Chapter 32: reality

"Who will read our short novel?" asked Kota standing in front of Hitoshi's desk looking at him. "Fuyumi will do the reading", Hitoshi said without looking back at him. "Oh by the way, I still didn't know the ending of our story, what happened to the girl after she fainted in the middle of the road?" asked Kota grabbing a chair in front of Hitoshi beside Kazumi.

Hitoshi continue telling the story:

The woman woke up with a heavy feeling hardly opening her eyes. A room covered in white exposed in front of her eyes the second she opened those. She tried to stand from lying on a bed; however, she feel a pain all over her body, especially in her stomach. A scream echoes in the four corner of the room when a nurse and doctor entered trying to calm her down. Even she can't hardly talk, she asked the doctor what happened to her and why she's in such pain. The doctor didn't answer for a moment and looked down. Her voice raised asking the same question. The doctor sadly said that unfortunately, the baby inside her womb died. After hearing those words, her tears automatically run out of her cheeks covering her mouth. A very loud scream with matching sobs break the eardrums of both the doctor and the nurse coming from her trying to break free, getting out of the room. More people came in to help calming her down but she's strong making a one or two assistants put in their sleeps. Everyone wipe their sweat when they inject her something to put her into a sleep.

"She looks like a lifeless corpse entering into her small mansion where she build her dreams with the man she love with all her life not knowing that in the same place, she will woke up in reality wherein everything is a nightmare that even she want to wake up, all she can do is to watch her dreams shuttering into pieces. She look around the house until her eyes was stuck on a kitchen knife with the other dishes to be wash in the sink at the kitchen. Her hands is sweating and shaking getting the knife slowly and about to cut her throat. Her knees got weakened that make her sit on the floor still holding at the knife. Her eyes are blurry from all the tears she shed as she burst a laughter. Her tears never stop flowing together with her laughter. Like a crazy woman crying while laughing holding a knife in her hand.

A month had passed when the residents passing by on that small nipa hut smell something awful coming from inside of the house until one concerned resident can't take it anymore and dare to enter the house who they believe that no one lives there already. Upon opening the door of the house, a dead body of a young woman exposed in front of his eyes hanging on the ceiling with worms and other insects creeping on the carrion.

Until now, no one knows why the woman ended her own life. How about you, do you know the reason of her death?

Fuyumi raised her head and look at her classmates after finishing reading their short novel as the audience start clapping. "Where's the romans there? I thought your genre is romance and I yet I don't feel any romantic feeling in your story?", asked one of their classmates. "Then why don't you get yourself a girl to know the feeling of a romance", said Fuyumi with fierce face as she walk to take her seat. "Tsk"

"I should already use in standing in front of the crowd cause that's what I don every year as a top students but why do I still feel nervous every time I take a step on the stage", said Fuyumi sitting beside Hitoshi, in front of Kazumi. "It is normal for an individual to get nervous in front of everyone even how often they do the same thing, what is not normal is if you don't feel anything", said Hitoshi. "But I thing, Sato is right. Our genre is romance and yet there is no romance in our story but betrayal and loneliness", asked Kazumi. "So what?! Betrayal and loneliness is part of love. Anyone who is in love can feel loneliness and be betrayed by their lover. Love is not just pure happiness or about romantic things, sometimes love is also about loneliness and being left. Love can make you whole and at the same time, it destroys you. So if the audience don't feel the romance in our story then maybe because they still don't know the feeling of being betrayed by their love ones", said Hitoshi. "Are you okay?", asked Fuyumi. "Where are you getting all those ideas?" asked Kazumi. "In my mind", said Hitoshi. "No, honestly Hitoshi, where did you get the idea? We all know here that you are not that kind of man who act like a writer or a poet. So, tell us", said Fuyumi. "So you don't believe me guys, I can be smart sometimes", said Hitoshi trying to smile in front of them. The two seems don't believe in him. He sighed and told him his story for real.

