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Chapter 13

I was sitting next to Akio on his bed. "Akio?" I muttered. "Yeah? What do you want to know now?" He asked. "Honestly, everything. But for one thing, if you don't mind me asking, why would you think you're a bad person?" I asked curiously, wrapping a strand of my hair around my index finger. "Because I am, and if I told you why, you'd probably hate me." He answered, sketching a scene from my story in his sketchbook. I sighed and bit my lower lip. "How do you know for sure if you don't at least try to tell me? No matter how bad it is, I'd probably still see you as an amazing person. You've always helped me, so, honestly, even if you killed someone my opinions on you wouldn't change." I saw him tense up at the last sentence. "Akio, please, talk to me. If that's the reason you-"

"Just drop it." He muttered. His phone started ringing from on his nightstand and he reached over and answered it. I listened in on the conversation, but couldn't hear what the person on the other line was saying.. "Hello?" I heard Akio ask as he put the phone up to his ear. "Who is this?" I didn't hear the response of the person on the other line, but Akio seemed upset by whatever it is they said. He left the room and I waited in silence until he came back. "Akio, who was that? What'd they say?" He sat down next to me again, running his hands through his hair anxiously. "I don't know for sure, they didn't say, but I have a suspicion, and if it is who I think it is, it's not good." He muttered. "Why?" I asked. "Because, my sister. . ." I waited for him to continue. "Never mind." He said after a long pause. "Huh? What do they have to do with your sister?" I wondered, confused. "Isn't she with your parents on a trip?" He shook his head. "No, my parents are on a trip overseas, but she's not with them." He answered, clearly upset. "But you told me. . . Why's she not here then?" I asked, growing more and more curious. "Just leave it alone, okay?" He said, his face in his hands. "A-Alright." I stuttered, my hands clenching into tight fists. "Mika, I swear I'll explain later, okay? But. . ." I saw tears make their way through the gaps between his fingers. I'd never seen Akio this upset. "She killed herself." He said, finally, looking up at me with tears running down his face. I stared at him in shock. "W-What? Why?" He turned his head away from me, not giving me an answer.