When Hate Writes Back
Chapter 17 — The Reveal
It was a quiet afternoon, the kind where the sunlight slanted lazily across the classroom, making everything feel almost surreal.
I had been typing furiously to my pen pal, venting about some minor annoyance Keifer had done that morning. Every word I wrote felt heavy, electric — the words of someone I trusted completely, someone who had always known me in ways no one else had.
"I don't understand him. He does this thing… something tiny, but it matters so much. Why does he make me feel everything at once?"
Almost instantly, the reply came:
"El… it's time. You're ready to know. You've been paying attention. Look closely. Trust yourself."
I blinked. My chest tightened. Ready to know? What?
And then it happened.
Keifer walked past my desk, absentmindedly dropping his pencil onto the floor. Without thinking, I bent down to pick it up — and froze.
Because the exact words, the exact tone, the exact smirk he gave as he said, "Thanks, Jay… you always know what I need," hit me like a bolt of lightning.
Wait. No. That's… impossible.
I scrambled back to my laptop, fingers shaking as I typed a single, frantic question to my pen pal:
"It's… you, isn't it?"
The reply appeared instantly:
"Yes. It's me."
The words blurred before my eyes. My heart raced so fast I thought it would burst from my chest. Keifer. My pen pal. The boy I'd hated. The boy I'd loved without knowing him. All in one.
I stared at him across the classroom. He was completely oblivious, leaning back in his chair, smirking at some random comment from another student.
My thoughts scattered. He's the one. He's been the one all along. And he has no idea I know.
I had to see for myself. I waited until after class, heart hammering, fingers trembling. He lingered by his locker, seemingly unaware of my presence. I approached cautiously.
"Keifer," I said softly, voice shaky. He looked up.
"Yes?" His expression was casual, entirely unaware of the storm in my chest.
I took a deep breath. "You're my pen pal."
He blinked. Silence. Then a slow, stunned grin spread across his face. "I… I am?"
My heart skipped a beat. "Yes. You've been writing to me all these years. You didn't know it was me at school."
His smirk softened, eyes widening slightly. "I… I had no idea. All this time… it was you?"
Tears pricked my eyes. Relief, joy, disbelief — everything collided. "Yes," I whispered. "It was me. And I… I fell in love with you without even knowing who you were."
His expression shifted, sincerity replacing his usual smirk. "Jay… I've been falling for you too. I just… never knew how to tell you."
For the first time, the barrier between online and offline, between hate and love, shattered.
I laughed — a shaky, breathless laugh — and he grinned, the kind of genuine grin that made my chest ache.
The boy I hated. The boy I loved online. The boy I'd been falling for without knowing him… was standing right in front of me.
Oblivious. Completely oblivious… until now.