Pei's P.O.V

 

The sky is beautiful today, but not as beautiful as me. Oh well, I am always beautiful, why should I even care what the sky looks like today? Oh my, why am I so into myself? Can you answer me that? Yes, I know what you're trying to say. I am beautiful. Thank you. 

I usually arrive at school earlier than most of the students. Not because I like to be early, but I want everyone to see how beautiful I am. I am being stupid again, but the fact is the fact, and I am still beautiful. Ahahahahaha. 

Okay, let's get serious. We can always talk about how beautiful I am, and you can get my secret techniques to become as beautiful as me. I warn you, it's so difficult. 

I usually arrive school to sit at my normal bench, which is located somewhere around the parking lot. It's nearby Tina's parking spot. Her only parking spot. I don't know what she's done, but can you believe that her dad did something to the school until the school reserves the spot only for her? I couldn't believe it, but it happened anyway. 

I am listening to my favorite song on my phone; headphones on, and relax for a while. The music seems to carry you out of the world sometimes. Most people would say that listening to the music so much by headphones makes you deaf, but I still don't care. You see, I've always loved music and I even learned to play a ukulele when I was 18 once, but it just didn't work. I love my fingernails and fingers more than the musical instrument itself. It's not that I wanted to quit, but the circumstances will me to. And then, I gave up on this instrument, and I was obsessed with the piano. However, until now, it's still on a so-so procession. I can never be compared to Tina, of course. She's just a natural player. Most of the time she plays, she usually relaxes herself and closes her eyes and lets the music carries her along with the rhythm. I wish I was as good as her. 

She usually plays in the musical room whenever she doesn't feel like going home, and I am always invited whenever she sees me around. I sometimes find her hot as well. Of course, it's not that I see her different from a friend, but I just seem to think that she's just so hot while she's playing the piano. I wonder if it's one of the reasons why the girls here are crazy about her. 

She was always alone before when there were only her and I, and no Aom. She smiled and played a lot, though I did know that something was missing, something that she had no idea what she was seeking for. She was famous, and she still is, but the fact that she never came to like anyone still strikes me. There were so many girls who wish to go out with her, but she still to be neutral about it. She didn't even care about the gifts they gave her at Valentine's day or so. I'm always the one who has every gift she gets every Valentine's day. 

Until she found Aom. 

The first day Aom got here, I was totally surprised that Tina would actually defy the punishment she got, and went over to get the books for Aom. And the books weren't light; they were heavy! And I saw the way she looked at Aom. It was like the eyes of hers were pleading for Aom to look back at them, to give the warm looks she was willing to give everything away for. That was when I realized Aom was what Tina was looking for.

"Pei!" Tina calls me just soon after she gets out of the car. Of course, what I was thinking about her was vanished through this thin air just as soon as her voice called out. 

"Tina! You scared me!" I removed the headphones out of my ears. It seems to be very quiet outside; that's why she shouted so loud at the moment. 

"Sorry. Have you seen Aom?" 

Bingo! See? The first thing she's asking for today is her princess, Aom. Basically, she's not hard to read. 

"I don't know. Haven't seen her yet." I shrug. 

She shakes her head. 

"Tina, what's wrong?" 

She closes her eyes for a while. 

"Nothing." 

"You know you can always tell me." I put my hand on her shoulder, and she seems to be comfortable about it. 

"I know." Then she looks at me and smiles. 

I shrug and urge her to go to class all together. 

It's so not normal when you have to walk with your best friend with a silence between us. We always giggle all the time when we're all together, but today is different. She seems to be upset about something that she doesn't wish to share with me yet. I don't know what she's thinking, but I believe that it's not a normal problem. Of course, I figrure it's related to Aom. 

When we get to the class, Aom is sitting at her given seat, which is nearby Tina's. It's a long table for two people, and she's sitting as far from Tina's seat as possible. And bingo! I'm correct again. I bet they're fighting. 

Tina doesn't say anything when we arrive at the class; she just simply walks to her seat without any words or complains. I follow. She walks like a person who has nothing left in her body, like everything of hers is taken away.

She sits down on her seat, and tries to look at Aom, though Aom avoids her as much as she can. This gives a huge pain to her, I can see that in her eyes. 