"I came from a broken family. I have an older sister who got pregnant in her young age. Every day or every second in that house is like a hell, there were no spot for peace and silence. My mom and dad are keep on arguing and fighting at each other and my sister is locking herself in her room but I can still her sobs every night. The only time I can be free is when I'm out of that house, I'd rather chose to stay at school studying than staying on that house, when I am outside of their sight, I feel that I am free, I can do anything without having anyone telling me what to do or what to be. Until one evening, I am strolling at the park for the last time before going home in a cold starry night, I saw my mom. I still remember her face that night with my two eyes. Now that I remembered, it all coming back to me, the pain, the sadness and all the hatred. I just woke up one day watching my mom carrying all her stuffs leaving us behind while dad is crying and kneeling in front of her trying to stop her from leaving. After my mom leave, dad lost his right mind and drowning himself from liquor while my sister is being in jail in her room always crying at night. I can't take to watch them suffer anymore. I want to end those misery happening in that house and that is when I reached high school, I decided to leave the place and live on my own. I don't think of what will happen to me in the future or to them when they realized that I will not coming back. That time, all I think of is myself, my future without considering anyone else. And until now, I am still on my own"

"I…I am sorry Hitoshi I …I" Fuyumi can't find the exact words to say. "It's okay, it is not like your fault that it turn this way" "So that is why you are alone?" "I am not exactly alone, Miss Honda comes and visit me sometimes and also my sister with her child" "How about your parents?" "I don't know, my mother married the man she was with that night while I don't already have a news to my father" Fuyumi look at Hitoshi with pity in her eyes. "Don't look at me with those eyes. Even a lot happened, I don't regret anything about it. I don't regret seeing my mom having an affair that night, I don't regret leaving the house when I reach high school and I don't regret being independent living on my own now and cutting connections with my parents" "Hitoshi, I can't find the exact words to say but I just want to tell you that all people face different struggles in their life and it is up to them whether they will let themselves to be swallowed by those or not"

It is a normal and fine day to start the class. Kazumi and Fuyumi looks like they always go to school together nowadays. The two of them and the other students are on the way to their room for the first subject walking in the corridor while the other students are running, teasing each other before the homeroom starts.

A scream that covered the whole building makes everyone stopped from what they are doing and turned their heads where the noise is coming from. Upon opening the door in the room, that student saw her classmate at the center of the room hanging in the ceiling. The guys immediately bring her down and put her body into the floor. Goosebumps appeared on Kazumi's body seeing the dead girl with her eyes still open as his heart beat erratically. The girl is dressed just like any other students, yet her skin was pale like she's been dead for a long time and her hair was in a mess. It was just a blink when he learned that she's staring at him directly. His breath hitched seeing those big red round eyes of hers that was the most lifeless eyes he have ever seen.

The news really had a wings that it spread in the whole school what happened in just a matter of seconds and it has been the talk of the town for almost how many days. With this news, a new story floated in the school. A girl student with the same age as her also found dead one day in the bathroom of the school few years ago. No one witnessed what exactly happened or if it is really true. She wait for all the students to leave at the school and entered in one of the cubicles and drown herself to death. People say that those two students who commit suicide in the school have the same reason in ending their lives. It was just a pure rumors and no one stand to prove all those things.

Those two students is said that they kill themselves because of one reason. Those two are said that they contribute a lot in helping the school creating their name from joining and winning pageants representing their alma mater in different parts of the country. They are a kind of women that every man wish to hold and own. Well, who will not fall with those cute and gorgeous faces. They both had their first love, well it is not actually a love but an infatuation in one of their suitors. Just like any other teen agers who are in love especially for the first time, they feel like they are in cloud nine and butterflies on their stomachs. Eventually, those happy days came to an end. They both got pregnant without getting married in their young age. Their lovers can't accept of that saying that they are not yet ready and it is not part of the plan so they decided to abort the child in those women's womb. Even they don't like to end an innocent child's life, they don't have a choice. They are still young and they have dreams to be accomplished. They still can't afford to buy milk and diapers for their child. Every action really had consequences, they found out that the men they love is cheating on them and leave them after with the other girl.

