“Mom, school won’t kick Tina out, right?” asked Aom when she and her parents had breakfast. She tried to look calm, but the truth was she really worried.

            “Hmm… I don’t know that for sure, but I’ll try my best because seem like her father really wanna kick her out,” replied Mrs. Mannaying.

            “But she isn’t wrong, Mom,” said Aom.

            “She punched first, Aom.” Mr. Mannaying opened his mouth to join his wife and daughter conversation.

            “But it was because Beam provoking her. If Beam didn’t do that, Tina won’t punch him.” Aom with her stubbornness kept insisting to support Tina.

            “Why you’re so stubborn, Aom? Why you keep insisting that Tina wasn’t guilty?” asked her father with suspicious look.

            “Because she isn’t wrong, Dad. How can you punish someone that isn’t wrong?” before her father cuts her, Aom added. “Okay, well, she was who punching first, but she won’t do that if Beam not provoked her. Beam purposely provoking her. Beam is the one who did wrong, not her. Please, Mom, don’t let Mr. Jittaleela kick her out from school.”

            Mr. Mannaying was sharpening his stare, smell that her daughter hid something. Aom knew that her father was suspicious her, but she won’t tell the true reason to her parents. It just hurt her remembering Beam’s reason. Beam is so mean. She shouldn’t be with him from the start.

            Mrs. Mannaying released a deep breath. “I’ll try to convince her dad, satisfy, Aom?”

            Aom was smiling. At least, she a bit less worried because her mom will help her. “Okay, Mom. Please, make Mr. Jittaleela not kick her out.”

            “I’ll try my best.”

            “Thanks, Mom.”

            The way Mr. Jittaleela treated Tina is so unfair to her. It didn’t make sense, how could a father did that to her daughter? It shouldn’t be like that.

            “What you’re thinking now?” asked her father, disturbing Aom who lost in her thought.

            “Huh—?” Aom startled. “Ahh… nothing, Dad.”

            And Mr. Mannaying knew again that her daughter was lying and hid something. “What’s relationship between you and Tina?” he didn’t know why he asked like that, but it just disturbed his mind. He assumed that must be something between them.

            Aom almost chocked when heard her dad question. “Wh—what do you mean, Dad?” she asked nervously.

            “You never like this before. So, it’s weird when you so stubborn that Tina isn’t guilty. I assume that you two have something going on. You date with her?”

            Aom’s eyes opened widely. Mrs. Mannaying also locked her eyes on her daughter. She was so curious too with the stubbornness that Aom showed lately over Tina. Before answered her father question, Aom tried to calm down a bit.

            “She’s my friend, Dad. Is it wrong to help my friend?”

            “Since when she became your friend? I thought you won’t be her friend.” Mr. Mannaying still not satisfied with Aom’s answer.

            Aom rolled her eyes. “You were telling me to be her friend and now, when I and her become friend, you questioning about that. I don’t get it, Dad.” She looked frustration.

            Mr. Mannaying stared Aom’s eyes sharply, wanted to find the truth from her eyes. In the other side, without fear, Aom stared back at her father’s eyes, but in the inside, she didn’t know why her heart beat gone faster than before. Mr. Mannaying loosens his stared and focused again on his breakfast, but the pressure still there.

            “She’s a girl, Aom.” Mr. Mannaying tried to say it on normal tone, but still his words full of warning.

            “Yeah, I know that, Dad. You’re not thinking that I’m stupid, right?”

            “Don’t be in love with her.”

            Aom rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, Dad, how can I in love with a girl, especially like her. It’s nonsense.” She thought that her dad overreacted, she won’t fall in love with Tina.

            “No, it’s possible, Aom. Be careful.” Mr. Mannaying said it with tone that Aom can’t reply it.

            “Okay, Dad.” Aom backed down.

            ###

            The first thing Aom did when she arrived at her class was looking for Tina and she didn’t find her. Then she just remembered that Tina still being on her suspension period. She sighed as she sat on her seat. Pei saw that and poked Aom’s shoulder.

            “Something happen?” asked Pei worried.

            “Nothing,” said Aom, lied.

            “Did you miss Tina?”

            Pei’s question made Aom surprised. “What you’re talking about, Pei?”

            Pei shrugged. “Because you looks missing her.”

            “Ha-ha funny,” said Aom sarcastic. “It’s just class being so peaceful without her, I like it.”

            “Then you’re gonna happy if school really makes her out?”

            Aom frozen for seconds. “But it wasn’t fully her fault, Pei, you know that.”

            “Then you’re not happy if it’s like that, get it.” Pei nodded, he had another something in his mind and almost sure about it.

            Aom was sharpening her glare to Pei. “What you’re thinking, Pei?”

            Pei shrugged. “Nothing.”

            “You hide something?” Aom still curious, Pei looked suspicious in her eyes.

            “Nope, Aom. Now you better look at in front of class, the teacher already in,” said Pei.

            Aom turned her head to the front of class, English teacher, Mr. Jirayu, had begun her explanation about tenses. Mr. Jirayu also wanted them to make a group. One group filled with four peoples. Automatically, Aom with Pei, but they didn’t know the two others.

            “Aom!” Mike called Aom from his seat while waving his right hand. After Aom looked at him, Mike spoke again. “Let me and Tina at your group, ‘kay?” then he winked.

            Without thinking and ask Pei permission, Aom answered Mike. “Okay.” She said it while smile too.

            Pei looked at Aom with his what-the look. “Why I need to be one group with them?” asked him to Aom.

            “Why? Is it wrong to be one group with them?”

            “Can you feel the jealousy of the girls here?” Pei asked that because Aom so dumb can’t feel the high tension in their class. All the girls in the class stared Aom with envy and hate.

            Aom shrugged. “Like I care.” Inside, her heart beating fast just because of the thought that Tina will one group with her. She didn’t know why like that, but she thought it wasn’t a big deal.

            ###

            Again, Aom’s heart beating fast when her eyes found Tina stood in front of the garage between the girls that surrounding her. She looked annoy with the girls and relieved when she found Aom walked out from the lobby. Without care of the girls, she came closer to Aom. Pei stared with distrustful at Tina, but Tina ignored it.

            “Why you took so long?” protested Tina when she stood in front of Aom. She looked sullen.

            “I’m not asking you to wait for me,” replied Aom, ignored the throb.

            “You need to help me with the homework. I think my head gonna blow because too much studying.”

            Aom snorted. “Silly.”

            “Whatever,” said Tina then she pulled Aom’s arm, walked to her motorcycle that parked in front of the garage, place that she stood before.

            “Bye, Pei.” Aom waved to Pei that looked not so happy.