Kata orang-orang di sekelilingku, Kevin itu sempurna. Hanya dia yang mampu membuatku seorang Reina yang tak kunjung lulus skripsi tersadar untuk menjadi Reina yang lebih baik. Bahkan, keluarga besarku sangat antusias untuk menjodohkanku dengannya, membuatku sebal setengah mati. Padahal aku sudah mencintai Arman, pacarku saat ini. Namun sialnya, Arman malah membuatku semakin terjebak pada situasi perjodohan ini. Sampai akhirnya pernikahanku dengan Kevin pun terjadi. Saat kami memutuskan untuk saling berdampingan sebagai suami istri, berbagai masalah pun datang bertubi-tubi ….
View MoreThere are few words in the English language that come close to describing the intense feeling of being in love. There are even fewer words to express the unbearable torment of heartbreak. And the heartbreak from someone’s first love? Forget it.
But this was the precise emotion seventeen-year-old Rapunzel Kate Lapuz was experiencing inside a stall in the girls’ bathroom. Kate, who took pride in having English as her favorite subject and being called Ms. Grammarly by her English teacher in junior high, found herself at a loss for words to describe what she was feeling.
Outside, it was a sunny Thursday afternoon in sleepy Concepcion Integrated Technology School - High School on one of the 7, 641 tropical islands of the Philippines. For Kate though, it felt like a giant hood had been slipped on top of the world, extinguishing all light and sucking away all breath.
Had the whole world in fact ended, that would’ve solved a lot of things. At the top of Kate’s list were public humiliation and social suicide. She couldn’t begin to comprehend the level of stupidity she had shown. She was an honor roll student but she fell for the oldest trick in the book: she fell in love with the bad boy.
But who was she kidding? There were no books written about this. Her own ma, the loving and strong woman that she was, couldn’t have warned her about this. And Kate’s own trusty big brain? If it had hands, it would’ve washed them clean of all traces of this #EpicFail.
Her brain had known what was going to happen. Her brain had warned her that Josh Guerrero couldn’t be trusted, that he couldn’t change. Being a player was in his nature. Her brain gave Kate plenty of heads-up but her heart was too happy to listen.
Her heart – her big, fearless heart – had told her that when the day came, they would all deal with it together. The same way Kate had entered the relationship, she would leave it unburned and with eyes wide open. She had thought then that she would be ready now but it was clear nothing could’ve ever prepared her for the day.
She wished she could thrust her hand inside her chest and massage her heart. She might as well yank the whole organ out and give it a telling-off. Or she’d try to figure out all the veins and arteries. They’d been studying DSL installation in ICT-11, so maybe she could figure out which wires went where and which ones were defective. Maybe then her eyes would stop gushing tears without her express permission.
She tried to trace the point when everything had started to go wrong, right before they spiraled out of control. She kept thinking if she could identify such a point, things would somehow instantly get better.
Why was Josh so hateful to her? How could he dump her so unceremoniously and replace her with Bernadette? The Super Glue of all people! It was in the canteen that Kate found out. She thought they were on the same side. She and him against the world. JOSH & KATE 4EVER in a heart pierced with cupid’s arrow, like the extensive graffiti in that bathroom; now nothing but trashy and meaningless scrawls.
How could Josh be so cruel? She thought he would never hurt her. He said so. He promised it. It was like she hadn’t known him at all. Or he her. The more she recalled his familiar face – his long hair, thick eyebrows, dark brooding eyes and aquiline nose – the sharper the pain she felt.
It was weird. The pain was emotional but it also bordered the physical. She kept rubbing her chest through her middy blouse as though that would ease it. She was having trouble breathing. She was crying so much she was getting sick and wanted to throw up. How could something so beautiful cause her this much pain? Now Kate knew that burning fire lurked behind an angel’s smile.
She guessed everybody was talking about her right now. She rarely missed class and there was supposed to be a pop quiz in English today. Worse than the intense feelings of jealousy and heartbreak was the humiliation. How could she muster the strength to come out of the bathroom ever again, hold her head high and not let anybody see her swollen eyes? She just hoped to go on with her life but even that option had been taken away from her.
Ma… she silently cried out as she thought of her mother and how much she wanted to feel her embrace. If only she could teleport from the bathroom stall back to her bedroom, where she’d stay forever. Her ma; caring, ever supportive and intuitive. When she noticed Kate was walking on air the first few days of her relationship, she had immediately guessed she was in love. At first, Kate tried to deny it but it seemed her ma knew her more than she did herself. She said she could see it in the glow of Kate’s skin and in her lively movements. She slept with her for the first time in a while and teased her about it.
Her ma whispered to her that she was happy Kate had found love. She explained that love made everybody happier, gentler and altogether nicer people. Love could change even those who were bitter and devoid of hope. But Kate’s ma also warned that people were sometimes not who they said they were. Beauty was only skin-deep. What mattered most was what was inside. What was invisible and essential, like in the book The Little Prince, which her ma used to read to her when she was a kid.
Why are you telling me these? Kate had asked her ma, still trying to deny it.
