Where Your Secrets Hide

SECRET 20

When we say goodbye, is it for good? Or is it forever?

Or maybe it's for both? You say goodbye forever for good.

I slowly opened my eyes and find myself laying down on this couch inside the hospital. I look around and the surrounding is quiet enough to hear the cryings and the nurses conversation. I pat my head to feel better and walk around the hallway.

I got here earlier only to find that my cousins already went home and Reynaldo's body is being prepared for cremation. I know that my uncle and my aunt Brenda stayed in a motel, since my house is still a crime scene. Detective Portman said that I could go home tomorrow after Reynaldo's cremation since the police are still finding any clues and evidence about the killer of Reynaldo.

I am so tired earlier so I have no choice but to stay here in the hospital to sleep. I didn't have time to contact my uncle to ask where they are since I can feel the tension between me and him. I don't want to upset him, I know this is all my fault.

I walk around the hospital and ask if where's the cafeteria in this hospital. They just point it to me so I followed their instruction.

While I am walking on the hallway, my uncle called me so I answered his call.

"Where are you?" He asks. "Uhm, I'm in my friends house, I stayed here since my house is still in investigation." I lied. I don't want them to know that I waited here in the hospital only to know that they are gone, in short, I don't want them to worry about me. "Meet us in the Diner." He said, but before I ask him why, he hand up the phone.

I take a deep breath so I step back and continued my way walk too ge tout of here in the Hospital.

Until now, I couldn't process the things that happened yesterday. That is just too much. Is the priest right? Maybe Lucy Sable is following me since I said her name.

But I am not so stupid to believe in those assumptions, I am not a child to believe in ghost and curses and witches. I only believe in light, not the other side of the light, I mean, I don't believe in the darkness.

But dad said that Lucy Sable is real, and that she really is a witch.

Well maybe before, but in this timeline, in this year, no one believes to Lucy Sable, people didn't even know who Lucy sable is, because they didn't know the history of this town, they are not interested to know what happened 133 years ago. I mean, if my dad didn't told that story to me, maybe I am still clueless about what happened to her, about what happened 133 years ago.

I keep walking and walking until I realize that there are 3 diners here inside the WestHood, I don't know which one of them is my uncle talking about.

So I have no choice but to go to the three of them.

So I keep walking and reached the first Diner near at the hospital.

'Star Diner' is the name of the diner that I am right now. They are serving a whole meal, but only for the people of the hospital, it's either a nurse, a doctor, a patient or someone who's relative too the patient.

This diner supposed to be inside the hospital, because the owner of this diner and the hospital is just one, but the owner thinks that there's a cafeteria already inside the hospital, so what is the purpose of a diner too? So they build this diner outside the hospital, but only for the 'Hospital People'.

This diner is always full, since the hospital is always full.

I don't really get why there are a lot of patients every day in that hospital, like, there's always a patient getting to the ER, every day!

I look outside the window to see if Uncle is there but he's not there so I went to the second Diner which is near at the school.

They called it 'Hopscream'.

At first I thought you're going to die when you ate there because of the word scream in Hopscream, but they said that the reason why it is name Hopscream is because when you ate their flavorful snacks, you will scream of satisfaction.

Here in Hopscream, they only served cold snacks, like Milktea, Iced Coffee, Ice Cream, and any other cold snacks. Usually the customer here is always a student. The owner of this diner is very smart because they build this diner near at the school where they know that the students always want a snacks, specially an ice cream.

I look outside the window but uncle is not there either.

So my last chance finding uncle is in the last diner.

'Mcdonalds' is the name of the last diner.

At least in this big town called WestHood have a mcdonalds inside.

It is near the entrance of the town, so if someone is coming inside the town or going out of the town, they will always go to mcdonads.

I went inside but Uncle is not there either...

So where is uncle?

I am so hungry because I haven't eaten anything so I just ordered a medium size of fries and a mc coffee. After I received my order uncle texted me to meet at the Star Diner near at the hospital because they are going to witness how Reynaldo will be cremated.

I just take a deep breath and just ate the foods that I ordered while I am walking on the streets. I arrived at the Star Diner after walking for almost 30 minutes. I already ate the fires and I am very hungry.

I went inside and found my uncle sitting there.

"I'm sorry I took too long." I said after I sat down in front of him. He just smiled and gave me a food of plate. "I am sorry for what I said and for ignoring you Jackson." He said. I just nodded and smiled. "I understand uncle, I should be the one saying sorry to you, because of me.."

I did not finished my sentence when he hold my hand.

"It wasn't your fault Jackson. You are like a son to me." He said. "So what do you want to talk about?" I ask him. "We are leaving tomorrow as soon as we get Reynaldo's ashes. I want you to come with us. I already lost one son, I can't lost you too because you are staying here in this cursed town." Uncle said.

I take a deep breath.

If I come with them, I'll leave Chase body to C without him knowing that I leave, then I am really getting away with murder, since I didn't leave any proof and evidence that I killed him. And in fact, if I leave this town, they won't be suspicious of me, they wont think that I leave because I am trying to get away with murder, but because my cousin just died and they want me to come with them in California.

