Chapter 10: The Truth We Chose to Bury
POV: Lala & JC
They had just stepped out of Celestia's hospital room when the air between them snapped. It was like all the tension they'd been avoiding finally exploded the moment the door closed.
JC walked ahead in silence, but Lala couldn't hold it in anymore.
"JC, what are you doing?" she demanded, her voice low and sharp.
JC turned around slowly, an eyebrow raised. "What?"
"What are you doing?" she repeated. "You're only making things worse for her. You keep pretending everything's okay between you two, but it's not. Nothing about this is okay."
JC narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed. "She doesn't remember. I'm just… trying to give her something to hold onto."
Lala took a step forward, her tone colder now. "No, you're trying to make her believe in a lie. You're trying to win her back while she's vulnerable. You're acting like none of this ever happened."
"And you're acting like you care now?" he shot back. "Where was this concern when you let things happen between us?"
Lala's face twisted. That was low, even for him.
"I'm not proud of that," she snapped. "But at least I'm not using her trauma to make myself feel better."
JC looked away for a moment. "You think I'm enjoying this? You think this is easy for me?"
"I think you don't care who gets hurt as long as you come out on top," she said. "This whole thing with your friends, the dare—don't act like you're some tragic lover. You're playing with her life."
His jaw tightened. "I told you, it's not like that."
Lala laughed bitterly. "Then what is it? Because from where I'm standing, you're manipulating her. You're feeding her lies. You're not helping, JC. You're just digging the hole deeper."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping. "Didn't you say you didn't want to stay by my side? That we should just leave her alone?"
She blinked. "That was before I realized how far gone you really are."
JC's expression darkened. "Then fine. If you won't stay with me, I'll make sure you don't find happiness either. And I won't let your best friend forget what you did."
Her stomach dropped.
"What did you just say?"
"You heard me," he said coldly. "I'll make sure she remembers. Or at least, I'll make sure she hates you when the truth comes out."
"You're insane," Lala said, stepping back in disbelief. "You're completely losing it."
"Maybe," he muttered. "But at least I'm honest about what I want."
She clenched her fists. "You think hurting me will make you feel better?"
JC's eyes burned into hers. "I think you deserve to feel what I felt."
Lala took a shaky breath, then said, "You're not the victim, JC. You're the one who destroyed everything. And you know what? My friendship with Celestia matters more to me than anything we ever had. Yes, I loved you. But that love was a mistake. One I will never make again."
He flinched at her words, but didn't look away.
"So you really loved me?" he asked quietly.
Lala's lips parted, but no words came out.
The hallway fell into silence, heavy with everything left unsaid.
JC leaned in, voice barely above a whisper.
"So… you really loved me?"
She turned away—shaking, breath hitched in her throat—and ran.
Her feet pounded against the hospital floor, echoing sharply through the sterile corridor. She didn't know where she was going. She just needed to get away. Away from him. Away from the twisted guilt. Away from herself.
She turned a corner and leaned against the wall, her hand clutching her chest as if to calm her racing heart. But it wouldn't stop. It kept hammering against her ribs, angry and desperate.
"What am I even saying…?" she whispered to herself, voice trembling.
She slid down the wall and sat on the cold floor, knees pulled tight against her chest. Her mind was a storm. Her thoughts ran in circles, crashing against each other without order or mercy.
"Why did I let him say all that? Why did I let it go this far?"
She pressed her palms to her face, trying to shut the world out. But her conscience screamed louder than the silence around her.
"Why did I give him another reason to keep doing this? I just gave him a reason to believe there's still something left between us…"
Tears slipped down her cheeks, silent and warm.
"I should've walked away. I should've told the truth sooner. I should've fought harder for her…"
Her voice cracked as the weight of everything she'd buried threatened to drown her.
"She doesn't deserve this."
Her best friend—the one person who saw her for who she was, who stayed even when she didn't deserve it—was now lying in a hospital room with no memory. And Lala… had been part of what broke her.
She hugged her knees tighter, wishing she could disappear into herself.
"I told him I loved her more than him," she whispered, "but did I show that when it really mattered?"
Her thoughts were jagged now, cutting deep.
"Why does it feel like no matter what I say, I just keep making it worse?"
She shook her head, biting down on her lip so hard she almost drew blood. It was the only way she could stop herself from screaming.
Lala stared at the floor, her vision blurred by tears, and whispered the question she didn't want to answer.
"Am I… the reason she's hurting?"
And for the first time, she didn't try to deny it.
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