Love Is Second Best — Chapter 35: TRUTH UNFOLDS

Carmella woke up with a smile. She still refused to believe that today is their graduation day. This is the time where she will get the reward that she'd been waiting for all her life.

She stretched her limbs and smiled as she faced the mirror. She combed her hair, after that, she brushed her teeth. She's really in her greatest mood. She looked at herself again in the mirror and as she blinked her eyes, it all came back to her once more...

***flashback***

A month before this event, she remembered a time where she walked past the principal's office. It was half-opened.

"Hope, why did you do that? You should be the top one if you got perfect scores in all of the exams."

She stopped and stepped aside. The voice of their principal was too loud and she could clearly hear what they were talking about.

"Sir, there's nothing wrong. I did my best but I guess it wasn't good enough." Carmella felt a slight pinch on her heart.

What does she mean by that?

"Are you doing this because of Carmella? Hope, please reconsider. At the end of the day, it is not a charity for you to give. You also have to think about yourself."

"Sir, please judge according to grades. I am also doing all my best as a student but do not disregard what Carmella could do, too."

"Elise Hope..." Their principal tried to warn her.

"Let things be the way they used to be. Please don't worry about me, sir. I know the title will fall to those who really deserve it best."

Carmella felt footsteps going outside the office. It alerted her right away. She ran as fast as she could with tears in her eyes.

'Oh, Elise Hope, you're too much..."

***end of flashback***

She wiped her tears as she recalled that moment. It only added to her suspicion that Hope is not intending to snatch her academic rank away from her.

Instead, she's willingly giving it away, but why?

She got up and prepared for the big day that's happening especially for her. Her mom helped her prepare everything. She's even touched by her kindness because she even hired a make-up artist for her glammed up look. Bought her a pricey dress and the shoes of her dreams that she will wear under her white toga.

They reached the school grounds full of graduates. The moment that most of them have been waiting for.

The program started at three in the afternoon and ended at seven in the evening. Everyone is almost going home. However, Carmella, Kara and Elise Hope gathered inside their room with their classmates for the last time.

Hope got the second spot while Kara landed on the top ten.

"Guys, I am really proud of myself!" She shrieked, which made both of them laugh.

"Gosh, I thought you will congratulate Carmella for being the first and my rank, too." Hope replied right away.

"Duh, Carmella is already full of praises. Her rank is overrated and predictable, already. Can't you see? Nobody is even congratulating her this time because they knew how this year would end." Carmella laughed as she poked Kara on her arm.

"Ow! That hurts!" Hope chuckled as Kara poked Carmella back.

"Hey! I've never been poked by anyone before! Am I that good? Please let me experience it!"

"Shut up!" Carmella and Kara chorused that Hope couldn't help but giggle. Kara bid the two goodbye as she followed her parents. They will go to their family-owned five-star hotel for dinner. Kara also booked Carmella and Hope but they have decided to follow later. It was because many teachers and sponsors were too busy interviewing and taking photos of Hope's dad and Carmella's mom. They noticed that they were the only ones left inside the room.

Someone looked from left to right as if observing if somebody might have caught her peeking through their classroom's window.

From the outside, she could see Carmella and Hope having their heart-to-heart talk.

She saw her chance this time. Pranks are common nowadays, why not do a lock-in-the-room prank, right? She smirked as she gently closed their classroom's door and locked it using a big lock that she bought at a hardware. Nobody saw what she did. After locking Carmella and Hope inside their classroom, she kept the key inside her pocket and left the place right away.

Their parents will eventually discover that they were inside the room and let them out anyway. She just wants to have fun.

"Hey, I need to talk to you," Carmella couldn't help but cry with tears of joy. She walked towards Hope as she hugged her tight.

Hope was caught off guard she just chuckled as her way of response to what Carmella did.

"Do you have a problem?"

"You are my problem." Carmella replied in a very straightforward manner.

"What?" Her voice started to change, too.

"Why are you being good? I mean, why are you doing these things to me?"

"What things?"

"You don't have to give up being the first. You could always aim for the top, too. Why are you giving it to me?"

"Huh? Carmella, please don't talk nonsense. I am doing my best. It happened that you are too good at being on top, who am I to spoil it?"

"You silly girl," Carmella gently poked her arm that made Hope laugh a little.

"I will always support you in everything. That's what friends are for, right?" Hope answered as she gently poked Carmella back.

"Let's go out from here. I guess our parents were waiting for us now." Hope smiled as she held Carmella's hand.

"Okay," They were nearing the door when Hope felt something weird.

"Gosh, I am beginning to feel dizzy. Carmella, don't shake the chairs."

"H-Hope...the ground is shaking!"

"What?" Carmella's eyes grew wide when she felt the tremors were getting stronger and their feet were feeling it. The movement of the ground from the second floor of the building was uncontrollable at that time they could both hear shrieks to most of the people left inside the school premises.

"Hope! Don't ever leave me please! I am scared!" Carmella shouted at her as she held her hands tight.

"No, I will never!" Carmella felt Hope's hands grip hers tight. They both saw the chairs began turning down and dust from the ceilings began to fall down. They could see cracks on the walls as they began to form from the four corners of the room. The shelves began to collapse. All of a sudden, there's a strong wave of tremor that separates them. Hope was pushed on the left side, under where the metal chairs were turned down. Carmella was pushed on the right, near the door.

"Carmella! Save yourself! Go outside! Now!" Hope shouted at the top of her lungs. Carmella could see Hope's head with blood gushing down her face as she tried her best to push the chairs that covered her body on the left side of the room.

"No! I will never leave you here!" Carmella stepped back when the bookshelf near the door collapsed in front of the door that's located on the right side of the room.

The tremor stopped for a while, however, aftershocks continued. Carmella bent down on four limbs as she crawled to where Hope was located.

"D-Don't be afraid, I am here now." They both found themselves crying because of the horror that instantly happened. There was a total blackout and they were unfortunate enough because their classroom was located inside an old building already.

With all of her strength left within her, Carmella tried getting up and lifted the chairs that almost covered Hope's entire body.

"Hope, please answer me! Are you there?"

"Carmella, thank you," she heard a weak voice that responded to her right away.

"I'm here, look! I am a wonder woman!" She chuckled as she lifted more metal chairs as fast as she could and threw it to the other side. Carmella tried to joke around despite her knees shaking uncontrollably. She could hear Hope's weak chuckle, too.

She cried silently as she tried to move fast. She has to save her best friend this time. She has to repay her kindness, whatever it takes.

Even if it will cost her life this time.

She gently pulled her under the chairs. She assisted her to stand up and put her arms around her shoulders as they headed towards the door.

They felt tremors of aftershocks again. This time, it made them fall on the floor. Carmella felt the wall where the glass window began to crack.

'No...the glass window will break!" She felt her heart beat really fast as the thoughts rushed from within her. She suddenly pushed Hope away from the window before the fine crystals fell to most parts of her body including her eyes.

"Carmella!" Hope's loud wailing, shouting her name was the last word she heard before everything went blank.