“Hey, babe. It’s great that you made it” Zee said, as she stood up to kiss her girl in the cheeks. She invited Jane in a coffee shop near the university so that they could talk about Yam. Zee quickly pulled the chair so that Jane could sit, before she returned to her seat. These little things that Zee does is one of the reasons why Jane fell in love with her, ignoring the fact that Zee is a girl despite her masculine physique.

In truth, Zee never does these things to her previous muses. Someone who knew Zee for a long time would say that, this girl finally fell in love seriously. The past Zee never took love seriously and it was the lady in front of her who changed her for good.

“Of course. I will never miss a chance to see you, babe” Jane said, who is now sitting across Zee. She looked at Zee’s features. Despite Zee’s dashing face and his muscular physique, she’s also warm and kind. Jane never got enough of Zee.

Jane somehow traced that there is something off with Zee today.

“Baby, are you okay?” Jane asked, worried that there might be something bothering her beloved.

“Well, Jane. Tina told me about Yam and what you did to her” Zee said, almost a whisper. That got Jane. She was speechless. She doesn’t know what to do. She knows that Zee deserves the truth but she wasn’t ready for this yet.

Zee held Jane’s hand that was lying on top of the table.

“Jane. I want you to tell me honestly. Why are you doing this to Yam?” Zee pleaded. She wants to understand Jane. She knew that Jane might be a troublemaker but she also knew that Jane is kind.

Jane closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she’s ready to talk about her wound when she doesn’t know if that wound is healed already. Jane gulped and she could feel sweat running down her forehead.

Jane can’t bring herself to look at Zee’s eyes so she looked at Zee’s arm instead. Her arm was holding Jane’s arm softly and gently.

“Golf…. My ex-boyfriend left me because Yam seduced him” Jane said straightly, still closing her eyes. She could feel tears running from her eyes. Does it mean that she’s not fully healed yet?

She felt Zee’s other arm, wrapping it to her face and her thumb wiping her tears. How could this person still comfort her despite of her talking about a man whom she loves more than Zee?

“But why would he leave a girl like you, Jane? He must be stupid” Zee whispered.

Jane opened her eyes. She saw Zee’s worried face. Her heart melted when she saw how worried Zee is. They began to date for just a week but it feels like they were together for so many years now.

“You believe me, Zee?” Jane asked, more like a whisper. Zee flashed her brightest smile.

“Of course, baby. I trust you more than that Yam. I never liked her anyway” Zee said, rubbing his thumb to Jane’s face gently.

As if he remembered something, Zee suddenly stopped cupping Jane’s face and pulled away his arm. Jane looked at Zee and saw that something is wrong.

“Are you okay, Zee?” Jane asked, checking if her man is alright.

Zee looked at Jane’s eyes intently. There is pain in his eyes.

“Jane…” Zee whispered. Jane raised both of her eyebrows.

“That man, Golf… when you were sleeping beside me, you called out his name. Perhaps…. do you still love him?”

That question hit Jane. Jane could feel her own heartbeat. It was the question which she never wants to encounter ever again. She closed her eyes and wished she never came in this café. If she didn’t answer, then will Zee leave her just like Golf?

“So… I’ll take that as a yes” Zee whispered, probably because of Jane’s reaction. Jane was still closing her eyes.

Jane heard Zee’s chair move. That’s it. He’s going to leave. Jane thought. She could hear Zee’s footsteps until she could hear no more. Jane still continued closing her eyes. She could not believe that she just lost a great person because of Golf. She could feel her tears running down from her eyes.

“If I’m right, then I should love you more, right?” someone whispered to her ear. Jane quickly opened her eyes and to her surprise she saw Zee beside her, just inches away from her face. She could feel her own heartbeat.

Zee flashed his signature seducing smile.

“You didn’t leave me?” Jane asked, actually a statement. She couldn’t believe her eyes. That person is still there with her. She could not believe it. Despite Zee knowing that she still might have feelings for Golf, Zee chose to stay.

“Why would I?” Zee whispered as she leaned closer to Jane and kissed her gently on the lips. It made Jane speechless and felt butterflies in her stomach.

---------------------

To: Tina

Sender: Zee

Dude, you ain’t gonna believe. Bae told me that Yam seduced her ex man just to piss her off. Man, you really should be careful now :/

My jaw dropped when I read Zee’s message. Yam, seducing someone? That is way so ridiculous. I looked at Yam, who was beside me. She was eating her brownies happily, like a kid who just got a toy. How could this person seduce someone just to piss someone off? It doesn’t make any sense, right? Yam is like one of the kindest person I know.

To: Zee

Sender: Tina

            WTF dude? Is this serious? I don’t think Yam is that kind of person :/ She’s like a puppy you know

I also sent him Yam’s stolen picture eating like a kid. I wonder if Jane is telling the truth. Don’t blame me. I can’t bring myself to trust Jane anymore after all I’ve witnessed.

