Page 5 of All Our Secrets

PEYBUNNY33: KING? WHERE ARE YOU?

PEYBUNNY33: I JUST NEED TO KNOW ONE THING.

PEYBUNNY33: WAS IT YOU? ARE YOU THE KING I MET? THEODORE’S FRIEND?

PEYBUNNY33: YOU CAN’T DISAPPEAR.

PEYBUNNY33: GOD, IT IS YOU, AIN’T IT?

PEYBUNNY33: I DON’T KNOW ANYMORE. I WAS SO SURE… BUT IT’S BEEN A MONTH. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT I DID TO MAKE YOU IGNORE ME.

PEYBUNNY33: YOU’RE REALLY NOT HIM? OF COURSE NOT. YOU WOULDN’T BE SO CRUEL AS TO PRETEND.

PEYBUNNY33: I’M SORRY. I HOPE YOU’RE ALIVE, AND I PRAY WHATEVER LIFE HAS THROWN AT YOU ISN’T TOO HARD.

PEYBUNNY33: I CAN’T PLAY ANYTHING WITHOUT YOU. NOTHING’S FUN ANYMORE.

PEYBUNNY33: BYE KING.

PEYBUNNY32 LEFT THE PARTY CHAT.

The controller dropped to the floor with a thud. Theodore had mentioned how much she kept bringing up her King and me. About how similar our voices were. She’d even asked me, and I lied. But reading these messages was like someone throwing a bucket of cold water at me. I never realized how much she believed I was her gaming pal until then.

I did more than fuck up. I ruined my life. There was no way she’d forgive me.Icouldn’t forgive me.

She was at the tip of my fingers—righttherewaiting for me to see these messages, but I thought I couldn’t compete with Theodore.

I’d lived long enough with this anguish. I couldn’t do it anymore. I would never give up on something I wanted in life. Especially her.

Never.

Fucking.

Again.

Swallowing my nerves, I picked up the controller.

MOODYKING1 ADDED PEYBUNNY33 TO PARTY CHAT.

MOODYKING1: I DON’T KNOW IF YOU EVEN STILL HAVE YOUR PLAYSTATION.

MOODYKING1: WE NEED TO TALK.

MOODYKING1: I MADE A MISTAKE.

MOODYKING1: PEYTON?

MOODYKING1: FUCK. YOU DON’T GET ONLINE ANYMORE, DO YOU?

MOODYKING1: I HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY. MOSTLY ABOUT ME. WHO I AM. I’M GOING TO RUIN EVERYTHING…

MOODYKING1: WHEN YOU FINALLY SEE THIS, I HOPE YOU FORGIVE ME.

Chapter Two:

the funeral

Peyton

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