1 1. Back pretend

She's called Atthera.

A naughty girl who now sits casually with both legs raised on the table, not forgetting a cigarette with billowing smoke tucked between her fingers. The girl seemed to be enjoying every puff of the cigarette on her lips with her fingers tapping on the glass of the table. She didn't care about her cell phone that kept ringing without her intention to pick it up.

Her thin lips curled upwards when the person she had been waiting for finally arrived. He threw the lit cigarette under the table, stepping on it by turning the soles of his feet wrapped in black converse.

"Sorry, Thera. I'm one minute and fifteen seconds late."

Still, with her faint smile, Atthera nodded her head briefly.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The man standing in front of her swallowed his saliva in fear. Especially Atthera's deadly glare.

"There was a big accident on the road in front of the red light that caused quite a traffic jam. There are no rat roads around the area. Sorry for making you wait Ra," she said, explaining what had happened and why she was late to meet the girl without being asked.

Hearing that explanation, Atthera stood up and walked towards the headquarters exit. She did not reply or heed the man's words.

"Where are you going?"

Without turning around she answered in a low tone.

"Leaving."

A very short, concise, and clear answer.

*****

The roaring sound of the motorcycle he was riding succeeded in making the eyes of almost everyone at the red light fixed on him. On a girl wearing a black leather jacket with A3 written on the back. Underneath her full-face helmet, Atthera secretly flashed a sardonic smile as her eyes accidentally caught two people riding not far from her bike. Her teeth gritted as the woman placed her hand on the waist of the man who seemed to be busy playing with his cell phone. Not forgetting the head she rested on the rider's sturdy back.

"Bastard," Thera said, clenching her fists tightly on the steering wheel of the motorcycle.

The traffic signs, which had been red, had now turned green. A sign that the four- or two-wheeled riders are ready to run their vehicles again.

Brum

Brum

Brum

He deliberately pulled the motorcycle's gas pedal hard until the exhaust smoke billowed everywhere. His heart burned to see the two people who were still making out on the motorcycle. Before finally shooting the motorcycle across the streets of the capital city which is always filled with traffic jams.

********

"You're really beautiful, Ra."

The sentence of praise Atthera greeted with a sweet smile. She didn't know that behind that sweet smile was the distress she was feeling. Kafka watched his girlfriend from top to bottom in detail. Her knee-length skirt, not-too-big uniform, and calf-length socks. Then his gaze shifted to a blue hairpin that was beautifully attached to Atthera's long, flowing hair. As usual, her girl always looked feminine. Yes, according to her type.

"Who did you drop off with?" she asked as she put her arm around Atthera's shoulders as she entered the school grounds. The two of them accidentally met in front of the school fence with Atthera who had just gotten out of a car and herself who had just arrived. Kafka asked Atthera to wait for him for a while to walk together because he parked first.

"With a friend," Thera replied casually.

Suddenly hearing that Kafka stopped his steps and turned to face Atthera.

"Real friend, right? You're not lying to me Ra?" He asked suspiciously.

Atthera shook her head quickly, "No, I'm a friend. But she goes to a different school," she explained honestly while patting little Kafka's arm.

"Well, who knows if you're cheating on me behind my back. Watch out, yes, if you get caught cheating on me, I will-"

"Yes, Kafka, yes. I'm not cheating on you. Why would I cheat on you anyway? Having you is enough," said Thera, who didn't want to hear more accusations against her.

Kafka's big hand gently ruffled the top of the girl's head beside him, "I'm like that because I don't want to lose you, Ra," he said to Atthera as if he was really afraid of losing the girl.

Even though last night you walked with another girl! Thera's mind was upset.

"Why didn't you pick up the phone last night, hm?" asked Kafka curiously. Soon they would arrive at Atthera's class which was on the second floor. While Kafka's class is downstairs. Although it was tiring to go up and down the stairs, it was nothing because the man was happy every time he escorted his girlfriend to the front door of the class.

"I overslept. Sorry, huh?" he replied, obviously lying.

"Yes. But next time let me know if you want to sleep," replied Kafka, who as usual always had to be obeyed whatever his request was.

"Oh, yes, after school, will you accompany me to the flower shop? While traveling too. I miss you," said Thera enthusiastically. But her smile immediately faded because of the look on Kafka's face that changed drastically.

"You can't Kaf?"

"I-"

Before Kafka could finish his sentence, a voice that Atthera hated was heard along with the arrival of a girl who was also the same age as the two of them.

