Hera let go when ra attempted to pull away. The awkwardness returned the moment they made eye contact. Hera noticed how ra''s eyes were wet with tears. Her hand reached out to wipe the dampness pooling around her cheekbones, but ra moved her face away. Biting her lip, Hera swallowed the bitterness coating over her tongue.


    Hera moved back, leaning her hip against the table, her hands clutched the edges for support. Shooting a nervous smile at the girl who mirrored the anxious look on her face, Hera stared at the photograph. Her eyes scanned every inch of Nathan''s face, noticing the light in his brown eyes and his grin was so contagious.


    Taking a deep breath, Hera bit back the sob that hurt the inside of her throat. "It''s been two years, ra. I missed him too. I know I don''t deserve it, but I would do anything to earn his forgiveness," Hera admitted, her tone heavy with guilt. ra scoffed, not giving any heed to her pleading.. "Took you two years to admit," ra said, her voice spitting venom.


    Hera winced at the harsh tone, and she nodded. "I deserve your hate," she agreed, her eyes downcast with shame. "Does he hate me too?" she asked, sounding too timid. "Does he talk about me?" her tone was hopeful. ra stared at her for a few seconds without answering her questions. Her sad eyes seemed so empty, Hera couldn''t face them while her best friend judged her.


    "As I told you, you''re toote to apologise. You can''t fix anything, Hera," her friend spoke with disinterest, her tone dismissing. ra turned around to walk away, but Hera was quick to grab her hand. She enveloped it with both of her hands, holding tight and secure between them and hugged it to her chest. "Give me a chance, ra. Don''t you think I''ve suffered enough?" Hera pleaded.


    Her best friend smiled at her, but Hera couldn''t feel any warmth in it because ra''s cold stare mocked her. "Are you sure, Hera, you have your boyfriend''s permission to speak to me?" ra asked, her tone challenging Hera. "Ace Hunter will kill me if hees to know that I discussed things about Nate with you. Just go away, Hera," she snapped, frustrationcing her every word.


    ra was testing Hera to see if she had the guts to defy Ace Hunter. Crossing her arms in front of her, she watched while Hera contemted her choices.


    For a moment, Hera looked stunned. ra''s words scared her because she wasn''t wrong. She couldn''t ignore the result Hunter''s reaction would bring upon her friends. Hera seemed hesitating. ra scoffed and shook her head in disappointment. The look of disdain she used to wear whenever she looked at Hera was back on her face.


    It hurt Hera more, and she couldn''t stand it anymore. Her friends got hurt because of her, and Hera wanted to make it right with them.


    <em>''Hunter has agreed that he wouldn''t hurt my friends anymore, right?''</em>


    She recalled her deal with Hunter. He had to follow her rules. Still, she knew that it wouldn''t be the same with Nathan and ra''s matter. Hunter wouldn''t appreciate it and probably would also get angry. But she would worry about itter. Now that ra had taken the first step towards her, Hera wouldn''t miss this chance to rekindle their broken friendship.


    <em>''Besides, Hunter doesn''t need to know everything I do.''</em>


    Hera decided to keep it a secret for now. Eventually, she would tell him.


    She took her cell phone from her pocket and held it in front of ra. "Here, call Nate. I want to know how he is. Please let me speak to him, ra," she begged. ra eyed the expensive electronic device in Hera''s hand. She knew it could only be Ace Hunter''s gift and the realisation stirred something ugly inside her.


    ra uncrossed her arms only to push Hera''s hand away rudely. A tear slid down ra''s cheek, and she red at Hera with all the hatred she could muster.


    "As I said, you''re toote, Hera. You can''t speak to him because he''s no more," ra announced, her voice sounding hoarse as she bit back a sob. Disappointed and hurt, Hera stared at the other girl. "Please don''t say that, ra," she mumbled.


    ra snorted before a burst of sarcasticughter followed. She bit her lower lip to stop the humourless chuckle and red at Hera.


    "It''s the truth, dear Hera. Nate is no more," she said, gritting her teeth. "He died that night, on my birthday, when your monster of a boyfriend hurt him. But you know what, it''s not Ace Hunter who killed Nate. It was you. You killed him, Hera," ra used mercilessly, her index finger poking Hera''s chest.


    Hera gasped, eyes wide with shock while her hands moved to cover her mouth. She took a step back, crashing her hip against the table. Tears flew out of her eyes, running over her cheeks and settling on her uniform shirt, forming a wet spot on either side under her chin. She shook her head frantically, refusing to believe ra''s usation.


    "No, it''s not true. You''re lying. I know you are," Hera snapped at the other girl, her tone sounding harsher than she intended. "Hunter didn''t kill him," Hera said, her voice sounding determined and firm. Enraged at Hera''s statement, ra rushed at her and held her arms in a tight grip, fingertips digging harshly into her flesh. Hera winced at the pain.


    "Are you sure, Hera?" she spat the question at Hera. Her pretty face turned ugly as she red at Hera with her widened eyes, nostrils ring in anger while she spoke through her gritted teeth. "How do you know I''m lying? You weren''t there to see Nate dying. I was there witnessing everything when your boyfriend and his friends killed him," ra said, keeping her voice down as though whispering a secret.


    Pursing her lips in anger, Hera ran her palms over her cheeks, wiping her tears. She mirrored ra''s cold stare without an ounce of guilt or regret. "My boyfriend didn''t kill him," Hera stated again, putting more emphasis on the word boyfriend this time. She sounded way more defensive, but she didn''t care, even though, as ra said, she wasn''t there to witness it.


    "I know it because he told me, and Hunter never lies to me," Hera dered. "Maybe you don''t know this, but I was with Bianca, and she was on the phone with Hunter the entire time. The whole time, ra, until he reached home in the morning, she never ended the call," Hera exined, hoping ra would take back her usation.


    ra clicked her tongue andughed at her, ridiculing her logic. "How naive are you, Hera?" she asked, shaking her head in pity. "You don''t know anything, Hera, and you believe that bitch Bianca who is the root cause of everything?" ra asked, disbeliefcing her tone while disappointment clouded her eyes.


    "You don''t know what Ace Hunter and his friends did to Nate. You don''t know what they did to me," ra spoke in a calm voice as if she was stating the weather report. "Did you know I got raped that night?" she asked.