness and fell asleep.

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"MISS SUMMER!"

Summer jolted up and rolled her eyes in thin air out of annoyance.

She went towards the door and opened it widely. Melissa was stupefied, looking at Summer's zombie-like appearance.

"U-Uh... As far as I remember... Uhm, Your script will arrive tomorrow... Uhm, do you perhaps already have it?"

Summer raised her eyebrows. "You just said tomorrow, why will I have it now?"

"Oh... But you don't look well... It seems like you were up until—"

"Yeah. Yeah. I stayed up all night" Summer yawned then went back to her bed to slump.

"Why are you here, anyway? Do I have an abrupt meeting?"

Melissa's eyes widened as she remembered the reason for coming to Summer's place.

"Oh. Ghad! Amber! It's Amber!"

Summer felt a bit panicked as she saw how Melissa expressed those words. "What... What happened to her?"

"Amber... She was at my cousin's bar... And... And... Just an hour ago... There was trouble that happened... She badly hurt someone."

"WHAT?!" Summer immediately pulled out a jacket from her cabinet and wore it, covering her pair of pajamas. She was panicking that she didn't even bother to fix herself. "Where is she now?"

"At the hospital... She was wounded, too"

"Damn it! What did she do?! Did she punch someone again? Aist! That brat! She was indeed Reign's sister... Troubles run through their blood!" Summer ranted while looking for her car keys.

"B-But... She didn't... P-Punch that person"

"What, then? Smacked?"

Melissa felt nervous, she averted her gaze then told what happened that undeniably froze Summer afterward.

"S-She nearly killed the man. She slit his throat with the broken bottle."