On The Other Side

Chapter 22 - Reunion

GEORGE
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"George?" Her voice trembles, and tears well up in her eyes.

Why is she so shocked to see me? And how does she know my name?

I glance at Clay, his expression mirroring my confusion. He swiftly rushes to Jules, guiding her to a seat at the dining table. "Are you alright, oma?" he asks, while I dash to the sink, filling a glass with water for her.

"Are you George?" Jules asks, and I gently set the glass of water on the table. I nod in affirmation, taking a seat across from her. She reaches out, gripping my hands warmly, and a soft smile graces her lips.

"Follow me," she beckons, rising from her seat and leading the way out of the kitchen.

Confused, I look at Clay, but he just shrugs at me and follows his grandma. I nudge Nick and we all follow her into the living room.

"Sit here," she instructs, pointing to the sofa.

I take a seat beside Clay, on the sofa, while Nick settles into an armchair to our right. Our attention remains fixed on her as she approaches the TV and retrieves a photo album from the cabinets below. With the album in hand, she settles herself between Clay and me.

As she opens the photo album, I get confused as to why she has pictures of my family with our best friends at the time. I furrow my brow and exchange a perplexed glance with Clay, only to find him gazing at the pictures, his eyes welling up with tears.

I observe Jules as she points to my mom and a close friend of hers in the photos. "This is my daughter, Clay's mom," she explains, sensing that we haven't quite connected the dots on our own.

She points to a picture of me when I was younger and says, "This is you, George." Then, her finger moves to a photo of my best friend at the time, "And this is you, Clay."

How is this possible?

Clay rises in disbelief, his steps quickening as he paces around the room. "Wait," he utters, his voice filled with astonishment, "You're George?"

"Dream?" I stand up and walk over to him, my voice tinged with uncertainty. "You're Dream?"

He nods ever so slightly, tears welling up in both of our eyes, as the long-lost connection between us finally resurfaces.

Back when we were kids, our families used to spend a lot of time together. Clay, who revealed his real name as Dream, introduced his mom as Jess, and Damian as Ethan. I always believed that those were their names, and never knew why we stopped hanging out. Now, with the pieces falling into place, I understand why they had concealed their identities and backgrounds.

"Why didn't you come?" Clay asks, and I can sense my heart breaking a little at the question.

When we last saw each other, we promised that when I turn sixteen, we'd meet each other at our special spot and run away together.

"I couldn't..." I take a deep breath, my gaze dropping to the floor. "My dad," I continue, voice trembling, "he was just diagnosed with cancer."

He nods in understanding, wrapping me in a heartfelt hug. "I'm so sorry," he whispers, his own emotions finally breaking through.

"Why are you sorry?" I ask gently, trying to understand his feelings.

"Your mom overdosed, right?" he asks.

I gently withdraw from the hug, keeping my hands on his shoulders. "She did," I say, my curiosity mingled with concern.

"She didn't overdose, George," he says, and my heart shatters, tears streaming down my cheeks.

What is he saying?

"Wh-" I choke out, all I can manage is a sob, unable to continue or fully grasp the gravity of the situation.

"My dad...he killed her," he whispers and it feels like my whole world just collapses. Shock grips my heart, making it feel as if it's been torn apart.

Everything goes black.

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