Just A Dare

THE END

One Month Later

Winny sat down in front of Mark, his eyes hollow, his body language defeated. His once vibrant self had faded into a shadow of despair. Mark could see it—the devastation, the guilt, the self-loathing that had taken root in his friend.

"You finally came," Mark began gently, gesturing for Winny to sit. "Please, take a seat."

Winny's hands trembled as he sat down, his face void of emotion. Mark could barely recognize him.

"How are you these days, Win?" Mark asked, his tone laced with concern.

"I'm fine," Winny replied, his voice flat, unconvincing.

Mark sighed. He knew this was far from the truth. "Winny, the reason I asked you to come today isn't just as a friend but also as Satang's therapist. I think it's time you start moving on. Satang deserves a new beginning, a fresh chapter in his life."

Winny's expression hardened, anger and pain flashing across his eyes. "Just shut up if that's what you want to talk about."

Mark remained calm, not backing down. "Okay, but first, look at me."

Reluctantly, Winny met Mark's gaze, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"It's not your fault, Winny. It never was. Sometimes, things happen that are beyond our control."

Winny's resolve crumbled a bit at those words. He looked away, staring down at his shoes, as tears began to pool in his eyes. "But... if I had never left him, all of this wouldn't have happened, right? Everyone keeps telling me it's not my fault, but it feels like it always has been."

Mark leaned forward, his voice gentle but firm. "Winny, did you know Satang used to cut people off from his life?"

Winny nodded, guilt etched in every line of his face. "I know... And I know that's my fault too."

Mark shook his head. "No, Winny. That's not what I mean. Do you know what I wrote in Satang's psychological report when I first diagnosed him with depression and severe anxiety?"

Winny shook his head, the truth remaining unknown to him all this time.

"Satang was a people-pleaser, Winny. He cared more about what others thought and felt than he ever did about himself. When I first heard his story, it was all about overthinking—how he could have done better for others, how he could change to be valued in their eyes. But it was never about him. He never spoke about his own pain, never mentioned how others hurt him, or how his family abandoned him. He needed to be near the right people to have any chance of being okay."

Winny sat quietly, absorbing Mark's words, each one hitting him like a punch to the gut.

"He didn't cut people off because they hurt him, Winny. He stayed and accepted the pain. But if he cut someone off, it was because he believed he was the toxic one, the one causing harm. He ran away to protect others, not himself."

Winny's heart shattered, feeling as though it had dropped from a great height. He had always thought people cut others off to protect their peace, but Satang was different. He did it to protect everyone but himself.

"To many, he might have seemed fine, but he was just a kid, still in recovery—a kid who needed validation, someone who would love him genuinely," Mark continued, his voice softer now. "And Winny, that's where you come in. He needed someone like you, but he also needed you to be okay with yourself."

Tears streamed down Winny's face, the weight of the truth crushing him. Knowing he had hurt someone so fragile, someone who had suffered so much, made him despise himself even more.

"It's time for you to let him go, Winny," Mark said gently, standing up to leave. "Satang deserves peace, and so do you. Forgive yourself."

Mark left Winny alone in the room, the sound of his friend's sobs echoing through the silence. Winny's heart ached with longing, his cries a desperate plea to the universe, Oh God, I miss him so much... Please...
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At the Hospital

One month after the accident, Satang finally woke up from his coma, but something was different—he was more cheerful, more carefree. It wasn't long before everyone realized why: he didn't remember anything. Not the accident, not the pain, not even the people he once loved. All he remembered was his name.

Mark gathered Satang's friends and explained that it might be better if Satang never regained his memories. The trauma was too great, the pain too deep. So they decided to craft a new story for him, a life filled with only happy memories. They told him his family had never existed, that Fourth's family had raised him since childhood, that the sad moments of his life were just shadows, replaced by happy memories that never truly happened.

It was a cruel lie, but was it crueler than letting him remember the past that had almost killed him?

Winny couldn't bring himself to see Satang. He stood outside the hospital room, always at a distance, feeling undeserving of being near the one he loved so much. Every night he fought the urge to go in, to see Satang one last time, but he always stopped himself—until tonight.

Winny received one phone call that he hope never existed. "It's time to go, you promised me" - winny dad.

"I'll leave tonight, as promised" - winny

It was 12 a.m., the hospital was quiet, and Satang was asleep. Winny slowly opened the door and stepped inside. He stood by Satang's bedside, his heart breaking as he whispered, "Hi, my kitty." Just saying those words made his chest ache, tears filling his eyes.

"Hey, my kitty, I shouldn't be here, but I wanted to say goodbye, one last time. So... goodbye, my greatest love." Winny leaned down and kissed Satang's forehead, leaving a necklace in his hand—the one Satang had given him back. With one last look, he walked out of the room, tears silently falling.

As he walked away, Winny thought to himself, We'll probably never meet again, kitty. So if one day, you walk down the aisle and complete another great love story of yours, I hope you remember that 'I am glad to see you win.' How could I claim to be on the side of love if I can't even take care of someone I love, right ?

Maybe in another story, another life, we'll find our happy ending together.

And with that, Winny disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.

The End.
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Hi author here❣️To be honest, I can't believe I finally end this story😭🙌🏻 congrats to me & thankyou for my readers who stay with my story till the end🫶🏻!

Ps: author is so sorry for the sad ending but the truth is author just not a happy ending writer 😌🙌🏻.

Author hope this story teach the reader some lessons about mental health & if any of you guys suffer from it, pls reach for help. Take care of yourself bcs there's many people out there that still love you🫶🏻

Thankyou again, till we meet again in another story‼️