"Braylee, wala na ang kuya mo."
Piper's words echoed in Braylee's mind but instead of crying, Braylee's face just went blank. The life left her eyes as it continued to look ahead. Not shedding a single tear, not saying a single word.
She tried to save everyone when in fact she was the one who needed to be saved
She tried to make everyone happy when in fact she was the one who needed to be.
And as her world crumbled, Braylee could no longer pretend that everything's okay.
****
"Did she say anything to you?" Piper asked anxiously as Denver walked out of the door.
Denver shook his head, he had a blank expression on his face but deep inside he's filled with worry. "She won't talk to me either, she's just staring blankly ahead."
"Oh God," Piper covered her mouth as she continued to sob uncontrollably. "Do you know about this?! Do you know that her brother suffered from ALS?!"
Denver nodded. "Braylee thought you've had enough problems so she didn't tell you."
"What?!" Piper was devastated. "Ba't niya naman naisip yon?! She must have suffered so much and we had no idea!" Piper cried.
"Braylee loves you so much that she wanted to make you happy in every way that she could, even if it means acting dumb and doing dumb stuff, even if it means pretending she's okay," Denver said with his emotionless voice.
Hearing this, Piper hurriedly went inside their room and found Braylee lying on her bed, tucked in her blanket, facing the wall. Piper wanted to berate Braylee for her choices but as she opened her mouth, no words came out. Instead, she continued to sob uncontrollably. It broke Piper's heart; looking at braylee and realizing everything she's ever done to make them happy.
Piper layed beside Braylee, hugging her from behind, holding her cold trembling hands. "Your happiness is as important as ours. You matter just as we do. We love you and we're always here for you, okay?" Piper said in between her eyes but Braylee did not say anything, instead she just closed her eyes.
****
It was already 2 in the morning but Piper couldn't sleep or rest, not even for a minute. She stood up and realized that Braylee's already asleep. Instead of going back to bed, Piper takes her phone and jacket.
As she went outside their dormitory, Piper noticed a car parked right in front of the building. Its window was open and it was enough for her to see Denver, looking straight ahead as if he's lost in thoughts. "He hasn't left?" Piper whispered to herself, pleased to know that Braylee has someone who cares for her as much as they do.
"Hawthorn," Piper called out to him as she approached his car.
When Denver saw her, he immediately got out of his car.
"How is she?" Denver asked, anxious.
"She's sleeping. Ikaw na muna ang bahala sa kanya, just don't let our landlord see you. I need to borrow your car," Piper said and without hesitation, Denver immediately tossed her the key to his car.
***
Umaga na nang makarating si Piper sa ospital. Nang makarating sa silid kung saan nakaratay si Lucho, naabutan ni Piper na natutulog ang tatlo, walang kaide-ideya sa nangyari kay Braylee. Agad na ginising ni Piper sina Warren at Riley.
"Piper? Anong problema?" kunot-noong sambit ni Warren habang kinukusot ang kanyang mga mata. Nakatulog ito habang nakaupo sa sofa. Ang nakahiga namang si Riley sa kabilang sofa ay nagising din.
"You guys, Brayleee's brother had ALS all this time. It's the reason why her parents left to another country," bulalas ni Piper bagay na labis ikinagulat nina Riley at Warren.
"What?!" Nagulat si Warren sa narinig.
"Mamsh! That's the reason for the ice bucket challenge right?" bulalas ni Riley na nagising ang diwa dahil sa narinig. "Teka, imposible! Diba sinasabi naman niya ang lahat sa atin?"
"But that's the problem! Braylee didn't tell us. She was too focused on trying to make us happy that she kept it a secret. She was too focused on pretending to be the bright, dumb, and bubbly Braylee just to make us happy! Guys, Braylee's brother just died. She hasn't even said a single word. She didn't even cry. She's just... blank," Piper broke down in tears once again. "I've never seen her like this. What if she tries to kill herself like Lucho did? What if she succeeds? I don't want to lose her! We can't lose her!"
Bigla na lamang umalingawngaw ang tunog ng isang bakal na bumagsak sa sahig. Napalingon silang lahat at laking gulat nila nang makitang nasa sahig na ang stand ng IV ni Lucho at kasalukuyang sinusubukang tumayo ng binata.
"Lucho!" Agad na inalalayan ni Warren ang kaibigan.