"I was looking for you in the parking lot, Kaf. I didn't know you were already here," she pouted, playing cute with her lips.

The girl with glasses who was almost the same height as Atthera was called Thea. More precisely Amalthea Raguna. But Atthera preferred to call her 'useless' because she thought it was more appropriate for Thea.

Later you will know why Atthera hates Thea so much.

"I'm sorry for leaving you in the parking lot," Kafka said in a very soft voice to Thea who was now pulling on the man's hand to hold.

"Yes, it's okay," she replied.

Atthera did not remove her eyes from the link of hands of the two people in front of her. Ah, this was not so painful. Wasn't this kind of scene a common sight? Especially this morning when she saw Kafka who left together with Thea. After all, Thea was more than anything else to him. Beautiful, gentle, and even always ranked parallel in her school. So isn't it natural that any boy would fall for that perfect girl? And that also applies to her boyfriend, Kafka, who admits that he doesn't harbor a crush on Thea, but always chooses to be with the girl with glasses over him.

They had been dating for two years, but Atthera still couldn't hide her jealousy every time Thea appeared to take Kafka's attention away from her. Even though Kafka repeatedly tried to make her believe that she would never turn away.

If you ask why don't you choose to end the relationship instead of continuing to be hurt? Because Atthera can't do that. Not because she loved Kafka so much, but Atthera was afraid that the possessive boy would go crazy if she asked for a breakup.

"Sorry Ra, but I promised to accompany Thea to study for her Olympiad next week. Is that okay?"

Hearing that sentence, Atthera nodded briefly. She didn't care about the pain anymore.

"We'll go first, okay?" the useless one said to her. Atthera wanted to cut off the disgusting girl's head but she realized what role she was playing now.

After the two were no longer seen in front of her, Atthera turned around to enter. But it seemed that the universe would not allow her to calm down even for a moment.

The man she left behind last night suddenly appeared with his annoying laugh. The untidy tie, the half-out shirt, the disheveled hair, and the black piercing on his right ear already made people know what kind of student the rude guy was.

"Poor girl," he teased with his tongue. Mocking Atthera who puffed out her cheeks in annoyance at his appearance.

"Recognize?" she retorted, folding her arms across her chest.

Unexpectedly Sankara, the annoying boy's name, grabbed her by the hair while laughing lightly.

"Gosh Att, you're so cute wearing this," I don't know, the compliment sounded like a reproach to her ears.

But Sankara was not lying. Atthera looked so cute in front of him right now. Completely different from what he saw last night.

Just as he was about to open the classroom door, Sankara opened his voice again. The expression on the man's face, which had been full of amusement, now turned serious.

He looked at Atthera who also looked back at him sharply, "Until when do you want to continue like this? I'm the one who always gets emotional when I see him always choosing that annoying girl over you. I've told you so many times, haven't I? You deserve to be happy, you idiot!" Sankara muttered angrily.

Who would have guessed that Sankara, one of the most notorious students at Jubels High School, would be close friends with Atthera. A feminine girl who people know as the girlfriend of Kafka, the chairman of the disciplinary commission. No one knows about their friendship, including Kafka himself. Both of them are so good at acting in front of people as two strangers who don't know each other.

There are many reasons why they both chose to do that. Including Atthera who didn't want Kafka to find out. Because the entire Jubels also knew how intense the enmity between Kafka and Sankara was.

And yes, Atthera and Sankara successfully carried out the pretense. Including the pretense of Atthera who had managed to deceive everyone with her feminine appearance.

"And also, I don't like to see you having to be pressured by your appearance. You used to always wear your hair in a ponytail, now you wear it loose. You usually don't like to wear anything other than a hairband now you're wearing barrettes, bandanas, I swear I'm sick of it."

Atthera remained silent. Because what Sankara said was true. She didn't like the way she looked now.

Sankara held Atthera's shoulders tightly.

"I understand you're doing this for Kafka because he's a feminine type of girl. I understand you love her Att. But you don't have to do what you don't like for someone who even prefers to hang out with other girls than your boyfriend!" she joked in exasperation.

It wasn't that she didn't know what had happened earlier. Behind the classroom wall, Sankara eavesdropped clearly. He desperately held back his anger when in front of his own eyes Kafka preferred to accompany Thea to study rather than accompany Atthera to the flower shop.

"You're no longer-"

"Whatever!"

Sankara ran away from Atthera's presence rather than listen to the girl's reply which would only make him angrier.

"Damn," the girl swore, then entered the classroom with a face that was forced to always look cheerful.