Sunday is Not Coming

ii. True Friends Destroy Evidence Together

II. True Friends Destroy Evidence Together
Isaiah.

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I was dumb, broke, and an impulsive drop-out with few friends since kindergarten. The first friend I made did not work out because I bit her arms. Sabi niya kasi peke 'yong Monggol 2 na lapis ko kasi hindi kulay brown iyong pinagtasahan. The second teased me for being short, so I teased him for having no father.

The third one—the only one that lasted until now—drove with me to an abandoned daycare school building to help me destroy evidence of murder.

Because true friends... bury corpses and destroy evidence together.

▶• ılıılıılıılıılıılı.

Isaac might be the best son, but he was never a good brother—the scar on the right side of my neck was the proof.

I was ten and ignorant when I realized Mama only had Isaac in her eyes. Everything Isaac did was right and praiseworthy. So, I copied everything about Isaac—from his mannerisms to the way he speaks—hoping Mama could see me too in the same light as Isaac. But that act only annoyed Isaac.

Isaac has a nasty temper. He could break anything and hurt anyone when his temper flared up. He was petty. He didn't like being compared. He hated people who tried to snatch things he thought belonged to him.

I remember how he stabbed my neck using a Mongol 2 pencil.

Blood gushed out of my neck. My eyes widened in betrayal and horror. I stumbled back, gripping my neck to stop the bleeding.

My vision started to blur, and I felt like I was fainting. I collapsed onto the ground, my last thought being that I wouldn't make it.

Akala ko mamamatay na ako, pamilya pala namin ang mawawala.

That day, Papa decisively broke all connections with Mama. Iuuwi raw ako ni Papa sa Bulacan ngunit hindi pumayag si Mama. Magagaya lang daw ako sa Papa ko na walang pinag-aralan.

Pangalawang asawa ni Mama si Papa dahil nabalo siya sa una. Sa pagsasama nilang dalawa, laging ikinukumpara ni Mama si Papa sa tatay ni Isaac.

Akala ko magkakaroon na naman ng episode ng self-doubt si Papa pero hindi. Himalang nagawa niyang takutin si Mama na ipakukulong si Isaac kapag hindi siya pumayag.

I have no idea what Isaac was thinking when he did that. But until now, my scar still hurts whenever I think of him—whenever I watch as Mama protects Isaac.

The screeching sound of our engine coming to a halt disturbed the peace of midnight. I stepped out of the car and was greeted by the ominous presence of an abandoned lot in the middle of an empty street.

The ferocious wind tore through the air, causing leaves and branches to tremble in a wild dance.

Each raindrop that cascaded onto my skin felt like a whispered message as if the tempest yearned to share its hidden truths. However, the loud and violent swish of the leaves dancing with the wind's rhythm seemed to warn them not to.

Thunder echoed in the distance. The moon retreated behind the clouds, wary of witnessing the impending storm about to descend. Only the three flickering streetlights illuminated the street and Koen's hesitant face.

"You still have a chance to turn around." Koen's voice was like a buzzing alarm clock I hated. It wouldn't shut off. I know I had to heed its warning, yet, I would choose not to until it's too late.