Defend Me, Attorney by Josh Gonzales

“If pleading guilty means protecting you, I will.”

Nasa kanto ako.

Napangisi ako nang makita ang text ng kaibigan ko. Tall, smart, not-so-dark, but undeniably handsome. Lahat na nga siguro ng nakakita sa kaibigan kong si Traise ay ganoon siya i-describe.

Aside from having an admirable personality, he was also a model student. Pero lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat, hiding beneath his calculated façade was a monster raised by his dark environment.

Traise actually grew up being physically abused by his father. Ang nakakainis pa, maging ang nanay niya ay biktima rin ng pang-aabuso.

Everything about him was perfect if we wouldn’t talk about his family at all.

On my way, sagot ko bago tuluyang lumabas ng bahay.

Nang gabing iyon, nakapagdesisyon na akong aminin kay Traise ang nararamdaman ko para sa kanya. I have been wanting to confess my love for him. And his recent actions were giving me signs that maybe, he felt the same way, too.

He showed up, we talked, and just as I expected, he confessed something.

Pero imbes na matuwa at kiligin, takot ang bumalot sa akin.

In the hushed and melancholic dark of the night, instead of summoning the god of love, the almost perfect guy painted the sky with blood.

Traise killed his dad.