The Truth

Ch.1: Cruel Start

Have you ever asked yourself, "What did I do to deserve all this?" For me, that question was practically my morning mantra. Every day, without fail, I'd look in the mirror and think, "Seriously, what did I ever do?"

I never wronged anyone—okay, maybe I did throw a few punches back in school, but who didn't? I was a kid, and stupid decisions are practically a rite of passage. But it's like the universe decided I needed lesson after lesson, and trust me, none of them were the fun kind.

I was just 16 when both my parents decided it was time to leave this world, leaving me and my brother Aiden to fend for ourselves. But hey, we managed... or so I thought.

Fast forward to today, where I found myself standing at Aiden's funeral and now, at the ripe old age of 27 myself, I was officially the last one standing.

You'd think losing the last member of your family would be enough for the universe to go, "Okay, she's had enough." But no, it got worse. Brian, my lovely fiancé, decided the best way to cope with Aiden's death was to cheat on me with my best friend, Amelia. Nice, right? But wait, there's more. I also lost my job, because guess who my boss was? Brian's dad. And apparently, slapping Brian after the breakup wasn't considered "professional behavior." Who knew?

"You should, I guess... I'll pay for the rent this month," Brian said, his voice strained as he stood awkwardly beside me. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he even bothered to show up at Aiden's funeral. Maybe guilt, or maybe just to remind me how much I'd messed up.

Aiden had been right about him all along. He would've given me a ten-year lecture on just how right he was if he were still here. But Aiden was gone, and I was left with nothing but regret.

"I don't need your money," I snapped, my tone cold as I glared at him.

Brian shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting away from mine. "I'll talk to my dad, promise."

Sure, a lot of people might have jumped at that offer—some help with rent and maybe even getting my job back. But the thought of accepting anything from him, or his family, made my stomach turn. I wasn't fine, not by a long shot, but I also wasn't about to grovel for favors from the same people who'd helped destroy what little I had left.

"It's a dumb decision," he started to say, but I cut him off.

"The only dumb decision I made was trusting you," I hissed, my voice barely above a whisper. He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't want to hear it. Whatever pity or guilt he was trying to sprinkle over this mess, I wasn't buying it.

"Just... go, Brian," I finally said, my eyes burning with unshed tears. He hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked away. As I watched him go, a bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat. Maybe it wasn't the universe throwing all these lessons at me. Maybe I'd just been too blind to see what was right in front of me all along.

But no more. From this moment on, I wasn't taking any more crap. Not from Brian, not from his dad, and definitely not from life.

After almost everyone had left, it was just me and Aiden's girlfriend, Willow. She stood by my side, offering quiet comfort. I didn't know much about her, not really. Aiden had started dating her right after I graduated high school, and by then, we were living in different worlds.

I used to wish Willow was more like the male version of Brian—maybe then I wouldn't have felt so out of place around her. But that was just another stupid thought. Willow had been with Aiden through it all—through the good, the bad, and everything in between. She even helped me out during my last period, which I got embarrassingly late at 17.

I sighed, shaking my head at myself. Why was I even thinking about that now? I guess when everything else feels like it's crashing down around you, your mind scrambles for anything, no matter how trivial, to hold on to.

Willow placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Angelica, I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice soft and sincere. Her eyes were red, but there was a strength in them that I couldn't quite understand. How could she be so composed when everything was falling apart?

I wanted to say something, anything, but the words just wouldn't come. All I could do was nod, my throat too tight to speak. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was what broken looked like—too numb to cry, too tired to even try to piece things back together.

But then Willow did something that almost undid me. She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, and for the first time since all this mess, I let myself lean into someone else's strength. I let myself feel the warmth of her embrace, the comfort she offered, and the tears I'd been holding back finally broke free.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice cracking. It wasn't enough, but it was all I could manage.

Willow pulled back just enough to look me in the eye. "You're not alone, Angelica. You don't have to go through this alone."

But as much as I appreciated her words, a part of me couldn't believe them. Because, in the end, I was alone. Aiden was gone. My parents were gone. And Brian? Well, he was a whole different kind of loss.

Maybe it wouldn't get better. Maybe this was just the beginning of things getting worse. But for now, I let myself cry. I let myself be sad, because that's all I could do.