UTOY and Egay who are now on the street saw everything. That was the most terrifying moment of their lives.

Maine on the other hand rushed down with a phone on her ears calling 911. She got to the bottom and went straight to Alvin trying to revive him and he did. He opened his eyes filled with tears.

"Alvin, hold on okay. The ambulance is on his way now." She is crying so hard. She's a trauma nurse, she had seen so many of this incident and it didn't rattle her. But this one is different. She's starting to get him off of that ledge. She was so sure that things are going good but fate played it's evil game.

"A-ate..." Alvin made a sound.

"Yes, Alvin. I'm here. I will take you to the hospital. Don't speak too much, okay. Save your strength, okay. Ate is here." She was crying like there is no tomorrow, especially when he called him Ate instead of miss.

"I..." Alvin tried to speak again but coughed instead. Maine panicked more. First time in her life she panicked like this. "I'm..." And he coughed again. Maine held his hand tight. She heard the ambulance.

"Shhh. It's okay." She said, trying to stop him from talking.

"I-i'm sorry, A-ate." If her heart was being cut into pieces earlier, now, there's nothing left to it but pain, indescribable pain.

"I forgive you. Be strong for Ate, okay. I will be here." She said between tears. She saw Alvin smile weakly. She felt her heart constrict. She is really heartbroken. She slightly jump when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Miss, will take over from here." It was the EMT lady. She got up and stepped back a bit.

"Ate, sorry. Here is your bike." Egay came with her motorcycle. She saw the scratches on one side of it and the broken headlight. She cried more.

"Time of death... 1428 hrs." Maine clutched her chest when she heard that Alvin died. She's now more broken than before she met him.

"No. No. No. No no no!" She's almost hysterical but can't do anything. If only she just let go of her bike and didn't chase after them, maybe, just maybe, Alvin is still alive.

Not even a minute after the EMT declared Alvin dead, a woman came running and crying, wailing and calling out Alvin's name. Behind her is Liit, also crying.

"ALVIN! My son!" Maine stepped back more before she fell backward as the lady pushed everyone, including her, out of her way to get to Alvin.

"Alvin, anak! Who did this to you?!" Crying and yelling. Egay and Utoy were quietly crying next to Maine.

"She did!" Liit pointed at Maine with an angry look. The lady stood up to grab her but was quickly stopped by a girl, followed by Egay and Utoy. They were so quick to block the lady.

"No, Nanay Nancy!" Utoy yelled while stopping the lady. "She didn't do it!" He tried explaining.

"Don't cover up for her, Utoy! How could you?! Alvin was your friend!" Aling Nancy was trying to get to Maine but Utoy and Egay were stopping her. They both saw what happened and it was all an accident.

"Nanay Nancy, please! Will you listen to us!" Egay asked pleadingly. But Nancy is not listening to them.

"I don't believe you! Liit said that this woman tried to kill you, too and she succeeded with my son!" She swung her hand again to reach for Maine. Naine did not move an inch. Utoy and Egay were very quick to block her slap. Egay took it instead which made Aling Nancy really furious.

The lady is right about her. She killed Alvin. If she didn't run after them, if she just let the bike go, then this won't happen. Alvin will still be alive and this woman won't be hurting.

"I'm sorry." Are the only words escaped from her lips. She is blaming herself, too. What else is there? She caused her parents to separate. She caused her grandparents to die. And now, Alvin. Every time she gets close to someone whether it is by passing or for long, something always bad happens to them.

Luisa lost the man she loves because of knowing her. Few weeks after they met, Luisa's boyfriend from high school broke up with her after becoming friends with her. She may not have asked for the reason why, but she's very sure that she's the reason.

"Ma'am, we all saw what happened. Your son lost his grip on the rope he was holding on and fell backwards which led to him plunging down. We are more to blame than her. We didn't get here in time to save him from falling." A man's voice said. Maine doesn't know who's talking. All that she wanted to do is to leave the scene and burrow under her pillows and blanket, she'll be safe there.

"I don't care what you saw? I believe that this woman killed my son! She pushed him to his death!" Aling Nancy is really enraged and nobody knows, not even Utoy and Egay, where her anger coming from.

