FLASHBACK

Miss In took me to her home at In's Café. She hurriedly dragged me to her room and pushed my shoulder to sit in the bed. Earlier, she told the ambulance that the car only has two people in it, my Dad and my Mom.

I told her that we had a family company, the Burnaphan Corporation, and that I am Kimhan Burnaphan, their only child.

"Are you well, child?" she asked me.

"Yes, Miss In" I said weakly, still shivering with fear.

She kneeled in front of me. I stared at her eyes, I could feel her fear too. Perhaps, fearing for her own life also? She slowly grabbed her scissor and started to cut my hair.

"What are you doing miss?" I asked, surprised.

"Remember what I'm going to tell you, Kim." She said as she stopped cutting my hair for a while.

"No one should know that you are Kimhan Burnaphan. As long as the killer is not caught, you won't be safe, child. You're Tina Jittaleela now, my nephew. No one should know that you are a girl. No, you won't be safe if you stay as a girl, people might recognize you. The killer could be anyone. There's no one that you can trust. There's no one that Kimhan could trust" she said to me. I know what she said was all true. If I wanted revenge, then I must do exactly what she said. She continued to cut my hair into a boy's cut until there's no Kimhan left in my face.

I felt something vibrated in my pocket. It is my phone. I received a message from Pie.

"Kim, Happy Birthday. I love you with all my heart. Don't you ever leave me. I trust in your love, okay? I love you" – Pie

I cried when I saw her message. I'm sorry, Pie. I know we're just starting but I have to leave you so soon.

I kissed my phone, crying that I won't be able to see her again. Crying that I lost my Dad in the accident. Crying that I lost everything on my birthday.

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I can't help but to feel distracted when Pie seated next to me. She was trying to fan herself because it is so hot. Perhaps because she ran all the way here? I stared at her. How can she be so y with just sweating? And take note, she's not wearing something revealing, how can she be so y with just our uniform?

I quickly grabbed for my handkerchief in the pocket of my polo and I wiped off her sweat using that. Her hazelnut eyes met with mine and we stared each other for a while when suddenly she looked away from me.

She was so shocked to what I have done. I didn't realize what came to my mind for me to do that. I quickly pulled away my hand. TINA, GET YOURSELF TOGETHER. This is the first time of talking to her after several years and now you’re ruining it.

"I-I'm really sorry. I didn't m-mean to—" I said but I was interrupted when she waved her hand and said, "It's okay, really".

I clenched my fist, wanting to punch myself in the face. , Kim. That is so awkward!

"Mr. Jittaleela and Ms. Manaying, are you listening?" the professor shouted.

My jaw droppped when he said that. I glanced at Pie and she looks shocked too.

"Go outside, the two of you. Let's talk after the class" the professor said. I closed my eyes. , how am I going to face Pie now?

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We were sitting outside the hallway, not speaking at each other. How I wish the earth would just eat me now. This is all my fault. And damn that professor, we're not even noisy. Pie and I barely even talked.

But during that time that we’re not talking, I was thinking. Pie acts like she didn’t knew me at all. Perhaps, she forgot what I look like. Was it a good thing that Pie doesn’t remember my face at all? I mean, it’s normal to forget the face of someone whom you didn’t see for a long time right? We’ve been together for such a short time that we didn’t have any photos of us. So it’s normal to forget my face right? Or maybe she doesn’t remember me because I look like a boy? Well, technically, I am considered a boy right now. Aunt In hired someone to fake my documents and Zee made me drink one of his testosterone supplements so I technically look like a guy. But why do I feel sad that she doesn’t remember me? It’s better this way right? The more she forgot, the more she’s safe from the killer who killed my parents.

"I'm sorry" she said in a cool tone, looking away from me, breaking my reverie. I can't help myself but to look at her. She was biting her lower lip. I quickly regret not staring at her for the past 10 minutes that we were here. This is the second time I got close to her this day. I studied her features. Her baby fats are gone. It looks like she's been working out. Her hair, which she always tidies up when we were in highschool, looks a bit messy now and she looks like she doesn't even care how it looks. I looked at her gorgeous eyes and that is when I realized that she's been applying eyeliner to it, giving a more edgy look in her baby face. I don't see the need of her applying it. Her eyes are so captivating even without the eyeliner. It somehow makes me sad to remember how she told me that she will never put makeup on her face.

My reverie was again broken when she stared at me and said, "What? You've been staring at me, Tina". I scratched my head as I smiled at her. Yeah, she might think of me as a creep.

"I just can't think why you're telling me that you're sorry when it's clearly my fault, Pie" I said to her. She pursed her lips and nodded. She was staring at the floor for a long time when she said...

"Because that professor always hated me. Me and my friends. We're not even noisy but he punished us, right?" she said. Hearing that made me furrow my eyebrows.

"Why?" I asked out of curiosity. How could someone hate this beauty beside me?

She took a heavy sigh and said, "Because I'm 'bullying' his only daughter" sarcastically highlighting the word bullying, which is very cute of her. I saw her rolling her eyes while she's finding the right words to say but she looks like she can't.

"It wasn't my fault that his daughter is..." she said, she was hesitating to continue what she was about to say.

"Is....?" I asked. This hesitation of hers made me curious about that professor's daughter.

"Is......" she said while still hesitating. Is it really so hard to say it?

"Is.....?" I asked her again.

