Not All Stories End All Rainbows

You thought he was dead, but there he is, right in front of you on the street, smiling at you. Oh my god...how? 

I stand there like a zombie, clueless of what is going on. His face, that chocolate-brown tanned skin, those emerald-green eyes remind me of everything. The past. The dark past. Memories of guilt flush through my body. Electric currents make my knees shake. And there- he wears a smirk on his face.

Oh yes, that is my name- Tris. I live in Monterrey, Mexico. I live, correction, used to live with my parents and my friend, Caleb. Caleb and I have been friends since I guess kindergarten. Everything was great until this one evening. A typical Sunday evening in Mexico. Busy streets, rush of people, and me out for dinner alone. 

We were just walking back home when I heard a scream from the next street. I ran with all the strength in me and was awestruck to see a bullet on my parents' head. I saw someone with a black hoodie. The black hoodie. No. No. Just no. It can't be him. No way. Then it hits me. Hits my mind. Hard. If he could disappear, why can't he be the murder? And then he left. 

I could not see him, catch him because all this was way too difficult for me to deal with. I had shattered into countless pieces. I didn't know what I was feeling, was it anger, frustration, or dismay? That was the time I needed the most support from my friend, Caleb. The same day, I ringed him but I got no response. I texted him but he left me on 'read.' The next few days I didn't attend school. After a week, I was standing in the hallway near the lockers and what do I see? Nothing. No sign of him. Deep down inside me, I knew it was Caleb who murdered my dear family. It was enough. Just enough. 

I decided to forget about everything, leave the memories, and delete the contacts. I spent the next few years looking for him, but I soon gave up.

And then today, this beautiful morning after six years, I stand outside Applebee's just waiting for my bestie, Mia. This is when I see Caleb, smirking wearing his old black hoodie. Wait what? Black hoodie...

"I have had enough, Caleb. Your game is over. I am calling the cops and let me see how far you can get this time." I yelled. With a husky voice, he patiently said, "Oh, Tris, who said I was Caleb?"

I stood there in confusion. What the hell is he trying to say? Is he implying that he got himself a surgery to look like Caleb? Is he trying to say that Caleb is nowhere to be found? 

Before I could do anything, he pulled a book, rather a diary out of his hand. A black diary. He handed it over. I opened random pages to see what it was about. I saw notes about everything. Caleb's celebration. Caleb's mathematic sessions. Caleb's poems. Caleb's thoughts. I turned to the last page:

16th July 2014

I was walking along the street when I saw Tris. She was her usual self, alone for dinner. I walked up to her but she just ran away. She just ran at the sight of me. I was perplexed. I followed her when I saw this black hoodie guy who was standing after murdering Tris's parents. It felt like a knife stabbed into my chest. I was about to run over to her when someone cupped my mouth, another black hoodie guy. Ugghhhh. I dozed out. I don't remember anything after that. Next thing I woke up and found myself in a cabin tied around a chair. I saw a knife, picked it up, and clenched my fists to cut the rope off. I quietly escaped before the two guys noticed. I decided to rush off to Tris when I bumped into the cops. They told me about those guys and how they were part of a murder gang and once they had a target, there was no chance of escape. My parents forced me to move out of the city with them of course. They asked me not to inform anyone or those guys might find me. I wanted to tell Tris, but how could I??

Oh, so...it wasn't Caleb, I should have understood and contacted him. Oh my gosh, what a terrible friend I was! I didn't even let him know...I felt my world falling apart, breaking into pieces. I filled with guilt but I knew it wasn't the time for all this. I took a last look at the page when I noticed a small scribble at the bottom of the page. It was something like 'f2f' and I knew what it meant. I was familiar with it.

When we were young, I think in the second grade, we had a diary we shared, and the password was f2f. I still had that diary with me. I unexpectedly punched the guy right in the stomach and just then I saw Mia with the cops. Oh, my bestie, she had done the best thing ever. I gave her a genuine smile. Now, we had to go to the court where we witnessed him getting sentenced to death. Before I could leave the court, the guy spoke in his husky alcoholic voice- "Don't you waste your time finding Caleb. He's dead."

At first, I didn't believe him until I realized, why would he lie? What would he get? Nothing. That meant Caleb was dead. He knew I would find the diary. He knew he wanted me to seek his death. I hurried to my home where I had stored the diary. I opened it entering the password 'f2f.' It unlocked. I flipped to the last pages but I realized the last date was 4th February 2014. How did it make sense? I still read it...and then I realized. Oh right. He had told me he had this older brother who looked like him but he was part of the city's most popular criminal gang. They exported drugs and committed murders. 

So he was the one who murdered my parents. I remember my parents talked about some criminal drug dealers and they were about to expose the gang. That is why he killed them. Then he killed Caleb because he knew about them...

Oh no. The only family- the only friend I had was dead. Just dead. I didn't realize but Mia was right next to me. She said looking at the stars, "Darling not all stars have a good destiny. Not all scars have good past." And then she looked at me and said- "And not all stories end well..."

I stared at her, I said " Huh?" She said, "Yes, not all stories have a good ending but you can get through it if you have a friend like me..." and she chuckled.