"Hey Aom!" I call her when I reach my seat at the back of hers. 

"Oh, hi, Pei. How are things going with your weekend?" She turns to look at me and smiles as well. 

"Beautiful weekend ever! I went to many nail salons, and they said my nails are ridiculous to paint! But I don't care with what they said because I paid them to do whatever I wanted. Then at the end, my nails are so gorgeous now, see?" Then I give her both of my hands to see. 

She examines them both with a laugh. 

"I can see both Beautiful and Gorgeous are now your favorite adjectives. I can't see why you call them gorgeous because they look incredibly ridiculous!" She laughs again. 

"Well, Pei, try not to call yourself as beautiful when even your nails are ugly!" Tina joins in. 

Aom stops laughing, and it gives us another bad sign. She doesn't immediately turn away and she just tends to keep the conversation going. 

"So, how was your weekend, Aom?" I can feel the silence is awkward. 

"Oh, you know, beautiful as ever." She laughs and continues. "Van and I spent our weekend efficiently. Since he slept over at my house for a few days, he basically brought me to a few places in town since we had lots of time together. He brought me to some malls on Saturday for some shopping. It was fun because he always made lame ideas about clothes and stuffs. And on Sunday, he brought me to DreamWorld to ride a Roller Coaster, and it scared me like nothing else before ever did." Then she laughs again. 

Tina is now quiet like she has nothing to join us. She looks like she is just stabbed by a sword right into her heart where it's bleeding from inside out. She might look fine, but I can tell that her soul is not here anymore. 

"It must have been fun then." I'm smiling, trying to play around with my fingers. 

"It was. It really was so much fun. I mean, when you have this so much fun, you don't have to spend any time worrying about anything." 

Then Tina hurriedly turns back to the front where she lies all her books on the table. 

"It was beautiful. Haha" I add with a laugh. 

She laughs again, but just not right. 

"The teacher is coming." She informs me and turns back to her table. And the class has begun. 

---

"You know, it was amazing when you got to ride a motorbike around the town like that. I mean, I didn't mind the traffic congestions, but I just loved it, you know?" Aom is describing her feelings on her weekend for me just as soon as we got out from our last class today.

And now, we're at my normal bench, and she hasn't stopped talking.

Tina is nowhere to be seen, of course, and I doubt goes home. I totally know her and I am sure that she's just going somewhere to relax herself.

"Aom, you've told me that on our second session." I whisper and she seems to realize that. 

"Really? I thought I didn't tell you this. Sorry, Pei. It must be boring for you to listen to my same story all over again. But really, it was so cool and-"

I sigh. "Look, Aom, just what is happening around here? You're so not you. You don't like repeating yourself and you always know what you want to say." 

"I'm fine. Just the weekend totally made my existence worth it and stuff." 

"You know I can tell whether you're lying, okay? And I don't want you to keep all things to yourself. I know it's a good thing you're trying to be funny, but it's too good until it's a flaw." 

She remains silent. 

"So can I." A female's voice which I grow so familiar with is drawing closer to us as she speaks. She's not someone we barely know, she's someone whom we have been since we were children. 

Unlike Aom, she's tall but she isn't slim like her. She's hot, which makes every guy wants her to be their girlfriend. The only same thing they share is about the hair. They both have long silky hair. 

"Dew?" Aom asks just as Dew are finally here with us. 

"Hi you both!" Dew smiles with her warm face. 

"But how?" Aom asks. 

She pouts then answers.

"Pei texted me that you're not fine at all." 

"No, that's not what I meant. How can you get in here? Visistors aren't allowed to be in here!"

"Uh, hello? Look the time, Miss. Technically, visitors are allowed to be in because it's a free period! And everybody is allowed to go anywhere during this time." She rolls her eyes. 

"Right, I haven't realized that. So what was in Pei's text until you had to make your decision to visit me here at school? Why couldn't you wait me at home?"

She sits on the bench with us and rolls her eyes again.

"I don't think we can talk straightly about your problem if we're at your home. I mean, you sometimes keep things from your mom. Besides, I don't think Pei can be there either."