She closed her eyes and said, "A ty Horse". I laughed so hard when I heard her say that. Pie never uttered the word '' or anything like that when we were younger, but hearing her saying that right now is like hearing that words from a child. I stared at her and her eyes are still closed, which made me laugh more.

"Stop laughing please" she said, biting her lower lip while her eyes still closed. Seriously, I wish I could capture her face right now with a camera.

"Okay, teenager. You can open your eyes now" I said, still laughing at her cuteness. She glared at me and slapped my shoulder and said, "You're still laughing".

"It's because you're so cute, Pie" I said. She abruptly stopped her hand from slapping my shoulder. . What did I just say?

"Y-You think I'm cute?" she asked, almost a whisper. . Earth please eat me now.

"Uhhhhh----" I was about to answer when the professor went outside the classroom. I don't want to say this, but I'm happy that he went outside. Seeing him made us stop from talking and looked at the floor immediately. I glanced at Pie.

Is she....... blushing?

"Now now... you two" I heard the professor so I looked down the floor immediately.

"You two weren't paying any attention to my class earlier" he said. I furrowed my eyebrow when I heard him. Weren't paying attention? What?

"Especially you, Ms. Manaying" he continued. WHAT!? IS HE SERIOUS?

"Flirting with your classmate will not get you anywhere in life. Such a shame for the Manayings to have such an heiress" he said. I clenched my fist.

I glanced at Pie. She looks at him apathetically, likes she's chewing all of his words. No, I can't believe she's letting that old man belittle her. The Pie I know will never let herself be insulted nor treated that way. I must do something.

"Excuse me, sir" I said. The professor looked at me. I bit my lower lip to contain such anger.

"But I don't think Pie is at fault here. It's me. I was the one who flirted her" I said, pulling Pie behind my back.

"What are you implying Mr. Jittaleela? Perhaps do you want to get the punishment instead of Ms. Manaying?" he said, mocking me.

I swallowed. I know that Aunt In won't like me getting trouble but I'm sure that in this situation, even she will take an action for such injustice.

I could feel Pie grabbing my polo behind me, I don't know what for. Perhaps, is she telling me that she could take all of the blame for herself?

I nodded and said, "Yes sir. Please punish me instead".

The professor nodded and eyed on Pie, who was behind me, and he let out a grin that looks like he's mocking her.

"I could see your point, Mr. Jittaleela. But for now, I'm letting you off the hook. I won't be forgiving next time" the professor said and he left.

We let out a big sigh when he left. Pie quickly slapped my shoulders again. Damn, Pie grew up violently. "Ouch, what's that for?" I said, rubbing my shoulders.

"That's for your stupidity!" she said furiously. She furrowed her eyebrows while glaring at me. Scary.

"Stupidity? What did I do?" I asked. She puts her arm to her hips.

"You shouldn't do reckless things like that. You're giving trouble to yourself!" she said, still glaring at me.

"He's obviously insulting you Pie" I reasoned with her.

"Yes he did! But do you even know that whatever he will do to me, he can't kick me out of this school, our family sponsors this university. While you, he can expel you, stupid!" she said. I was speechless. I didn't know that Pie knew that I came from a middle class family.

"No! I think what I did was right. You said so yourself that you're powerful. How come you've let him do that to you?" I said, catching her pace when she started walking away from me.

She stopped and said, "When did you care so much about me?". And then, I stopped following her. I felt a pinch in my heart. All these time, she thought that I don't care about her?

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HOSPITAL

I'm in front of my Mom. She was lying lifeless in her hospital bed. No, she's not dead, but she's not alive either. All I could here is the machines that's maintaining life for her. She's been in this state since the day of the accident.

Lifeless as she sleeps in her bed for a long time...

I held her hand. I wonder where Mom's conciousness went. Is her soul perhaps watching me? It's been years and she's still in a coma. Is she still fighting Death?

I looked around the hospital, making sure that no one would suspect me watching her since I only introduced myself as her niece, and then I saw flowers sitting above her bedside table. Who's sending Mom flowers? Who's paying for Mom's hospital bills? Could it be our Uncle? Could it be a family friend, like the Manayings? I wonder.

I was also thinking about what happened earlier. Why did Pie say that? Does she think that I never cared about her? Damn Pie, why can't I read your mind? If only you know how much I looked after you when we met again in college.

DING DING DING DONG.

I opened my eyes widely. That sound is the sound that I haven't heard from a long time. I rummaged through my bag and fished for my phone, an old phone. The phone that I was using back when I was in highschool. I got a message so I opened it right away.

My heart beats fast when I had a glimpsed of who the sender was. It's the woman I love.

"Happy Birthday, Kim. I'm missing you everyday. I was drinking yesterday and saw you in my dreamland. I can't help but to cry when I saw you there. Honestly.... I really can't remember your face anymore.  Please don't be hurt. You're the one who dissapeared and I'm the one who's left, hurting" – Pie

Oh yeah. It's my birthday today. The day that my Dad died. The day that I left my Pie alone. The day this happened to Mom.

I can't help but to cry. I'm so sorry, Pie. I know that you've been hurting, but I don't want you to get involved. I won't forgive myself if something ever happens to you.

I held my mother’s hand.

“Mom, why does it hurt so much? I’m supposed to be happy that she doesn’t remember, right?” I said as I felt tears running down in my eyes.