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The rooftop of Brighton Wisdom was a stage of nightmares. The moon was hidden behind thick, suffocating clouds, and the only light came from the flickering neon sign of the school. Raina stood at the edge, her black silk trench coat whipping in the wind like the wings of a crow.
Ronnie stumbled onto the roof, his breath hitching as he reached Raina. He didn't see the girl he grew up with; he saw a monster. His eyes moved to her hand, where a silver knife glinted, stained with fresh, crimson blood.
Raina's hand began to tremble violently. The moment her eyes met Ronnie's—filled with raw betrayal—she dropped the knife. It clattered against the cold concrete.
"Ronnie... I... I didn't..." she stammered, her voice failing.
Ronnie's eyes were bloodshot. He picked up the knife, staring at the blood of the girl he loved. The pain in his chest was sharper than any blade. His own best friend had just tried to end his world.
Gabriella ignored the confrontation. She sprinted to the edge of the rooftop, her champagne silk gown snagging on the rough gravel. She looked down, and her heart stopped.
Lara was lying on the pavement below. Even from this height, the dark pool of blood was visible.
The shock was like a bucket of ice water; Gabriella's drunkenness vanished instantly, replaced by a pale, hollow terror. "Lara!" she screamed, her voice breaking. She turned and scrambled toward the stairs, her elegant dress tearing as she ran.
Felix looked at Raina—a look of pure, frozen judgment—before turning to follow Gabriella. Ajax stood frozen, his mind unable to process seeing his best friend fall. Dona, terrified, grabbed Ajax's shoulders, shaking him. "Ajax! Ajax, look at me!"
"WHY DID YOU DO IT?!" Ronnie's roar echoed across the rooftop, a sound of pure agony.
Raina's entire body shook. It wasn't just the crime that broke her—it was the fact that Ronnie had seen it. He dropped the knife and raced for the stairs, his footsteps sounding like thunder. Ajax finally snapped back to reality and, alongside Dona, vanished into the stairwell.
Raina was left standing completely alone in the dark, panting, the silence of the roof louder than any scream.
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In the courtyard, the air smelled of rain and iron. Lara was still breathing, but each breath was a struggle. Gabriella reached her first, collapsing onto the concrete. She lifted Lara's head into her lap, staining her beautiful dress with red.
"Lara... stay with me! Lara!" Gabriella sobbed, her tears falling onto Lara's pale face.
Lara opened her eyes weakly. A small, heartbreaking smile touched her lips. "Gabriella... my best friend..." She reached up to touch Gabriella's cheek, but halfway there, her hand lost its strength and fell heavily to the ground.
Lara was gone.
Felix stood a few feet away, the phone still pressed to his ear as he called the ambulance. He stopped talking, his face turning ashen. "It's too late," he whispered.
Ronnie arrived, throwing himself onto the ground next to them. "Lara! No! How could you leave me?!" His voice was a raw, jagged mess of emotion. Ajax knelt beside them, sobbing silently, while Dona watched, her face wet with tears of regret and horror.
As Ronnie held Lara's cold hand, he remembered the note she had slipped into his pocket during their last kiss. He pulled the crumpled paper out, his vision blurred by tears.
"I know you love me, Ronnie... but I don't deserve it. I loved Kevin first. When I lost my memory, I fell for you, but now that it's back, I'm stuck between two worlds...You deserve someone better. I'm going to get revenge on the person who killed my Kevin. She escaped prison, but she won't escape from me. Goodbye, Ronnie."
Ronnie clutched the note to his chest, letting out a scream of pure, unfiltered grief that filled the empty schoolyard.
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The next morning, the sun rose over a city in shock. But inside the dark, luxurious mansion of the White-villes, the air was cold. The news was already blaring on every screen.
The headline scrolled across the bottom of the TV: "TRAGEDY AT BRIGHTON WISDOM: LOVER KILLS GIRLFRIEND." Ronnie's school photo appeared on the screen. The report stated he hadn't spoken a single word to the police yet, but the evidence was damning—his fingerprints were found all over the silver knife that killed Lara.
Raina stood in front of the TV, her body shaking. She wore a distressed oversized hoodie, looking pale and fragile, but her heart was screaming.
"Mom! He can't go to prison!" Raina cried, turning to her mother, Bianca. "I'm the one who did it! It wasn't him... please, help him! He's my best friend!"
Bianca stood by the window, watching the news as if it were just another business update. She turned, her face a mask of cold stone. "Do you want to get arrested again? I told you to stay away from that Kevin case, but you wouldn't listen."
"I... I..." Raina sobbed, her eyes bloodshot.
Bianca grabbed Raina's shoulders, her grip tight and painful. "His parents are rich; they won't let him stay there. Don't worry. I already found witnesses to speak against you, but I silenced them using my connections with the police. If I involve myself again, they will get suspicious. Do you understand?"
"But Ronnie..." Raina whispered.
"I don't know why he hasn't revealed your name yet," Bianca said coldly. "But it's good for you. I'll find a way to bail him out."
Bianca walked out of the room, but her mind was dark. I won't help him, she thought. I will destroy every piece of evidence. Raina is too important to me. I can't take any more risks.
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The Final Hallway Confrontation
It was the last day of school at Brighton Wisdom. The exams were over, but the atmosphere wasn't celebratory; it was funereal. Police tape still fluttered near the rooftop entrance.
Raina stood in the main hallway, surrounded by Selina and her group of girls. She looked like the untouchable queen again, masked in silence.
Suddenly, the heavy front doors burst open. Gabriella charged in. She wasn't in uniform. She wore a purple hoodie and sneakers, her hair wild and her eyes burning with a fierce, murderous light. The pain of losing Lara had turned into a literal weapon.
She saw Raina. The world blurred.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Gabriella screamed, her voice echoing off the locker-lined walls.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a jagged knife, rushing at Raina with terrifying speed. Raina's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. She didn't move—she was paralyzed as Gabriella swung the blade.
"GET HER!" someone shouted.
Students and security lunged forward, grabbing Gabriella's arms just inches away from Raina's throat. Gabriella struggled like a caged animal, her face contorted with mad fury, her boots screeching against the linoleum floor.
Raina stood perfectly still. As she watched Gabriella being held back, a small, cruel victory smile spread across her lips. She had escaped, and her enemy was the one looking like a monster.
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To be Continued...
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