After some time, I heard my phone rang. I immediately looked at it.

 

To: Tina

Sender: Zee

More like a wolf pretending to be a puppy, dumbo. Take my advice, run for your life. Just hook up with Pie instead. Forget Yam. Pie is the biggest fish out there.

This guy is crazy! I messed up my hair since Zee is making me crazy. How can this guy be like this? Well, I can’t blame him. Pie really is the biggest fish out there. She is heavenly beautiful, not to mention that she’s smart. She used to be the smartest girl in class. The teachers liked her very much. I don’t know why. I felt like Pie is not the person I used to know and at this point, I don’t know what I should do.

“Hey, Tina! Are you alright?” Yam said to me, breaking my reverie. She was waving her hands in front of my eyes. I tidied up my hair and my polo. I almost forgot that Yam was just beside me.

“Y-Yeah” I said as I looked at her features. She really looks like someone who won’t ever lift an arm to anyone. How could I believe Zee when this person beside me is like this? I just think Yam is quite careless based from her incident with Pie. But I guess she told Pie that we’re together to stop Pie from bullying her?

Yam looked at a different direction, looking at something intently but I didn’t bother looking what she was looking at. It’s because I still can’t believe what Zee had told me.

Yam looked at me once again and I immediately looked away. I don’t want her to think that I am a creep for studying her features.

She lifted her arm, carrying the brownies and put it near my mouth.

“Do you want some? This is yummy” Yam said, presenting me her brightest smile. She is weird. She doesn’t look this happy earlier.

But the brownies sure look yummy. It wouldn’t hurt if I taste it, right?

I nodded at Yam and smiled at her. She was looking at me intently. I opened my mouth and took a bite from the brownie that she was holding. She’s right. It is delicious.

Yam looked at my lips and furrowed her eyebrows.

“Wait, Tina” she said as she entered her arm to her pocket and reached for her handkerchief. Later, she wiped my mouth with her handkerchief. This is awkward. Why didn’t she just tell me that I had something in my mouth instead?

After wiping my mouth and putting down the brownie, she looked away at my direction. It was the same direction that she was looking at earlier. I wonder what she’s looking at so I turned my head to look at that direction.

!

I opened my eyes really wide. It was Pie and the gang (without Zee and Jane)! The gang was looking at us and they were speechless. And Pie was just looking at us apathetically. . I could feel my heart beat so fast. Somehow I feel like Yam did that just to take revenge to Pie. But it doesn’t make sense right? Why would Pie be affected with that?

I mentally punched myself. You’re so stupid, Tina!

I closed my eyes and turned to Yam, who was smiling at them, and now smiling at me.

“Yam, what are you doing?” I whispered to Yam.

“Well, I just want to get back at Pie for that day” she said, not being obvious that we’re talking at each other.

“But what would being sweet to me do to Pie? Pie doesn’t like me”

“Just ride along, Tina”

“Yam, just let it go please. Maybe if you stop, they’ll stop bullying you” I said, almost begging.

“Oh no, Tina. They bullied me enough. It’s time for me to strike back. You won’t leave me, right?” Yam said, looking intently at my eyes.

“Just what did you do for them to bully you?” I finally asked Yam. That got Yam. She was speechless. Later, she furrowed her eyebrows.

“What I did TO them? Or what did THEY do to ME? You don’t know anything, Tina” Yam said, but more like correcting me.

“You’re right! I don’t know anything, so please, tell me. I want to know” I said, almost pleading her. I want to know the truth. I want to know what Pie did. I want to know why Pie is acting like that.

“Then meet me at the café on our next break. I’ll tell you anything then” Yam said as she lifted her bag and walked away from me to go to her next class. I can’t wait to know the truth.

---------------------------

CAFÉ

I went immediately at the nearby café near our university. It is the same café that Yam and I used to hangout the other day. She was already there, sipping an iced americano, staring outside.

I quickly sat across her and said, “Hey Yam, ‘sup?”. She looked at me swiftly.

“Hey” Yam said weakly. I studied her features. She looks sad for some reason. But maybe I’m just thinking so much? Whatever. I’m dying to know the truth now.

“So, tell me what I need to know now” I said. I can’t hide my excitement to know the truth from Yam.

Yam gulped and looked at me intently. Soon after, she closed her eyes for a bit and let out a sigh.

“Okay, fine. If you really insist” Yam said.

I sat straightly and tidied up my polo. I remember Zee’s message. I wonder if Jane was speaking the truth earlier.

“Jane used to be my friend. We used to hangout in this café, with Van and Golf” she revealed. Wow. They used to be friends? So that is why she looked sad earlier

Van? That name sure is familiar. I can’t remember where I heard that name before though.