Then that is just the perfect 'Get Away With Murder'

After that, I don't need to be stressed out about how I am going to expose chase body without them getting being suspicious about me.

I think God gave me a way to get out of her clean.

Then, I have to say goodbye.

Goodbye

"Are you sure about your plan?" Henry asks me just after I told him my plan to escape. "Hmm." I nodded. He looks worried and scared at the same time, maybe because he is thinking that if I leave, every proofs and evidence that we left, which is probably have a zero percent chance because we didn't leave any proof, will all point out to him.

But I am not going to make it happen.

Henry is my best friend, he is my family, family take care of each other, so I will take care of Henry. I am not going to make it happen. No matter what happens, I will save Henry and put him out of my mess.

This is my mess, not him, not others, mine.

"Don't worry henry, I will promise that my crimes is mine only, not yours, not others, only mine." I said. He smiled at me, I miss his smile. The last time I saw him smile is before the game Night, but after the game night, after what I did, I barely saw him smile, he even put himself distance away from me. He may not show it, but I could feel it. Before, we go to Hopscream together and watch movie in my house every Friday and after school, but now, he always has an excuse, we only hang together for maybe twice a week.

He was shocked when I hug him tight.

"I'm sorry. I really am! I don't know what to do Henry, I'm mess up, my head is full of thoughts, so much thoughts that I couldn't even think right. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I am begging you, please." I said while hugging him.

I cried that time, so much tears that in the end, Henry's shirt is real wet like it got soaked on a bowl of water.

You see, man can cry, boys can cry, we are human, we can show our real emotion, but not our real intentions.

When you're in pain, you have so much thoughts inside of you but that thoughts are just stuck inside of you, you couldn't talk, you couldn't think right, you couldn't mmake your own actions, because you are stuck in that pain.

I do believe, that the pain of breakup is different than the pain of goodbye.

Well, it is still depends on what kind of goodbye pain you have.

Is it a Goodbye Lover? Goodbye Fiends? Goodbye loved ones? Goodbye of someone who just died? Goodbye forever...

There are lots of goodbyes and pain out there, different kinds of pain, different kinds of Goodbye, but they have on think in common. Sadness

You see, no matter how worst your goodbye is, no matter worse the pain you are feeling, they are all sadness. They won't go.

Who is that stupid person that says there is no Good in Goodbye?

Because, admit it or not, There's always good in goodbye.

"I am not mad at you Jackson. I just couldn't accept the fact that you killed someone, someone you love." He said. He pushes me away from him but he forces me to look at him. "But, like what we said before, no matter what happens, I am your best friend, you are my best friend, we are best friends, we go together through ups and downs, protect each other like brothers, rise each other secrets and keep the key, if one did wrong, one will sacrifice to make it right. But don't be too kind, because best friends are always their worst enemy." He said and he smiled.

I didn't notice that my tears starts to fall down again on my cheeks. I remember that promise. That is the promise we made after my mom's funeral.

"Come here now." Henry said and he widened open his arms for me to hug him.

"I'm sorry for your lost." I look to my right when Henry apologizes.

But whatever people tries to confront me, I can't stop myself from crying.

I was shocked when he wrapped his arm to my shoulder and he look at me.

"We are neighbor but we don't talk. I don't want to be your enemy, so I will make you my new best friend." He said with a smile on his face.

This kid is annoying sometimes, he always knock on our house door and invites me to play with him, he always have this soccer ball everywhere, I do think he likes ball.

Even his smile disgust me, in his young age, his parents agreed to have him a braces! Well, his teeth is not perfect, his teeth is like a... Like the teeth of a shark who got punch by a whale. But I can't deny, his teeth is the only one that is not perfect, because everything about is so perfect.

His perfect face, he even has a jawline in his young age, he has a brown eyes that when ever the sun touches, it always shine like a dirty gold, his smile is perfect too, he is very white, even his unperfect british accent sounds like very perfect to me, he is tall too, we have the same height, but I can tell that when we grew up, he will be taller than me.

Even though how annoyed I am to him, this is the first time I felt peace within him, I felt safe, I felt like I have a friend.

I don't usually have a friend because they are calling my family a witch, because my mother's last name is Sable, like the last name of the girl my dad told me, Lucy Sable. And beside that, they don't want to be friends with a kid who's family is broken. I don't want to hate my dad about it, it is the other woman's fault why my parents broke up. That's why I promise to myself that I will use my father's last name from now on, Hall.

So today, I maybe say goodbye to my mom forever, but today is the start of my new life Chapter.

I'm going to have a friend and my name will officially be Jackson Hall.

"No matter what happens, I am your best friend, you are my best friend, we are best friends, we go together through ups and downs, protect each other like brothers, rise each other secrets and keep the key, if one did wrong, one will sacrifice to make it right. But don't be too kind, because best friends are always their worst enemy." I look to Henry when he said that. He smiled so I smiled back.

At least now, I have henry, I feel safe and I feel relieve about my mother's death.