The pale glow of the moon filtered through the blinds, painting silver bars across Kana's walls. The rhythmic beep of the heart monitor was her only company. The sterile air felt colder tonight, like even the walls had stopped trying to comfort her.
Her phone lay untouched on the nightstand. She glanced at it, just once. She'd been hoping all day that it would light up with his name. John. But it hadn't.
No call.
No message.
Nothing.
Kana: He probably got busy with school and other stuff..
Her voice cracked softly at the end, as if even she didn't quite believe it.
She sat up slowly, legs tucked beneath the thin hospital blanket. Her journal rested on the bedside table, where the nurse had left it earlier, a soft pink one, its cover scuffed from use. Kana reached for it, fingers trembling.
Just write something, she told herself. Anything. It'll help.
But as her hand touched the pen, it happened again, the shake. A twitch first, then a tremor. Her fingers stiffened, and the weight of the pen felt like glass. Her entire body remembered that post. The words. The way her heart had stopped before the monitor even caught up.
The comments replayed like a record scratch in her mind and she yanked her hand back as if the journal had bitten her.
Tears stung at the corners of her eyes which she quickly cleaned up.
Kana: (to herself) No… not tonight.
With a soft sigh, Kana laid back down, curling slightly toward the wall. The weight in her chest was different now, not fear, not even sadness. Loneliness. That deep, aching loneliness that felt like it could swallow her whole.
She stared at the ceiling for a long while, lips parting.
Kana: (whispers) John…
Her voice sounded smaller and fragile like it came from someone else.
And in that quiet, empty room, Kana shut her eyes wishing, if nothing else, that John was thinking of her too.
*****
Meanwhile, John lay on the ground in his room as he stared at the ceiling wondering if what Naya had shown him was a dream or some sort of joke.
John: (to himself) Rachel…?
His mind flashed back to how cheerful Rachel had always been around him and couldn't fit that into the extremely toxic mindset that Saucy1012 displayed on Twibbler.
John: This can't be right… The Rachel I know would never do that… She's not that kind of person… She's… She doesn't even know Kana.. so why would she do this?
The ongoing shock still hit him hard and he found himself unable to respond to the question he asked himself.
And then suddenly, it came back to him… that night Rachel confessed to him and when he turned her down and when she desperately kissed him hoping to change his mind.
Suddenly that feeling he felt back then crept back up again and it made him scratch his head in frustration.
John: Is this... because of that night?
He suddenly recalled seeing how Kana looked when she was in the ICU unit of the hospital and it sent shivers down his spine and he began to feel guilt all over him at that moment.
John: Is this my fault…?
At that moment he began to recall when Joseph has asked him if it would have been better if he just accepted Rachel's confession even though he didn't have feelings for her.
John: Would that have really been the best outcome? Aww damn it… this is so frustrating.
He sat up suddenly, scratching the back of his head in frustration and heaved a big sigh which took away the silence in the room for a moment. And then he slowly began to recollect his thoughts.
John: If Rachel's really behind this... if she's the reason Kana passed out that night—
His fists tightened again.
John: Then I need to end it. But how?
He couldn't just expose Rachel without being one hundred percent sure that she was the one behind the account because she could deny the whole thing if evidence wasn't there to make her do otherwise.
And she'd probably be smart enough to cover her tracks.
That's when he remembered Naya, Liam's sister had barely needed an hour to trace the email.
John: Maybe she could do more.
John grabbed his phone and unlocked it. No messages from Kana. His chest sank, but he didn't let it stop him.
He scrolled to Liam's contact, his fingers hovered for a few seconds and then he typed.
Gamerboy115:
[You awake? I need to talk to Naya again about the whole Rachel thing.]
A second later, the three dots appeared. Liam was fast.
Beethoven110:
[Yeah I figured you'd text. I'll ask her. We'll help however we can.]
John exhaled.
Gamerboy115:
[Thanks…]
Beethoven110:
[Anytime. ]
****
John stood on the porch, the sky still bleeding faint colors of sunrise. Everything felt distant, the breeze, the chirp of birds, even the weight of the world on his chest. He hadn't slept properly last night as he couldn't shake off the plan he was going to execute today.
The door creaked open before he knocked.
Liam was already up, eyes still heavy from sleep, dressed in his school uniform with a hoodie and a pair of slippers.
Liam: (softly) You alright?
John gave a slow nod, but it was the kind that meant "not really."
John: Let's just get this over with.
Liam led him inside. The warmth of the house was comforting, but John didn't let it touch him. He followed him to Naya's room where the blinds were half-drawn and a single desk lamp lit the corner like a stage light.
Naya sat in front of a monitor, a large mug in her hands. She looked up, brushing loose curls behind her ear.
Naya: Morning. Sorry if I look dead. I was up until four. But I found something.
She gestured for him to sit on the chair beside her & John moved slowly, lowering himself into the chair like gravity had tripled overnight.
Naya: (gentle) I wanted to be wrong, John. I really did but everything seems to be pointing to her.
She turned the monitor to face him. What he saw made his stomach knot instantly.
Two Twibbler accounts.
One: Rachel's account "Popstargirl" a profile pic, full name, smiling in her school uniform.
The other: Saucy1012 — faceless, cruel, a ghost of hate.
Naya: They're both tied to the same recovery email. Same last login IP. And… here…
She tapped a timestamp log on a spreadsheet. Two entries at the same time.
Naya: She was switching between the two accounts. Active within seconds of each other on the same device & same session.
John stared blankly at the screen as everything he had wanted to reject and was finding hard to believe suddenly came full blown back on his face.
Naya: (quiet) She knew. There's no way she didn't.
Liam stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching his friend carefully.
Liam: She really did it, huh… I thought maybe she was just being framed, but—
John: (cutting in, hoarse) No… this is real.
He leaned back, eyes unfocused, staring through the ceiling.
Memories swam to the surface uninvited; Rachel smiling after school, bringing him lunch, the day she confessed.
That night.
The desperation in her kiss after he said no.
How she wouldn't let go.
The tears.
The disappointed look she had on her face.
The silence after.
John: (whispers) ...She did this because of me. It's my fault…
Neither Liam nor Naya said anything as they were painfully aware that anything they said now wouldn't make things better.
John clenched his fists in his lap and his throat tightened as he began to feel extremely infuriated and guilty at the same time.
He swallowed, then looked at Naya.
John: Can I have a copy of everything?
Naya nodded.
Naya: Give me your phone.
John brought his phone out of his pockets and handed it over to Naya who began transferring files to his phone.
Naya: You don't have to rush into anything. Just… think carefully. If this goes public, it could ruin Rachel's entire life.
John: I… I don't intend on going public with this… I can't ruin her like that… I've known Rachel since we were kids… but I'm going to try and settle this calmly between us…
Liam looked at John as he said those words and noticed how frustrated he looked and then he stepped forward and gently placed his hand on John's shoulder.
Liam: Dude… whatever you decide to do next, just know I got your back.
John nodded in agreement and then sighed and then to Naya who was still watching them.
John: Thank you… Thank you so much.
Naya smiled and patted John on his head.
Naya: If you're going to do this, you need a plan…
John glanced toward the window and saw that the sky had turned pale blue and looked at the time on his phone and nodded.
The school bell was still an hour away.
John: I have one.