Page 83 of His Black Onyx

"A prank?" she repeats. "I'd hardly call it that. What we did was much more serious, more dangerous. I helped him do something terrible to her. I watched my friend suffer, I helped make her suffer! It was the worst thing I've ever done in my life, and even though it all ended well in the end, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself."

She huffs, lowering her eyes for a moment before she turns to me, a sad smile gracing her features.

"I thought it was karma coming back at me," she explains. "I thought I deserved to have this happen to me. And maybe, I do."

I let her words sink in, trying to make sense of the vague hints she's been giving me. It's hard to imagine her to even be capable of doing something terrible to anybody. She's not like Lailah, not like us. And now she wants to tell me there's a trait in her, a misdeed that's so terrible she can't forgive herself?

"Did you friend forgive you?"

She nods immediately, but doesn't look convinced when she speaks.

"She does, but that's just because she's so different to me," she whispers. "We've known each other for most of our lives, and I've always admired her for her courage. She has dared so much more than I ever have. But you know what?"

The expression on her face changes, turning weirdly serious and intense, kissed with a hint of silliness and mischief.

"I'm sure she'd be impressed if she could see me now," she continues. "And maybe it was karma that brought me here, but in a different way than I thought. Maybe it's not a punishment..."

She stops speaking as her focus shifts. Her gazes trails past me, latching on to something—or rather someone—at the same time as I hear hurried steps approaching from behind my back.

I turn around to find Mike running toward us, a deja vu washing over me when I see his aghast face.

And it only gets worse when he speaks.

"Quick!" he exclaims, waving me closer. "It's Lailah."

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