"Braylee needs us... We have to be there for her the way she's always been there for us!" desperado nitong giit kaya walang nagawa ang tatlo kundi itakas ang binata mula sa ospital.
****
Nang makarating sila sa dormitoryo, naabutan nila si Denver na nakaupo sa sahig, gising na gising habang binabantayan ang natutulog na si Braylee. Sinenyasan ni Piper si Denver, niyayaya itong mag-usap sa labas kaya naman tumayo ito at bahagyang yumuko sa direksyon ni Braylee.
"Lalabas muna ako, pahinga ka lang. Yung ice cream sandwich baka matunaw na kahihintay sa'yo," bulong nito sa dalaga bilang paalam at hinalikan ito sa noo.
Nang makalabas mula sa silid, agad na tinanong ni Warren ang kapatid. "Kamusta na siya?"
"Her eyes are still closed but I think she's--" bago pa man matapos ni Denver ang kanyang sinasabi, laking gulat nilang lahat nang pumasok si Lucho sa silid.
Akmang susunod si Denver pero mabilis siyang pinigilan ni Piper. "Let's give Lucho a few minutes with Bray."
*****
"Bray, alam kong gising ka," wika ni Lucho habang nakaupo sa paanan ng kama ni Braylee.
Nanatiling nakapikit ang mga mata ni Braylee, nakaharap sa direksyon ng dingding, at nakatalikod mula kay Lucho.
Tipid na ngumiti si Lucho habang nakatingin sa direksyon ni Braylee sa kabila ng lungkot sa kanyang mga mata. "For my second dare, I want you to listen to me. To everything that I will say because you have to hear it."
Huminga ng malalim si Lucho. "I'm adopted, Braylee. My biological parents were both drug addicts who committed some disgusting crimes so the DSWD took me in. I was lucky to be adopted, or that's what I thought that time. By the time I was 10, my adoptive parents had a fallout. Dad kept beating Mom up and they separated. Napunta ako sa poder ng tatay ni Mom. Nagkaroon sila ng panibagong pamilya pero buti nalang may lolo ako na nag-alaga sa akin. Since I was 13, my adoptive grandpa became my one and only family. But when my Grandpa died after my highschool graduation, everything changed. I thought I could handle it; being alone in this world... without a family." Lucho chuckled as tears began to form in his eyes. "I felt so alone all these years until the other day... You made me realize something Braylee... that I have a family the moment we became friends. That I'm not alone."
Braylee opened her eyes, still as emotionless and blank as before, still facing the wall beside her.
"And you're not alone, Braylee." Lucho tapped Braylee's head like a loving brother. "I'm sorry Braylee... I'm sorry for always seeing you as the dumb and bubbly Braylee. I'm sorry for not noticing. We're sorry for not noticing your suffering sooner. We're sorry for failing to make you feel happy," pag-uulit ni Lucho sa mga katagang iniwan ni Braylee sa kanya nang araw na sinubukan niyang magpakamatay. "I'm not going to ask you to be okay. I'm not going to tell you to accept his death and move on. You just lost your brother and no words can describe the pain that you're feeling. I'm not going to tell you stop crying or to calm down. There will be no sugarcoating this. Instead I will listen to you, we will listen to you. Every single one of your qualms. And when you feel like you want to cry, tell me, and I will cry with you. I'll cry harder than you. I'll even cry for you."
And in that moment, tears finally streamed down Braylee's pale and emotionless face. She sat up and faced Lucho.
Lucho immediately grabbed a hold of her hand as he cried with her.
Braylee's grief finally manifested into a very loud sob. Her lips formed into an uncontrollable pout as she cried her heart out. She cried and cried until her sobs turned into a loud wail, until her wail turned into a scream. "Ang kuya ko! Wala na ang kuya ko!" Braylee screamed as she cried and cried.
The door burst open, and Piper immediately ran towards Braylee, hugging her tight as she let her cry on her shoulders. Warren sat on the floor, grabbing a hold of Braylee's other hand. Riley jumped up the bed and rubbed Braylee's back, urging her to cry and scream more.
As Braylee cried, her friends held her tight and cried with her.
All they did was cry.
All they did was make her feel like she's not alone, the way she always tried to make them feel that they're not alone.
Meanwhile, Denver stood quietly by the door. He just stood there, helplessly looking at Braylee as her friends tried to console her. Thoughts ran through his mind. And among these thoughts included his newest fear; his fear of Braylee crying and mourning for his death.
END OF CHAPTER 54!
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