Kazumi, Hitoshi and Fuyumi look at each other after hearing that story from Kota. "It can't be" "It was just a coincidence, right?" They can't believe that the short novel they created is the same with the story that happened with the two students of the school that spread in the whole campus. "I don't know that story, it was my first time hearing it and I have nothing to do with it" Hitoshi said defensing his self. "But how come that it is the same?" "I…I don't know, maybe one of our classmates who heard our story created those false rumors" "Just for now Hitoshi, stop creating stories or novels. I am afraid that they might come into life", said Fuyumi. "It was my first time creating one though", Hitoshi whispered to himself.

"I can't sleep a blink last night for I am really excited. I already imagining things on what will happen. I am already looking forward with this since last year that I even bought new clothes and stuffs", said Kota to his classmates with the other students of their section waiting for their service.

"Kazumi is not yet here, the bus might arrive already", said Fuyumi panicking a little taking turns in looking at the entrance of the school and checking the time in her wrist watch. "Relax, Kazumi knows what he is doing", said Hitoshi watching Fuyumi. After a while, their homeroom teacher came to check the attendance together with the arrival of the bus. Their name was called one by one alphabetically when Fuyumi raised her hand to tell the teacher that Kazumi is not yet arrived.

All of the present students entered the bus, Fuyumi is still staring at the school entrance in the window of the bus. Hitoshi and others are supposed to sit beside her but she stopped them saying that the seat beside her is reserved for Kazumi. She texted him if where he is already since she arrived this morning on the school ground and yet she don't receive a reply from him until now. The bus has start to move and when it was about to go out of the school. Kazumi appeared in front of it and entered. He can't hardly breathe while sitting beside Fuyumi. "Why are you late? It is not like you to be late" "You won't believe what happened" "Bet me"

"I am on my way to school an hour and seven minutes before the call time when two cars bumped into each other that cause traffics and more accidents in the road. A ten wheeler truck and a taxi that makes the taxi driver and the passenger died on the spot while the truck driver is just injured a little. It seems that the truck driver is drunk and that is why it happened, it even caught a citizen who was just passing by. Thank goodness that I was few meters away from the accident but my eyes caught what happened from the start. The taxi exploded after bumping into the truck and the people around are injured and some died caught by the explosion" "They look like filming an action movie, I can't believe that it happened in real life"

Their classmates started to go wild while they are on the way, some are dancing with the music and singing like they are on a concert. The bus is full of noise and energy that you can see in the face and eyes of the students that they are enjoying the once in a life time opportunity in every teen agers life. A pissed and annoyance is marked on Fuyumi's face trying to get to sleep but because of the noise coming around her, she can't sleep. "Hugh, so noisy", she whispered to herself in annoyance. Suddenly, Kazumi put his headphones into Fuyumi's ears. Fuyumi startled a little from Kazumi's action. He closed his eyes and lean going back to sleep while Fuyumi is watching him. Little did they know that Hitoshi is watching them. Fuyumi play the audio on and closed her eyes leaning her head to the window glass.

A sudden stop of the bus woke Kazumi and Fuyumi and everyone else in the bus. The teacher was about to go in front to ask the driver but the driver went out of the bus immediately that leaves everyone a question mark on their faces. The teacher went out of the bus heading the same direction as the driver follows by the other students. All of them create the same reaction upon seeing the bus who was traveling in front of them loaded with students going on a trip also fall on the cliff.

"Did we arrive already?" asked Fuyumi who still half- asleep is waking her blood up. She watched Kazumi having the same reaction as she saw when a girl hanged herself in the room. Kazumi stand looking straight ahead going out of the bus. Fuyumi didn't finish to call his name, which was the moment she realized that beyond from half of the class is not in the bus. Hitoshi followed Kazumi running out. Being curious of what might happen or happening, she followed the two. A straight line of the whole class with the teacher, the driver and the other witnesses standing beside the cliff where the bus containing high school students fall.