Otaku for Omori

I swallowed. My voice was dry, and talking was hard. I took a deep breath.

They were looking at me. Expecting. I had to tell them the truth.

The words wouldn't come.

I breathed again. Lifted up my hands. They were shaking too much to spell anything. Was I shaking?

Someone guided me over to a chair. It was Hero, I think. I sat down. He sat beside me.

"Sunny," He said. I looked at him. "If it's too hard to tell us, you can wait, okay?"

I shook my head. "No, I- I need to te-tell you."

They need to know the truth.

"You need to-to know what act-actually happened." I swallowed, my hands gripping the edge of my shorts. "T-to- to Ma- Mari."

The room felt even quieter now.

"Y- you mean she- she didn't-"

I shook my head, and Aubrey cut herself off. They weren't talking much, which should've made this easier, but I was having even more trouble telling them.

"We- we were ar- arguing." I closed my eyes. My fingers against the fabric of my shorts grounded me, a little. "A- about my- my vi-v- violin playing."

I smoothed my hands out, phantom pains taking over my fingers. Gripping stuff like that wasn't gonna help.

"I- I'd broke it. Th- thrown it down the- the stairs." I swallowed. "M-Mari was- she was an- angry. We had th- the recital, a- nd I needed to- to play. But I- I was- she was making me pra -actice too much. I di- didn't want to play anymore."

No one was speaking but me. This was the most I'd spoken in… I don't know how long. It was exhausting. 

"We- we got into an ar- argument. The- there was ye- yelling, a- and then I- I-I pushed her."

I stopped, making myself breathe. I wrapped my arms around myself. I tried to close my eyes even tighter. I could feel the tears building up.

"Sh- she fell down the st- stairs. She fell and she landed on- on my violin and- and I- I went down a- nd she wasn't mo- moving. I- I don't remember everything a- after that… bu- but then Ba- Basil found me a- and he- he helped me do the-" I swallow.

"Set up everything. Th- that's what happened. That's the- the truth."

No one said anything. I pulled my knees to my chest, looking at everyone, trying to breathe. 

It was hard to breathe.

Hero stood up and I jerked up, watching him walk out of the room. I finally started crying, the tears falling and my body starting to shake.

"I- I'm so- orry, I- I didn't do it o- on purpose I- I'm sorry I'm sorry-"

I stopped talking, my voice finally giving out. I buried my head between by knees, trying to calm down.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I tensed.

"Sunny, it's Kel, alright?" I focused on Kel's voice, nodding slightly to let him know I heard him. "Can you look at me?"

I don't do anything for a moment,  but then I look at Kel, slowly. He's crying, too.

"Okay. Hi." Kel tried to smile, but it didn't work. "No one is mad at you, okay? Hero just- he needs time to process. It was an accident. He's not mad at you. We're not mad at you. Okay?"

I look at Kel, who is trying to help me after I told him what I did, who still cares, and I nod.