Chapter 143: A Wound Reopened

“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you heading to class right away?” Tomi’s voice suddenly broke the silence. He came over, then put his arms around our shoulders familiarly. “Spying on someone, huh?” he added while raising one eyebrow.

I flinched and immediately turned toward him, as did Dara.

“Look at that, Tomi. Gita just talked a little with Kenn, but she’s already being so excessive. Look at her smile, she’s acting as if she’s on a beauty pageant stage,” Dara said while folding her arms across her chest.

Her gaze was fixed sharply on Gita. “Look at how she twirls her hair in front of Kenn. It’s really disgusting,” she added in a sarcastic tone.

Tomi touched Dara’s head playfully. “As if you’ve never acted like that, Dara.”

I laughed spontaneously, but the laugh sounded hollow and strange to my own ears. Dara and Tomi turned toward me at the same time. They seemed to notice that there was something unusual in my reaction.

“Is something funny, Frel?” Tomi asked in an investigative tone.

I cleared my throat, trying to calm my expression so it would look normal.

“Come on, Dara. Until now you still don’t like Gita. Besides, they look compatible as a couple.” I forced a small smile even though my chest felt tight.

Dara and Tomi looked at me with even more suspicion.

“Compatible? Are you sick?” Dara asked in disbelief.

I felt nervous and immediately looked for an excuse to fix my words. “I mean, it’s natural that they look close. Gita is Hendra’s first love. She’s the girl Kenn always protects for his brother.”

“What? Seriously? Kenn? What happened to his older brother?”

Dara’s eyes widened in shock, while Tomi’s expression remained flat. Maybe because Tomi already knew the truth.

“His older brother died before he could confess his feelings to Gita. And before he died, Hendra asked Kenn to take care of Gita for him.” Hearing Gita’s name from my own lips felt like something was pinching my heart. It hurt so much.

“Why am I only finding out about this now? So Kenn is just a backup protector?” Dara probed. “It still feels strange. You said you’re friends, but where’s the proof? Why didn’t Gita greet you at all just now, Frel? She seemed to really enjoy being close to Kenn.”

I stammered as I answered. “Maybe Gita didn’t see us earlier, Dara. You shouldn’t think badly. Besides, the corridor is really crowded, right?”

“You’re always like this. Don’t you remember what happened in the past? The incident that almost got you expelled from school because of your own actions?” Dara brushed Tomi’s arm off her shoulder roughly. Her eyes stared at me sharply. “How long will you let other people take advantage of your kindness?” she demanded.

I turned my face forward, toward where Kenn and Gita were, just to avoid a confrontation with Dara.

“You trust others too easily, Frel. You can’t tell which friends are sincere and which are just pretending. You’re too naive for this world. Have you forgotten when you were accused of being a thief by someone you considered a friend back in junior high school? Do you want history to repeat itself, huh!”

My tears immediately welled up and slowly soaked my cheeks. I didn’t know the exact cause. Was it because of Dara’s yelling, or because my gaze had briefly met Kenn’s flat stare? Even though it was only for a few seconds, he quickly turned his face away and walked away from me.

Silence enveloped us for a moment, with only the faint sound of other students’ footsteps.

“Why are you crying? Oh no, why did it turn out like this? Forgive me, Frel. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Dara’s voice sounded panicked and full of guilt. She tried to touch my shoulder but hesitated.

Without looking at her, I nodded weakly. “I’m fine, Dara.” I wiped away these tears. “Lately, my feelings have been very sensitive.”

“Come on, don’t blame each other. What’s in the past doesn’t need to be brought up again,” Tomi said while putting his arms around us again. He looked at us alternately, then smiled sincerely. “My friends have to stay strong. Let’s go to class now. Come on!”

Tomi's steady and light footsteps seemed to contrast with the burden on my shoulders that felt increasingly heavy. We walked along the corridor that was starting to grow quiet because the bell for class was about to ring. I briefly glanced back, to where Gita had disappeared behind the door of her classroom.

Meanwhile, Kenn stepped into our classroom with an expressionless face, and I felt my chest sink again. He walked ahead of us without even glancing back, as if we were merely strangers who had happened to cross paths on the street.

"Frel, are you really okay?" Dara whispered softly as we sat at our respective desks.

Her tone had softened now, the remnants of her earlier anger replaced with genuine concern.

I only gave a small nod while tidying the books on my desk.

"I'm fine. I just need a little calm, Dara," I replied.

Without daring to look back.

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