19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOxfbYHNGJ
They weren’t friends.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6waLwFg0G
They weren’t enemies.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPStwif9TC6
They were something worse—two girls who understood each other too well.
The school trip was supposed to be uneventful.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbaqUfGTUl
A three-day leadership retreat in Tagaytay.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TGqbbwBXs
Team-building games. Campfire circles. Trust falls.
Ruthie didn’t trust anyone enough to fall.
And Marian?
She liked watching people drop.
By the second night, everyone was exhausted.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpsWV1Kd9W
The sky threatened rain.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWi2xkjpIA
But the facilitators still insisted on outdoor reflections by the bonfire.
Ruthie sat on the edge of the group, hoodie pulled tight, headphones in.
She wasn’t listening to music.
She was listening for trouble.
And trouble always finds Marian.
It started when Marian wandered off after lights out.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3luiPA1EYG
No one noticed.
Except Ruthie.
She saw the flicker of a flashlight.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEbTtCVVST
Saw Marian follow one of the male upperclassmen behind the mess hall.
And Ruthie’s gut screamed.
Something’s off.
She stood. Followed. Quiet as breath.
Turned the corner—and froze.
Marian’s back was against the wall.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EQFoWAMnZ
The boy—Kiko, varsity swimmer, all charm and arrogance—had one hand beside her head. The other creeping up her thigh.
“Akala ko ba game ka, Marian?”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SxCfIAyK4
“I just said—stop muna.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EAoEupdsK
“Eh kanina, landi-landi mo.”
“Kiko,” she said, voice cracking. “I said no.”
He didn’t move.
Ruthie did.
“Bitawan mo siya.”
Kiko turned, startled. “Ano ka ba—”
He didn’t get to finish.
Ruthie grabbed a fallen broomstick and swung. Hard.
It cracked against his side. He doubled over, cursing.
Marian gasped.
“Umalis ka na,” Ruthie said.
And Kiko, stunned and humiliated, did.
For a moment, it was just them.
Two girls. One shaking. One still burning.
“You okay?” Ruthie asked, chest rising and falling.
Marian didn’t answer. Just looked at her with something unreadable.
Gratitude? Shame? Fury?
“You’re welcome,” Ruthie muttered, turning to go.
She thought it would end there.
But the fox always has another trick.
The next day, rumors spread fast.
“Narinig mo ba? Marian almost got attacked last night daw.”
“Who saved her?”
“Si Jay! Sabi nila, siya raw ‘yung dumating in time.”
Ruthie’s spoon froze mid-air.
Jay?
That’s not what happened.
She confronted Marian by the wash area.
“Really? Siya raw ang sumagip sa’yo?”
Marian turned slowly, lip gloss flawless, eyes smug.
“Bakit? Gusto mong ipagsigawan na ikaw ‘yung hero ko?”
“Hindi ako naghahanap ng credit. Gusto ko lang ng totoo.”
Marian leaned in, voice like poison in silk.
“Sometimes, truth ruins the story.”
Ruthie clenched her fists.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“You should’ve let him touch me,” Marian said softly. “Then maybe I’d owe you.”
Ruthie stared at her. “You do.”
“No. You chose to get involved. That’s on you.”
“He could’ve—”
“But he didn’t.”
Silence stretched between them like a blade.
Then Marian smiled sweetly.
“Besides, you said nothing. No one knows. That makes you just like me.”
And that was it.
Ruthie walked away.
Marian walked taller.
Back in her bunk, Ruthie wrote in her journal:
“I didn’t save her to be thanked.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNC1suvWuG
I saved her because no one else would.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPF7tGSbUR
But I won’t forget this.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEqps97h5y
The fox only looks cute until it draws blood.”
That night, Jay found her watching the stars alone.
“You okay?”
“Do I look okay?”
“You look like you want to burn the place down.”
Ruthie didn’t answer.
Jay sat beside her.
“They said I saved Marian last night.”
“You didn’t.”
“I know.”
“But you didn’t correct them.”
Jay looked away. Guilty.
“Didn’t want to make it worse for her.”
Ruthie let out a bitter laugh.
“You really believe she’s the victim?”
“I believe you care more than you admit.”
She didn’t deny it.
But caring doesn’t mean forgiving.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsivyB4FDC
And silence isn’t the same as peace.
Later, when everyone else slept, Ruthie stared at Marian’s tent.
Inside it slept a girl with nine lives and no conscience.
And Ruthie?
She wasn’t done yet.
ns216.73.216.254da2“You owe me, fox.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dRPjFQlLF
You just don’t know it’s already collecting interest.
