“Let’s break-up.”

Her fingers froze from running through his hair tenderly during their kiss. She pulled them from his head and rested them on her laps. Break-up? Why? Was it her?

“Vicki?”

She closed her eyes tightly. Vic-Vicki. The unsuitable couple who came together not because of the similarity of their name but because of their feeling toward each other despite their characters were totally different.

She finally opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend of 6 months. Was he telling the truth?

“Break-up?” she choked out, praying hard that the man she came to love just playing around, like he always did every time they went dating.

He gave her a look which she knew by now meaning that he was serious. Gulping hard, she tried to control her emotion, unwilling to cry.

“Why?” she ran her eyes from him, could not bear to look at his expression. Maybe he had found another woman, beautiful and...

“Do I have to give you reason?”

Her heart bled at his tone. Slowly, she adjusted back her top and moved a bit further from him. He did not say anything at all and it was all she needed to know how serious he was. She took a deep breath before pushed a smile.

“Okay,” she choked out.

He nodded before added, “I’ll give back all your presents tomorrow.”

What about my ity? Could you give it back to me? Her heart cried but she did not say anything. He stood up and walked away without even looking at her once to know how cruel his words were.

Her eyes locked at her boyfriend, no, not longer her boyfriend. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her brain processed what just happened.

She sat there crying to herself for almost half an hour before she managed to calm herself. Not really calm but at least she managed to force herself to walk back home.

It felt like a robot was holding her body. She did not feel like she was moving at all. Her mind was still deep in the bomb Vic threw to her. Break up? Just like that? After what both of them done, he simply casted her aside as if she meant nothing at all.

She used her key to unlock the door and announced half-heartedly about her return. She had no mood at all. She did not want to see anyone. She was too sad to face anyone.

She threw her bag on the floor and flung herself on the bed, crying. What else could she do now? She was ruined. She had no more future now. Who would want her?

..................................................................................................................................................................

It had been a week since the day he broke the news. She clutched the railing and pushed herself to climb up the stairs. Truthfully, she had no mood to go to class. She could not bear looking at him without thinking what he had said.

“Let’s break-up.”

So easy for him to utter the words. So heartless he became. She thought she knew him beneath the layers he disguised in school. She thought she could see his kindness and his real self but it was a lie. She was a lie. He lied to her. He fooled her with kind words. He fooled her with flowers and small teddy bears. He fooled her by bringing her to watch movie or just hanging out at the garden, watching the sky. All was lies so he could have her giving up her ity.

She took a deep breath to control her emotion. No, she must not show them her feeling. She must smile and act as if nothing bad happened to her.

“Vicki, where have you been?”

Her tears almost dripped again when she heard her friends’ voice. Even they did not know the relationship between her and Vic. Vic told her to keep it as their secret. Maybe he knew they would not suit in the end. That was why he wanted to keep this relationship between them. Even her grandma did not know about this. All they knew was that she going out with her friends or spending the night at her friends’ place. Not even once she broke the silence. Not even once she told others about them. Not even once.

“Are you alright?”

She pushed a smile and shrugged. “Maybe my fever is still giving me headache,” she lied and hated herself for lying again and again just to cover the relationship and the after-effect of the relationship.

She let them leading her into the class, trying desperately not gazing at his spot, knowing perfectly how it would break her heart.

“Let’s break-up,” again his voice penetrated her mind and she tried to control her emotion in front of others. No more. Stop repeating them again and again. She got it already. They had no more relationship. They were no longer together. Please, leave her alone!

..................................................................................................................................................................

“Are you alright, Vicki?”

Her thought stopped and she blinked her eyes when someone waving her hand in front of her face.

“Huh?””

Mango and Pepper shook their head in puzzle. Since the moment they saw Vicki, all their dearest friend did was day-dreaming. They tried to ask her whether she was alright but all Vicki did was talking about fever and smiling.

“Do you want to join us at the party tonight?” Mango asked.

“Party?” Vicki repeated back in puzzle.

“That Cherie is holding a party and invites all of us,” Pepper explained.

“Her birthday?” Vicki asked, just trying to follow the conversation even though she had no mood to be in a party.

“No. She just wants to announce her boyfriend,” Mango said boringly.

“Boyfriend?” She felt like a parrot but she had nothing else to say except repeating back what her friends said.

“That star,” Pepper said as she looked at her fingers, “Do you think I need to cut my nails yet?”

“Not yet,” Mango replied, looking at Pepper’s fingers before back at Vicki.

“Are you coming? We can always sneak out some food.”

Vicki rubbed her forehead. She felt breathless suddenly. That star? Who?

“Who’s Cherie’s boyfriend?”

Pepper and Mango all at the same time pointed to a boy who was walking toward a group of boys with a girl, Cherie in his arm. Vicki’s breath caught at the sight of her beloved Vic holding hand with Cherie.

“So, you have someone else,” she choked out, holding her tears desperately.

“Vicki? Are you alright?” Pepper asked worriedly, sensing how pale Vicki was.

Vicki blinked her eyes few times to control herself before pushed a smile.

“No. Nothing is wrong. Nothing at all. You two go to the party. I just remember I have something to do,” Vicki choked out and clutched her bag tightly, wishing desperately for a place to hide.

“Oh yes. You have to finish all the homework,” Pepper nodded her head understandingly.

Vicki nodded and quickly walked to the bus stand. She needed to go home. She needed to hide herself from everyone. Little did she know, this was the last time for her to meet her friends, classmates, teachers and Vic.