They haven't seen her this angry before. She is the most loving person they know in the projects. Well, they can understand why she's furious, her son, Alvin, just died in a horrible way, of course she will be inflamed. It seems there's more to it than meets the eye.

"Liit, what did you tell her?!" Egay whispered to their friend.

"I told her that that lady killed Alvin!" Liit said in between sobs.

"That's the thing, Liit, she didn't!" Utoy interrupted Egay. "Alvin slipped and fell. Nobody pushed him!" He added.

"I don't care what really happened! She chased us, he died, it's her fault! She did it!" Liit was so adamant and so hard-headed with what he believes.

"You're an idiot, Liit! It was not her fault that Alvin died, it was ours! It was yours actually!" Utoy said in tears, guilty as can be.

"Okay then, I dare you to tell her!" Utoy is so furious that Liit is challenging him. "Tell Nanay Nancy that we dared Mr. Good Boy into stealing that lady's motorcycle that led to his death. Go! Tell her!" Egay and Utoy were taken aback by Liit's change of demeanor. They are both embroiled in his bitter challenge and what he calls Alvin, Mr. Good Boy.

"You are a jerk!" Utoy charged at him letting go of Aling Nancy's hand to grab Liit's collar with a purpose to punch him. "There was no ours, it was you who dared him." Egay added on. Aling Nancy took a shot at Maine but Egay was still quick to hug Nanay Nancy. She missed Maine, that made her furious even more.

"Go ahead! Hit me!" Liit continued to egg Utoy on, who's very angry right now. "Hit me! I will tell Nanay Nancy that you helped that lady push Alvin off of that ledge." His punch was left hanging in the air. Utoy gritted his teeth. He can't believe that the youngest of them all is the most evil one, too.

"I can't believe you, asshole!" Utoy became very angry with him, he pushed Liit hard. He fell to the ground. "We're not yet done." He added on as Liit lay on the ground hurting.

"We are far more guilty than her, idiot! and you know that!" Egay said between gritting teeth. "I hope you can sleep well every night." They are both sad for Alvin but they are both fuming for Liit.

The three were having their own scene on the side but not forgetting to hold on Nancy. They continue to stop her from hurting Maine.

"The likes of you are the one who took my family away from me!" Aling Nancy is crying and wailing and screaming out so loud still wanting to hurt Maine but couldn't because Egay is holding her tight. "Get your hands off of me, Egay!" Nanay Nancy added, wrestling Egay to get her hands free.

"I'm so sorry." Maine continued to apologize for the things that she didn't do. Her cry sounds so remorseful and hurt.

"You're sorry won't bring my son back! I want you to die, too!" The more she wanted to charge to harm her the way Maine hurt her son, the more Egay and Utoy held her back. And everytime that happens, she gives them a slap in the face or which part of the body that is closer and reachable to her. They took all the hit like a champ

Maine is so hurt seeing Aling Nancy angry and in tears. Yes, she was able to get her bike back but at what cost? Alvin, losing his life.

She remembered the faces of the firemen that were just standing while she was asking for help. She slowly looked up and saw their stupid guilty faces. She felt the anger rising up from the pit of her stomach to her head.

"You! All of you! Where were you when I was asking for help?! All of you just stood there, watching me as I scrambled to get my motorcycle? All of you just stood there showcasing your faces! And you call yourselves firemen?!" She stared at them one by one in the face and none of the five firemen in front of her said a single word. They are as guilty as her to cause this young man's life.

Aling Nancy got so tired fighting with Egay and Utoy to pass through to get to Maine that he faced his son who's being carried out by the emergency response team.

"Alvin! My son!" She wept and wept till she got inside the ambulance.

Maine was so hurt and so guilty, she decided to leave the place. She was able to weave through the crowd and went straight to her bike. She left the scene without turning back till she got four blocks away, she then stopped at a corner. She gets off her motorcycle to sit on the ground and poured her heart out.

"This will be the last time a Nicomaine Mendoza hurt or inflict pain on others. This will be the last time."

__________
End of TPA 4: The Cause

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💖 ~ Ms J ~ 💖
12.03.19

The Periwinkle Affair
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August 26, 2019