The Scars

They surrounded me. Being paralyzed in the center of the circle, I did not rely on anything, but bravery. I faced them in confidence. With their number, it sounded so naive to confront them. I had put myself in a trouble. Yet, it was the best choice. Vera’s life had been bitter. I did not want it to be worse. These girls were the gossipers who would do anything to get the hot news and spread it over. They were simply those who lost their parents’ care, compassion, and love due to their business or work. That was what I concluded from their attitude toward other students.    

    

“It is no wonder if you do that kind of thing. So, you trade your body for money? That makes sense because you are too poor.” One of them in bun hair said the venomous words.    

    

“I regret that I almost thought badly about Vera. She is innocent. And you, why don’t you move to another school?” the one in long curly hair added. I had to endure their humiliation. It was for Vera’s sake. I would do anything to save her reputation.    

    

“And you!’ the girl with a yellow headband pushed me back with her hand. I almost fell. “How dare you show your face in this school?” My back touched a corpulent tall figure behind me. She hissed and shoved me to the front. The one who stood in front of me did the same way. They played me like a ball, gliding from one student to another. It made me feel dizzy. It was bad that I could not defend myself. They were too powerful. Then, the strongest one jostled me forward. Unfortunately, the one before me moved aside. My body bumped into a sturdy figure.    

    

“Reno.”    

    

“Are you alright?” he asked me in panic. I shook my head confirming that it was all not too bad. Reno shot them with a sharp gaze before he finally uttered the scathing words. “So, it is all you can do after spending eleven years of education? Bullying is the only thing you are good at. It is no doubt that your academic records are at the lowest level. You can’t even manage your emotion. You don’t know how to behave. Where do you think you can find people who treat you with respect out of your friendship circle? Oh, I think I mispronounced the word. Well, it is not a friendship, yet an evil toxic circle.” Reno’s statement was surely addressed to those six girls who just bullied me physically and verbally. Never did I expect that those words would slip out of Reno’s tongue. He was a quiet boy. “I am pessimistic about your future,” he ended his sentences. That amazed me.    

    

“At least, our evil circle is better than your love circle. I am a hundred percent sure that you and Ilana had done something in the storeroom,” a girl in long hair said something that hurt me, “something disgusting,” she continued in a lower tone. I saw Reno clench his fist into a ball. But, I signaled him not to do or respond anything    

    

“Is it exciting spending a night with a random guy in a club, Eva?” Suddenly Vera was walking into the room elegantly with one hand clutched on her bag.    

    

“You! Don’t vilify me!”    

    

“Should I show the world the video of how you enjoyed the moment with that hot sexy guy?”    

    

“You must be kidding me. I did nothing with the guy.”    

    

“Did you just confess it?” Vera trapped her. The other girls in the room closed their mouths. They looked wondering one another. That girl named Eva ran out of the room crying. “Ilana, Reno why do we still stick here? It is not good for our mental health to be around these gossiper girls.”    

    

“Thank you,” I muttered after drinking mineral water when we had been in the cafeteria. Vera sat beside me, smiling as if she never had a problem to worry about.    

    

“I have a rule for you to obey.” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t ever say thank nor sorry you to me. We are friends, aren’t we?” She turned to Reno.”    

    

“We are friends forever,” Reno asserted.    

    

“Wait! Can I ask you something, Vera?” I got back to Vera.    

    

“Anything,” She answered.    

    

“How do you know that the girl was in the club spending a nightstand with a random guy? I mean you’ve never been in the club, have you?”    

    

“I just threatened her. And then she confessed by herself.”    

    

“You are such a genius.”    

    

“Nope! It was not a secret that most of the girls in our school do that, being a sugar baby.”    

    

“What! What for?”    

    

“For the money, they are generally a social climber.”    

    

“I don’t get it. Why do they have to cheapen themselves for money?”    

    

“You are too innocent, Ilana. That’s good, anyway. And you shouldn’t know how the world out there works. Just be yourself.” She silenced. “See you tomorrow, by the way. I have to go home now.” She bid farewell to Reno and me.    

    

“Vera...” She turned back. “See you.”    

    

I left Reno behind after parting with him. As always, I had to work after school. I had no time to take a nap like other people usually did. No matter how tired my feet and body were, I kept walking down the long road to scavenge. The sweat had wet my forehead and temple. My sack was almost full of the junks.    

    

“I don’t know whether it is sufficient or not to swap it with money. But, it is all I can get.” I was startled.    

    

“Reno! What are you doing here?”    

    

“Nothing, just doing an exercise... You know I seldom have time to do that.”    

    

“Scavenging is not a kind of sport. It is my part-time job.”    

    

“I know. Please let me do it, too.”    

    

“It’s up to you.” I left him behind. It was such an absurd thing when a boy from a rich family did scavenging as a sport.    

    

I calculated the money I got. It was not that much, but at least I could save some amount of money today. Reno handed me his money. I rejected. It was not because I did not respect him, but because he had helped me a lot so far.    

    

“I don’t need this money.”    

    

“Then, why are you following me, collecting the junks and selling them?” I debated him.    

    

“I said I just wanted to do exercise.”    

    

“Give it back to the broker if you don’t need that money.”    

    

“That’s impossible”    

    

We were still in the debate when a luxurious car stopped before our eyes. An elegant tall slim woman in a dark blazer came out of the car. She took off her sunglasses. I was jerked back to know that it was Kevin’s mother who was walking toward us.