Author's Narrative

 

Tina didn't run after Aom on that day and she let Aom leaving her. She knew it was all her fault; she knew she wans't right. She knew that she'd really forgotten Aom, and that she could never repay back what she'd done. What else could she do? 

That day, she later ran up back to the upstairs where she left Mean. Mean was still sitting on that same bench when she left her. Mean suddenly set her eyes on Tina, which Tina knew that Mean must have a lot of questions for her, but she wasn't in mood to answer anything. And more than that, she believed that she would never answer her questions at all. It was not time yet, she thought. Mean shouldn't have known it for now. She would tell her in one day, but just not now. 

Later on, Tina tried to keep Aom cool by not bothering her. The last time she tried something, Aom bursted out like someone who just woke up from a nightmare. Instead, Tina had decided to not bother Aom until she could see that Aom was in the condition to listen again. She wondered if this was a good idea because she was mad because she didn't care for her at all. Yes, again, it was all her fault, but she had no other choice. She was in a relationship but she also had a patient to take care. These all tied her up. 

However, when weekdays came, school days came, Tina knew that she could at least have a quiet moment with Aom on the way school since they both always went school together. By Monday, Tina dropped by to take Aom to school, but she only met Aom's mother. Tina knew that her mother knew everything about them both since the look on her face showed everything but she just tried to be nice to her. It was okay to pretend, Tina thought. Tina, herself, didn't want to destroy any emotions at all so she also pretended to be know nothing too. 

"I'm sorry, Tina. Aom didn't tell you that she had to fly to Singapore with her dad last night?" Aom's mother answered just as Tina asked if Aom was ready for school. 

"Sorry?" Tina was confused. 

"Both of them flew to Singapore last night. In an urgent call." Linda, Aom's mother, smiled. 

"Why didn't my dad go with them?" 

"Tina." Linda smiled again. "There are some businesses that are not related to your father's company. We have our own work as well." 

Tina smiled back. "When will she come back, auntie?" 

"I don't know too, sweetie. They haven't called me yet. You should go to school. It's time already." 

"Thank you, auntie. Have a nice day." Of course, Aom's mother tries to be nice as much as she could, but again, she wasn't the same as before. 

"Oh, and Tina, dear?"

"Yes, auntie?" Tina turned back. 

"Her father already bought a car for her and she has decided to change the major of all a sudden. Probably from now on, you don't have to pick her up again. I'm sorry for not informing you first. But it's best if I tell you. There are things you and I both know." Linda smiled. 

"Changing major? But Auntie, is she still in the same university?" 

"She will be. Your father spent a lot of effort to get her in. She won't let him down." 

"But why -"

"Tina, we all know, okay. I don't wish to say it. But I hope you realize it." 

"I understand." Tina tried to smile, but she knew it that her mother was mad, everyone was mad. It was just a matter of time until they calmed down again. Let them be. Then she walked out again.

 

---

 

Weeks after that, probably 1 month after Tina met Aom's mother, Tina had never seen Aom again even if she was assured that Aom didn't change her school at all. It was only because Aom didn't wish to meet Tina, that's why. It was quite obvious that Aom knew what time Tina went to school, and what classes Tina might be in. 

Tina, as ever, always wanted to see Aom even if it meant a few seconds. Just a glance was enough but she could never see Aom. However, she had Mean as her distraction from Aom at home. Mean kept her alive and happy again. Spending time with Mean wasn't bad at all though she still had that little thing inside her mind that why Mean still didn't recover again. 

"It's been a month already that I haven't seen Aom, Tina." Pei cuts into Tina's thoughts. 

"I know." Tina replies dryly. 

"What I mean is that I want to see her." 

"I know." 

"And what I mean is that I want you to call her." Pei suggests. 

"I know." 

"But you can't do it." Pei rolls his eyes. 

"I know." 

"It's boring talking with you like that." 

"I know." 

"Do you have anything better to say at all? I never know the exact reason why Aom suddenly wanted to switch her major like that. And you never say anything." 

"What do you want me to say? I really can't bring myself to say it. I don't want to." 

"You know what, if you don't go after her today, somebody else will. You guys are just like this. When you're happy, you're just together. When you're unhappy, you're just this little creature who doesn't want to talk." Pei rolls his eyes again. 

"I just don't know where to begin." 

"Oh forget it. I'm gonna call Dew to hang out." Pei suddenly walks away. 

Tina, however, still remains on the bench even if it is time to go home. 

---

"So basically, this is all it took for them to be apart." Pei sighed just after he finished telling the whole story to Dew. 

When Pei left Tina, he immediately called Dew for a hang out and he was so eager to tell Dew the whole thing.

"What did you just say? I don't think Tina is that type of person who would run away from Aom like that. I think she is waiting for Aom to be cool or something."

"Yeah? It's been weeks, or months, and Tina hasn't done anything at all."

"Oh come on, Pei, you know how Tina is like. And you know her more than me."

