“Sometimes reality is glaringly obvious right in front of us, yet our hearts still refuse to believe it.”
“Grab.”
Nadeera’s right hand quickly wrapped around Rangga’s left arm, trying to stop him.
“Wait!” Nadeera called.
“I want to talk to you for a minute,” she pleaded.
“What do you want to talk about?” Rangga shot back as he pulled his arm away from Nadeera.
“Are you really dating that senior?” she asked.
Please say no. Please, I’m begging you!
“Yeah.”
The short, concise, and crystal-clear answer instantly made both of Nadeera’s knees go weak, as if she’d been struck by lightning. Just one word made her heart ache so badly. Nadeera couldn’t say anything else. Her chest felt so tight that she could barely breathe. Realizing how shocked she was, Rangga immediately turned around and walked away, leaving Nadeera behind just like that.
Nadeera couldn’t hold back the tears pooling in her eyes. One drop after another fell, followed by the next. Her tear-filled eyes remained fixed on Rangga’s back as he grew farther and farther away. Seeing this, Karin and Rita quickly wrapped their arms around Nadeera from behind and tried to comfort her.
“Nad, it’s okay. It’s okay, Nad. We’re here for you,” Karin said as she hugged Nadeera.
“Yeah, Nad. Go ahead and cry as loud as you want. No one can hear you,” Rita added.
Nadeera remained silent and statue-still in her best friends’ arms, but her tears never stopped falling. She didn’t want to believe it, but Rangga had said it so clearly. She still couldn’t accept it and felt that Rangga had lied to her.
“No, this isn’t true. Rangga is lying. He isn’t seriously dating Risa. He’s definitely just still mad at me and taking it out on her,” she protested while wiping away her tears.
“Enough, Nad. It’s okay,” Karin said, trying to calm Nadeera down.
“I know, Rin. I saw it in his eyes. He doesn’t love that girl,” Nadeera explained, pulling away from Karin and Rita’s embrace.
“If you’re really sure, what are you going to do now, Nad?” Rita asked.
“I actually don’t want to do this, but I can’t hold back what’s stirring inside me. Hahaha.” Nadeera began to perk up.
“Will you two still support me?” Nadeera asked.
“Of course. Even if it’s a crazy idea, I guess we can give it a try. Hahaha,” Karin replied.
“If you didn’t have us, how could you do it, Nad? Hahaha. Right, Rin?” Rita chimed in.
“Of course. Come on, let’s sit down first. We need to make a plan to take down the enemy!” Karin declared in an exaggerated tone to Rita and Nadeera, who had returned to her usual energetic self.
“Ah, yes, Captain,” Nadeera replied, saluting Karin before sitting beside her. Rita followed.
“So what do we do now?” Rita asked.
No one answered. Instead, they stared at one another, trapped in confusion. Then, five seconds later, they all burst out laughing at the same time.
“She’s right. What are we supposed to do?” Karin asked after she’d laughed to her heart’s content, scratching her non-itchy head.
“I have no idea. I’m confused too. I don’t know anything about Risa, and I haven’t seen Rangga in five years,” Nadeera muttered dejectedly.
“Did Rangga ever have a girlfriend before?” she asked.
“I’ve never heard of Rangga dating anyone. What about you, Rit? You’re usually up to date on all the latest news,” Karin asked.
“Oh, you know me so well, Rin. Hehehe. Back in middle school, I often heard about girls trying to get close to him, but he never gave any of them the time of day. I was shocked when I heard Rangga was dating Risa. I used to think Rangga didn’t even like girls,” Rita said at length.
“What are you talking about? He’s not like that. He likes girls. He obviously liked me back then,” Nadeera argued passionately.
“Yeah, yeah, Nad. We believe you,” Karin and Rita said together.
“Hehehe.”
“But Rit, I think he’s only dating Risa to make me jealous. Before I moved here, he rejected Risa, right? Then, when I came back and kept chasing after him, he suddenly accepted her,” Nadeera explained.
“Yeah, Nad. Maybe he’s only doing it to make you stay away from him,” Rita added.
“Hmm, that could be it. But why would he do that? If he still liked you, shouldn’t he be happy that you came back?” Karin pointed out.
“Exactly, Nad. What Karin said,” Rita agreed.
“Maybe he’s still mad at me,” Nadeera said weakly.
“What did you do to make Rangga act like that, Nad?” Karin asked.
“I don’t know for sure either, Rin. I’ve asked him to talk about it so many times, but he always avoids me,” Nadeera said, lowering her head even further.
“Okay, okay. The important thing is to make a plan so the two of you can talk about it. How about that? Then everything will be clearer. If that really is the problem, maybe we can solve it without hurting anyone,” Karin said slowly, careful not to ruin her emotionally unstable friend’s mood.
“But how, Rin? He always avoids me,” Nadeera asked.
“That’s the problem. It’s hard when the suspect refuses to open his mouth,” Karin said.
“If he stays quiet, how is anyone supposed to know what he wants? Rangga is so damn annoying,” Rita said, tousling her long hair.
“We’ll never get anywhere if we keep thinking about this. Why don’t you tell me about Risa instead? I’m curious about her,” Nadeera said.
“Risa is pretty, rich, and friendly. Lots of people like her, but plenty of people dislike her too because they’re jealous. And that’s not all. Risa is famous for being flirty with guys. No matter who they are, she always tries to get their attention. Before she dated Rangga, she’d already gone through boyfriends over and over. She pursued Rangga, got rejected, dated someone else, and then chased after Rangga again after they broke up. She kept doing that, basically,” Rita explained.
“I’ve also heard she’s not that smart academically. It’s only because of her looks and her parents that she often gets chosen as a model and as a representative for events here,” Karin added.
“Oh, I see. At least she has some flaws. I thought she was perfect.”
“Of course not, Nad. Nobody on earth is perfect,” Rita objected.
“Hehehe. She’s pretty and has lots of friends. If I were in the same class as her, I’d definitely feel intimidated,” Nadeera admitted.
“Don’t feel intimidated. You’re more than good enough to compete with her. Compared to her, you’re just a little more tomboyish. As for your looks, there’s nothing to worry about. Hahaha,” Karin said reassuringly.
“You’re being honest, right, Karin? Hahaha,” Nadeera said.
“Now I’m absolutely sure I want to steal Rangga away from her. I’ve even got an idea. Hehehe.” Nadeera let out a deliberately coy little laugh.
“What idea?” Rita and Karin asked at the same time.