"What's my problem? As you can see, I am completely happy. Oh, and did I tell you about Van? Gosh, we had so much fun this week-"

"Enough, Aom. I know all about it. Pei told me everything."

"Aww, good thing Pei shared with you. It doesn't have to tire me again to repeat the same things." 

I look at Dew and she's looking at Aom. I trust Dew with all my heart because she's a smooth talker. She knows where to hit a person right straight to the point, and she doesn't even have to think much. She's just a natural talker. 

"That's exactly why I am here today." She sighs. 

"What do you mean?" 

She sighs again. "You are never interested in Van, so how can his actions make you so happy? How can you enjoy your time with him when you don't even understand about yourself?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." 

"You see, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Just spill out the problem. I am here to help. So is Pei. He's worried about you, you know. You and Tina didn't seem to be fine this morning. So might I know about this?" 

"Yeah, Aom. You have us. And we're here for you. Don't let yourself getting stressed because of the problem We're here to help." I speak. 

She takes a long moment before she decides to tell us.

"Dew, remember the conversation you and I had when you just saw Tina the first time?" 

"I do." Dew confirms. 

"But I don't." I raise my voice. 

"Just ignore him." Dew complains. 

I pout but nobody notices me. 

"Remember how I said I didn't trust those tomboys? Though I laid all my trust on Tina." Aom sighs. 

Dew seems to be happy with the words. 

"Well, it's a good thing, right? I mean, I could see there was something in her for you by the first time you introduced her to me. I'm glad you just did." She smiles, but then she turns all her smile down when she sees Aom cries. 

I turn down my face immediately when I see her cry like that. What exactly is happening here? Why is it this topic so strong until Aom can't handle her emotion like that?

"Dew, I can't take this. I hate myself for trusting her!" She cries even harder. 

"Aom, hush, it's fine." Dew puts her arm on Aom's shoulder. 

"No, it's not fine and it will never be. You don't know anything. I saw it and she pretends nothing happened. She acts like she's innocent. And I hate it!" She cries.

I hand her my tissue. 

"Hey, take this." 

She accepts the tissue and wipes all her tears away. But there is still some tear in her eyes. 

"What happened?" I ask her. 

She cries even harder that it's harder to hush her. She just cries loudly like a child. 

"You know it hurts! It really hurts! I don't know when and how and why I fall for such a person like her. I really really like her. I love her, you know!!! I'm so stupid! But it hurts me more when I saw her lying in a bed with her adopted sister! And I don't want to explain this thing." She cries.

We both seem to be so shocked with this comment and we don't dare to talk to her anything for a while. We just simply let her cry as much as she wants. Though she just doesn't stop.

"Do you mind listening to me, Aom?" Dew speaks. 

Aom shakes her head.

"Have you ever thought that it might be a part of her adopted sister's plan? I'm sorry, but what's her name? It makes me harder to speak when I know her name." 

"Mean." Aom looks painful with the name. 

"I'm sorry, and thank you. So it might be Mean's plan, you know? I can't guarantee that, but have some faith in Tina." Dew continues. 

"I agree with you Dew. Aom, you should not act at the immediate like that. You know, I don't think Tina's a type of person who cheats anybody at their back." I add. 

"But I saw it!" Aom protests with a cry. 

"I know you did. But should you wait for her explanation a little?" Dew suggests. 

"I am waiting and it hurts me to see her that she's pretending like she's innocent. You know what, even if it's a part of Mean's plan, she should at least tell me because she knows she can trust with my believe. I would believe her immediately if she told me that it was all Mean's plan. But she just doesn't say anything at all. 

"A person who finds herself guilty will never mention the point why she's guilty." she adds, and cry again. 

"Aom, I really want you to be strong and have some courage in her. It takes time for a person to confess things like this to her lover. It's not like she can just walk straight to you and tell all these things because she thinks you will never forgive her. Of course, if I were you, I wouldn't believe her either." Dew replies. 

"Do you really love her, Aom?" I ask. 

She takes a moment to catch her breath from crying. 

"With all my heart. And it's all crushed. I know you're trying to make me believe Tina. Trust me I want to. But this is not something I should just trust her. No. I'm sorry you both. I'll see you around." 

Then Aom walks away, and leaves us stare at each other blankly.