“Jane and Golf were together since the start of college. They were very sweet. I’m the one who’s always happy for them. Their relationship was strong” she continued, I could sense that she is sincere.

And that man named Golf, maybe it was the man that Zee was referring to?

“Or so I thought. After a year of being together, I realized that their relationship wasn’t that strong”. Yam touched the table, making an invisible pattern in the table.

“Jane loved Golf very much and gave her everything, including her body. But Golf wasn’t returning Jane’s love. It was an unhealthy relationship but Jane didn’t care. He was looking for something else that Jane failed to give…”

So Jane really does love a lot, huh?

“… and that something is freedom. Golf confessed to me that whenever he’s with Jane, he felt like a caged bird. He doesn’t have the freedom to do his own stuff. You know what I’m saying?”

I nodded.

“So using Golf’s confession, I went to Jane and advised her to give some space to Golf to let him breathe a little. I did that because I don’t want Golf to leave Jane”

Wow. Yam does care for Jane in the past.

“But that didn’t go well. Jane still continued, and acted like a jealous girlfriend everytime Golf is talking with girls”

Just as I thought.

“So one day, Golf left Jane. Jane was really broken that day. I heard from Van that she almost killed herself but someone named Pie stopped her. He also said that Jane was about to see me when she saw Golf…”

Yes! That’s my Pie! I am proud of her for stopping Jane.

“Kissing me”

My jaw dropped when I heard that. So it is true then? Yam seduced Golf?

I furrowed my eyebrows.

“D-don’t judge me. I really did not expect that. On that day, Golf texted me to meet him on the parking lot so I did go. I saw him carrying his luggage and it felt strange. I knew that maybe he left Jane already”

She gulped.

“And then, he confessed his love to me. I didn’t believe it at first. I thought he was going to leave Jane because of her wrongdoings but he left Jane because he loved me”

Oh whoa! This is unexpected

“So, what did you say? Do you love him too?” I asked her.

She furrowed her eyebrows.

“I did not love him. How could I? He’s my friend’s boyfriend. I will never do such a thing. So I told him that. I told him that I can’t reciprocate what he feels. That he must have misunderstood those times when I was comforting him. I did that because I’m his friend, not because I love him”

I don’t know if that Golf dude is a douche or just lonely.

“But he insisted. He grabbed me and kissed me” she said, she covered her face with her palms. I felt that she was holding her tears. I felt bad for asking her what happened.

“B-but after the kiss, we saw Jane looking at us. And that is when my frienship with Jane started to mess up. I knew that I lost her. I told her what really happened but she didn’t believe. Jane found new friends and she started bullying me” Yam said, with a broken expression in her face. I touched her hand.

“And so what did you do?” I told her. I feel guilty for asking her about her past.

“I tried to understand her, Tina. I really did. But she harrased me so hard. She got called out in the principal’s office many times for her wrongdoings, but she was never punished because of Pie’s connections. Pie became her new bestfriend, you see…” she said, tearing up.

Wow. So Pie really is that powerful.

“I really want her to stop the bullying me, so this needs to stop. I must fight even if it means fighting my bestfriend, Jane” She wiped her tears, avoiding my direction. My heart was aching for Yam. So this is the whole story, huh? Is it all just a misunderstanding between the two?

But something isn’t right. When I saw Jane pulling Yam’s hair, it looks like Jane was bringing Yam to Pie, right? So what is Pie’s connection to Yam? Is she bullying her because of Jane’s broken heart? But if the person whom Yam hurted so much was Jane, shouldn’t Jane be the one who should inflict pain to Yam and not Pie?

I looked at Yam. I can’t bring myself to ask her anything about her past anymore. She’s hurting so much and I don’t want to add fuel to the fire anymore. I believe everything that she said. It must have been hard for her.

I fished for my handkerchief in my pocket. I was shocked to see that it was the identical handkerchief I used to wipe Pie’s tears when I dropped her off to her mansion. I didn’t expect that all of the handkerchief we had, I grabbed this while hurrying up for school. It was a white handkerchief. Although it’s old and probably worn out, it is really soft and warm.

Oh yeah. I wonder where that handkerchief went? I must have dropped it in Zee’s car.

Although a part of me was hesitating to hand the handkerchief to Yam, I still did. My curiosity is the reason why she is crying right now anyway.

“Just cry it all out. You’ll feel better. I shouldn’t have asked you that. I’m so sorry, Yam” I said, feeling sorry for her.

She showed a faint smile and said, “It’s okay. It’s my fault for not telling you the truth sooner. Tina, I know that you’re friends with them, but can you still stay as my friend?”

I looked at her. Even though her eyes were red for tearing up, I saw that she was looking at me intently, looking for an answer in my eyes, like a kid lost in a middle of nowhere.