"Exactly. I know her long enough to feel bad about this. Tina usually acts like herself and she can always solve any problem. But with this, she's something else. I don't know if she's feeling guilty about anything, you know, though I can feel her burden. Mean forgets everything just because of her, and I can't blame anything on her at all for caring Mean like that. But I think she overdoes it. She shouldn't care for Mean that much until Aom has to leave her like that. 

What I'm trying to say is that, they both are my friends and I understand their weak points. Tina is a caring person while Aom is very good at holding herself. Tina is very lucky that she got Aom because, to be honest, girls on average don't have this much guts to hold within her. Aom is just... rare." 

"I feel bad for Aom." Dew whispered. 

"So do I." 

"And also for Tina." 

"So do I." 

---

"Aom, I know you're in there and you can't hide yourself from me. If you're smart, open the door or your door will be damaged and I'm telling you, this is not going to be my responsibility for breaking into your room." Dew shouts just as she arrives at Aom's door. 

"Go away!" 

"What is it with you that you don't even want me in? I thought we were best friends for life and I thought YOU told me that if I ever needed anything, just go to you? And I am needing you right now." 

Dew can hear Aom's groan as Aom is walking to her door to open it. 

"What?" Aom is just abnormal because she's never been this rude to Dew before. 

"I bought you your favorite. Brownies!" Dew holds up a package of brownies, and to be frank, Aom can't resist this. 

"Just come in." Then Aom drags Dew into her room. 

As Dew got into Aom's room, she still feels the same. Aom has never really been changed after this thing between her and Tina happened. Dew believes that Aom is just trying to live her life in any good way that she can. She's trying to avoid every possible painful thing that she can ever meet. 

"Dew, you really know my favorite. There's nothing you don't know about me." Aom whispers just as she puts a piece of brownies into and starts chewing. 

"Including the thing between you and Tina?" 

THAT can shut Aom up. Aom puts away her brownies aside on the table and looks back at Dew just as Dew is sitting by the table. 

"There's nothing, really." Aom replies. 

"When you are you going to tell me, Aom? Did you forget that I am also your friend and I certainly will do whatever it takes to be there for you. And I mean it." 

"It's not that I don't wanna tell you, Dew! It's just that I didn't know where to start! What can you expect from me? I'm trying my best to get away from her and the topic of her only brings me down. I don't know how to live a day without seeing her idiot actions with Mean popping inside my head. I'm trying not to see her, and I'm trying every best I can to kick her out of my life. With this struggling, I really can't talk about her. I'm trying to forget her." Aom finally shouts back. 

"So you're thinking that what you're doing is a right thing to do? Aom, have you realized that what you're doing is indeed a wrong thing to do? This way has never been a solution." 

"I know exactly what I'm doing, Dew. You're not me and you don't know how it feels like when you see someone you love so much finally forgets about you and gets involved with a girl who lives in the same house with her. And certainly, you don't know how it feels like to see her lying on a bed in a disgusting way with that girl as well!"

"It was a trick, Aom! Did you really forget that?" 

"And you think it was easy to forget, Dew? Even if it was a trick, but it still haunts me! Everything about her and Mean still haunts me!"

"Aom, if you can shut up for another 3 minutes, probably you can get things better between us." 

Then Aom shuts up. 

"I came here today just to talk to you about you and Tina, and I'm very sure that I don't wanna fight with you. I'm trying to talk some senses in a way that you can change your mind on your behavior to her lately."

"Don't." Aom shakes her head. "Don't go to that, Dew. Please. It's hard to make myself up again." 

"I know it really is a big matter to you, and honestly, that'll be a big thing to me too if you're unhappy. I know what Tina did to you was unforgivable but that doesn't mean that you can't forgive her. She's a caring person, Aom, and you know that. Of course, you know her more than I do." 

"Exactly. I know her that I can fully know that she doesn't deserve any second chances." 

"But she deserves it. Look, you probably need to understand her difficulties, okay? It was totally her fault for making Mean become like that. If you were her, you would probably do the same thing."

"But I wouldn't leave my girlfriend alone." 

"Easier said than done. Put yourself into her shoe, and you would understand her more. Try to analyze her situation. Probably you can calm yourself down. What you're doing to her is torturing her. I wouldn't be alive if I were her. You know what, she still waits for you in front of the school everyday in a hope that she can at least have a glance on you so that she knows that you're fine, even if she can't come to your house anymore. She still parks her car at the same spot in a hope that you will forgive her and come to see her by that place. She still leaves a seat where you sat in class in a hope that you will change your mind and switch back to the same major. What I'm telling you is not my imagination, but it's the truth. Pei sees this action everyday and he wishes you guys to be okay again."

Then Dew stands up. "Please think about this again." Then she walks away. 

Aom has always loved Brownies. But now that she's heard this, is stuck, and she pushes her brownies to the floor and lies her head on the table softly and quietly and thinks about everything again.