{Well, it’s because I care about you so much and you have a very big heart. You wanna trust everyone around you because you have so much love to give. And it’s all right when you’re with me and your pa and your close friends, but sooner or later you’ll meet different kinds of people and some won’t be who you expect they are. I don’t want you to be disappointed and, most importantly, I don’t want you to change and lose your trusting character. Because that’s the part of you I love the most.}
The thought of her ma and her warning, which Kate couldn’t really make sense of till today, made her cry even more. She was quickly running out of pocket tissue and even toilet tissue from the dispenser. The tears just kept pouring out of her. She thought she might flood the entire school if she kept at it.
She couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever though. The rough plan was to wait till the school closed and it got dark. She knew all about the ghost stories but didn’t care about any of those right now. She was so upset she thought she could strangle a ghost to death, or back to life, whatever.
Grade 11 students took most of their lessons in the old building, which meant the bathrooms were housed in another structure. They were dirtier and older but they were also visited less frequently, which was perfect for Kate’s present needs. Besides, it was kind of suitable because right now she felt like something that had been discarded after its owner had lost interest.
She had been crying so much she wondered where all the water was coming from, and how her small body could produce that much. She was also starting to feel thirsty. Thirsty and tired.
She noticed belatedly that her phone was vibrating. She rummaged through her shoulder bag and peeked at the screen, sobbing piteously. It was her bestie Lor (short for Lorraine) checking on her. It turned out Kate had been crying for two hours straight and it was finally time to go home.
Kate ignored all the missed calls and texts and put the phone back in her bag. Let them all think she had gone home early, she thought.
She couldn’t stop thinking of Josh Guerrero. He was stuck in her mind like a looped TikTok clip and she couldn’t get him out. All the happy memories that they shared now felt like the giant wheels of a speeding cargo truck, under which he had thrown her.
And the thought of Josh and Bernadette together made her blood boil. Kate never used to care or think about Bernadette in any way. She was just another student on another track. People even dubbed her the Super Glue because of her tendency to stick to any boy. But now Kate was forced to compare herself to her with regards to appearance, intelligence and personality.
She wished there was an off switch for love. But in the same way she hadn’t noticed when she fell for Josh, there was no end in sight for the pain. It felt infinite. She wished she was some kind of robot that could be programmed to forget, so she’d be back to her normal cheerful self who didn’t miss class and looked forward to every single day. She wanted to be her ma’s daughter again or the straight-A student that everyone in school admired her to be.
The thought of her old self and where she was hiding atm brought another bucket of tears.
Aisha dan Widyo langsung merangkul Widuri, dan membawanya ke UKS. "Gue nggak peduli kalau artikel-artikel menyatakan, marah itu bisa bikin kita cepat tua. Sumpah, gue nggak peduli bakalan cepat tua dari umur gue yang seharusnya kalau sikap mereka kayak gini terus. Kita sebagai murid-murid berhak dapat perlindungan dari para pembully di sekolah!" Aisha terus meracau tidak jelas saat mereka sudah berada di UKS. Sementara, Widuri meringis kesakitan saat Widyo mengobati lututnya perlahan dengan obat merah. "Ini pertama kalinya sejak Aisha masuk sekolah, dia kembali melawan teman-temannya. Biasanya dia cuma diam aja kalau dibully sama mereka." Widyo berbicara kepada Widuri. "Lo harus bersyukur punya temen kayak Aisha yang rela mencelakai dirinya sendiri demi melindungi orang lain." Widuri hanya diam. "Wid ...." Aisha menepuk pundak Widuri. "Kalau ada yang nyakitin Lo dan bikin lo menderita lagi, Lo tinggal lapor sama gue. Kita nggak boleh kelihatan lemah di hadapan mereka. Karena
