The Scars

“Kevin! Give it back to me! Now!” I yelled while running toward him and trying to grab the white envelope he was holding high. His height did not allow me to even touch his arm. He giggled, enjoying every moment I shouted out and jumped up to get the envelope. “Kevin! This is enough!” He curled his hands at the back of his body with that white object in his fist and kept teasing me.    

    

“Now I know that this thing is your life.” He mocked me. “I will return it to you if only you do what I tell you to.” He sneered. “Stay away from Reno. Don’t’ see him anymore for the rest of your life.” Not only did his sentences numb me, but it also muted my mouth for a while. “It is easy, isn’t it?” It was not because I couldn’t do what Kevin ordered or thought that he might have special feeling for me. It was the reason that lied behind why he insisted on doing it that made me curious. They were brothers. Why did Kevin treat Reno as an enemy?    

    

“Why do you hate your brother? Why should I evade him?” I conveyed what I had in my head.    

    

“I did not give you a right to question or argue my decision. You have only two options: do as I said or let your mother go to school which means it may kill her slowly. The choice is in your hand.” I was infuriated that clenched my hands into balls. Who was he to be able to dictate me? My mother’s shadow flashed on my eyes, her wizened old face and haggard thin body weakened me. I wiped the tears that almost trickled down and divert my eyes from Kevin. Before making a decision, Kevin tugged my body into his car. I was still wondering why, when he directly locked the car’s door and put his forefinger on his lips.    

    

“Kevin, what do you think you are doing?” I flicked his hands away because he was about to cover my mouth.    

    

“Can you just be quiet? Don’t you see them?” My eyes followed Kevin’s finger. Those five bastards were still searching for me. “You’ll be safe here.” Kevin said while observing them carefully.    

    

“They’re gone now. Let me go.” I press the button on the car’s door. The door opened. Reno gripped my hand strongly, prevented me from getting off the car. No matter how hard I tried, I could not let his hand go of me. “What is it you want?” I snapped in a high tone.    

    

“It is your decision.” I did not have a choice but saying yes. After grasping the summons from him, I ran out of the car and vigilantly walked out the parking area.    

    

I was finally home safely. Getting home late, I had no time to assist my mother with the laundry. I preferred avoiding my mother even until the night came.    

    

I was still looking at the envelope in my hand which color had turned to grey. It moved from one hand to another and finally got back to me after that foolish assent with Kevin. How could I shun Reno? He was the one who always saw me at school and even out of school hours. It was not for my mother, I would not deal with that conceited boy, Kevin.    

    

“What is that?” My mother suddenly appeared behind me. She pointed out the object in my hand. I swiftly hid it in my bag and said it was nothing. It was just school’s assignment, I reasoned. Feeling guilty for lying to her pierced my heart deeply. She, as always, smiled innocently, believed that every word coming out of my mouth was the truth. She trusted me more than anyone else. She convinced that I was an honest girl. On top of that, she was proud of me. “Have a sleep. You need to rest.”    

    

“I’m sorry mom,” I mumbled.    

    

“What did you say?”    

    

“Good night, Mom.” I was a truly big liar. That fact turned me into a sinner.    

    

“Good night.”    

    

It seemed I was never born with bravery, and even the honesty my mother instilled in my brain had uprooted from its place. The summons never landed on my mother’s hand until the next morning. I went to school straightaway without telling my mother that someone had vilified me at school, that her daughter experienced hell inside that building. She did not have to know that. It was my problem. And it was my responsibility to tackle it.    

    

I was standing before the school principal’s office with my hand shaking. The flutter in my heart hit my chest stronger and stronger. I was determined to see the school principal myself to ensure him that it was only a gossip. Someone had slandered Reno and me.    

    

“It is clear now who the culprit is.” I spun around and found Kevin’s mother had elegantly straightened behind. “Now I have discovered the reason why Reno is always in trouble. It is you, the trigger. You are his nightmare. I thank God that Kevin doesn’t know you.” She kept abasing me until the door opened. The school principal invited me to get in.    

    

Mrs. Wijaya took her seat. I did after her. The school principal put his spectacles on and felt surprised to see that it was Mrs. Wijaya who had been sitting in front of him. As a wife of the biggest donator for the school, all people in the school respected her. The school principal welcomed her genially. He did not do the same thing to me.    

    

“Good morning, Mrs. Wijaya. Thank you for coming.” His lips trembled.    

    

“Be straightforward. What did my son do?” She did not interest to talk much.    

    

“Reno and this girl….” He looked at me. ”Where is your mother, by the way?” He finally realized that it was me alone facing him, without my mother beside me.    

    

“He can’t come for some reason.”    

    

“Mr. Headmaster. I have run out of time. I am busy. ”Kevin’s mother did not give me a chance to defend myself.    

    

“I’m sorry. Reno and This girl did nasty thing in the store room yesterday. I have punished them two”    

    

“Do you think I have time for this? If it is about Reno, then do whatever you want. Don’t waste my time.” She got up after responding to the school principal’s report. In a second, she walked hastily out of the room.    

    

“It is really annoying dealing with that woman,” he grumbled. “And you. Where is your mother?” He turned to me. I moved from the chair and knelt down on the floor.    

    

“Please. You can do whatever to me, punish me, humiliate me, and beat me. I will do anything even if you assigned me to clean the entire school. But, please keep this case off my mother. She mustn’t know this. She is everything to me. She is my world”    

    

“If she means the world to you, why did you do that then?”    

    

“No. I’ve told you I didn’t do anything like the teacher suspected. Please trust me.” Before that fat old man could say something, someone entered the room. I did not see his face. But, I knew exactly who he was. Another scene of my life’s drama would be played soon. It was good or bad, my heart still debated on it.