Widyo membawa Aisha menuju belakang sekolah. Duduk di sebuah kursi kayu panjang yang berada di bawah rimbunan pohon. Tak ada orang lain di sini kecuali hanya mereka berdua. "Kenapa kakak bawa gue pergi? Kalau Kakak nggak nahan gue, mungkin gue udah bisa nonjok muka cowok sialan itu habis-habisan." Aisha terus meracau sembari menangis sesenggukan. Widyo hanya tertawa tanpa berkomentar hingga menunggu beberapa menit sampai Aisha merasa tenang kembali. "Udah puas nangisnya? Hapus air mata lo. Sama sekali nggak berguna dan hanya bikin lo keliatan jadi lemah." Widyo mengulurkan sapu tangannya. Aisha menerima saputangan itu. Langsung menyemburkan ingusnya kuat-kuat. Widyo tidak merasa jijik. Justru terkekeh geli. "Kakak ngetawain gue?" Aisha menoleh ke arah Widyo. Kesal. Widyo hanya menggeleng. "Terus kenapa Kakak ketawa?" Widyo kembali menggeleng. Melipat mulutnya rapat-rapat. "Ternyata selain bisa ngomong, Kakak juga bisa ketawa. Hebat." Widyo mengerutkan alisnya bingung. "
"Sebenarnya aku takut ke sekolah." Begitu penuturan Aisha saat mereka sedang sarapan pagi bersama. Tanpa kehadiran Kevin dan Ari karena keduanya --- lagi-lagi --- pergi melakukan rute penerbangan. Hanya ada Reyna dan Aydan di ruang makan sembari menatap Aisha dengan mata melotot lebar. "Kenapa kamu takut sekolah, Sayang?" Reyna berhenti menyentuh makanannya. "Aku takut kalau tahu tentang kejadian ini dan mereka bakalan meledek aku habis-habisan," desis Aisha lagi dengan suara parau. Pelan-pelan menggigit roti selainya meski tanpa selera. "Mbak, mau denger cerita lucu nggak. Kemarin di sekolahku ada cewek tomboy, terus dia ngelempar sebelah sepatunya ke arah Ay supaya dapat perhatian Ay. Tapi Ay diemin aja dan sengaja nendang sepatunya ke arah tong sampah. Terus dia marah-marah sambil teriak 'awas lu ye. Besok gue lempar sekalian pake kaos kaki biar lo kesemsem. Gua sumpahin lu suka sama gua, terus gua tolak lu mentah-mentah'." Jeda lima detik. "Alasan Ay semangat sekolah hari i
Ada cinta yang berakhir dengan kesedihan. Ada cinta yang rela untuk dilepaskan dan ada cinta yang patut untuk dipertahankan. Tantri harus menerima kenyataan kalau dia harus rela melepaskan Aisha, karena gadis itu bukan ditakdirkan bersamanya. Begitu pula dengan Aisha yang akhirnya paham meskipun telat menyadari; kalau tak ada pelukan yang paling hangat selain keluarga. Dan tak ada tempat yang paling nyaman selain rumah sendiri. Karena keluarga akan tetap menjadi rumah terbaik bagi setiap insan. "Dengarkan Ayah baik-baik, anakku. Sampai kapan pun, meski di dunia ini lahir beribu anak, tetap Aisha kesayangan Ayah sama Bunda, tetap Aisha yang Ayah mau di bumi, dan tetap Aisha yang akan kami jaga hingga dewasa nanti. Semua tetap sama, nggak ada yang berubah. Kalau ada yang bilang Aisha anak haram, nggak jelas asal-usulnya, atau anak pungut. Mereka salah besar, karena Ayah dan Bunda Aisha itu cuma satu, yaitu kami. Aisha punya Bunda yang hebat dan pinter masak, Aisha juga punya Ayah seor
Kevin langsung memasuki kamarnya. Ia melihat Reyna tidur di sudut kasur sambil menghadap ke dinding, Kevin langsung naik ke atas ranjang dan memeluk tubuh Reyna dari belakang. "Are you okay, Bun?" Buru-buru Reyna menghapus air matanya. Dia berbalik untuk berhadapan dengan Kevin. "Kamu sudah pulang, Mas?" "Jangan suka mengalihkan pembicaraan. Nih lihat, aku bisa ngerasain bekas air mata kamu." Kevin mengusap wajah Reyna. "Kenapa, Bun? Coba cerita sama aku selagi aku di sini. Ntar kalau aku udah terbang jauh, kamu malah suka rindu." Reyna mencubit perut Kevin dengan gemas. "Ge-er kamu!" Kevin tertawa. "Kamu tahu apa yang Aydan biang waktu denger kamu nangis?" Reyna diam. "Aydan sedih karena dia gagal bikin kamu bahagia. Ketika kamu menangisi satu anak yang sama sekali nggak mikirin kamu, tanpa kamu sadari ada anak lain yang sedang menangis karena kamu." Lalu yang terjadi, Reyna justru kembali terisak. "Aku kangen Aisha, Mas. Aku kangen dia. Kenapa dia nggak pernah angkat telepon
Tantri benar-benar malu harus dipanggil ke sekolah akibat kenakalan bukan karena prestasi Aisha. "Kamu itu udah gede, Aisha. Memangnya nggak malu berantem kayak sinetron di sekolah?" ujarnya saat mereka berada di parkiran sekolah Aisha. "Bukan aku yang mulai duluan, tapi cewek sok kecakepan itu." Aisha menjawab dengan kesal. "Kenapa lo belain gue?" tanya sebuah suara dari belakang mereka. Aisha dan Tantri berbalik, lalu mendapati Widuri berdiri dengan mata sembab. "Gue bukan belain lo. Gue cuma nggak suka ada yang ikut campur sama masalah orang lain. Merasa dirinya itu udah paling benar aja," balas Aisha ketus. "Gue pikir lo bakal balas dendam sama gue, untuk apa yang udah gue lakuin ke lo," ujar Widuri lagi sambil kedua tangannya mengepal. Malu rasanya dibela oleh orang yang sudah dia buat rumit hidupnya. Jika saja, Widuri tidak memberitahu teman-teman bahwa Aisha adalah anak pungut, mungkin gadis itu masih tinggal bersama keluarganya. Kau tahu, rasa iri memang sangat berbahaya
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