Kencana

"Hey, girl! Are you really that weak?"

The voice belonged to one of the ninth-grade seniors, glaring harshly at Citra, who was busy covering her head with a pink plastic fan adorned with Hello Kitty.

"What are you doing here? Flirting with the scout leader, huh? Acting all pretty!" shouted one of the seniors, her hair tied up in a ponytail. She shoved Citra roughly, causing her to crash into some seventh-grade girls, who immediately screamed in fear. But the senior just grew angrier. She grabbed the fan from Citra's hand and smashed it to the ground. As if that wasn't enough, she tried to grab Citra's long hair.

Luckily, someone yanked the senior away fiercely. "That's enough, Ika! You've crossed the line!"

Ika, the senior, froze. Her face flushed, but she couldn't fight back against Kencana, the leader of the scouts at SMP Negeri 61 Jakarta. Especially after Kencana picked up the fan lying on the ground and gestured for Citra to follow her.

Citra felt safe walking behind the Scout Leader. Kencana, a tall girl with dark, sweet skin and short hair, looked tomboyish. At school, she was as popular as Wawan, the student council president admired by the juniors. Many even paired the two as an ideal couple. Wawan seemed to like Kencana, but Kencana remained cold toward him.

Kencana was the smartest girl at school, excelling in academics, martial arts, and scouting. Her face was also pretty, but she was too strict and rigid, almost like a boy.

"If you don't want to join the scouts, that's fine. Not everyone likes standing under the sun in the middle of the field, especially someone as pretty as you," Kencana said as they stopped, standing under a cherry tree.

Citra blushed, her heart suddenly racing at the compliment. Many boys had called her beautiful, but why did she feel so flustered when a fellow girl praised her?

"Ah, Ken, you're teasing. I just can't handle the heat. I might get a nosebleed," Citra replied, accepting the fan Ken handed back to her.

Ken smiled, "No wonder you're so pale, like the school walls. You never sunbathe."

Citra blushed again and covered her pretty face with the fan. "Oh, Ken, you're teasing again."

"Hey, where do you live? I often see you with Vincent. Are you two dating?"

"Vincent from eighth grade? Oh, he's my neighbor. How do you know I go home with him?"

"I used to practice taekwondo with Vincent at Sampurna. The other day, I saw you riding with him on his motorbike."

"Oh, yeah. Vincent is nice and often offers me a ride. But today, he’s sick with diarrhea, so he didn’t come to school."

"Whew, so no one's giving you a ride home?"

"Uh, I’ll take an ojek."

"No way!"

"Why not?"

"You're too pretty. What if you get assaulted? Just go home with me!"

"Huh?!"

And that was how their closeness began. They started going home together every day, and Citra gradually enjoyed attending the scout activities and spending time with Ken.

There were many memories Citra cherished with Ken. Everything felt so wonderful. Ken always took her to various places—enjoying food, watching movies, or just chatting in Ken's spacious and cozy boarding room.

Ken's family was broken. Her parents divorced and started new families without her. Ken was financially supported and sent to school, but she had lived alone in a boarding house since middle school. She poured her loneliness into various positive activities and hardly had close friends—until she met Citra, innocent yet beautiful. From then on, they became inseparable.

But one day, Ken started having less time for her. The girl seemed constantly busy with school books, preparing for the final exams. "I have to get into SMA 8. I must! So, I need to focus on studying for the exams," Ken explained when Citra questioned her change in behavior.

"You're already smart, Ken. You’ll definitely get into a top public school," Citra said sadly.

Ken shrugged, "Sure, but it’s not guaranteed to be SMA 8."

"Does that mean we won’t have time together anymore?"

"Yeah, I have to study. Please understand."

"So we won’t be friends anymore?"

Ken sighed, "Sooner or later, we'll part ways, Cit. I'll go to high school, and you'll stay in middle school. Please, Cit. Understand that life is sometimes like this. We can’t always have what we want."

Citra cried, devastated. Ken even joined tutoring classes and took regular practice tests after school. This meant Citra had to go back to riding with Vincent, her neighbor, who always had digestive issues.

"I had an accident, I need the toilet. You go home with Damar, okay? He’ll give you a ride, Cit. Oh, tell my mom to grind some guava leaves!" Vincent yelled before dashing to the toilet, leaving Citra with Damar Soebakti, the most handsome boy at SMP Negeri 61.

Damar was like a shining star in everyone’s eyes. He was a model, often starred in films and teen soap operas. But he was very humble and friendly and happened to be Vincent’s seatmate.

"Am I being a bother?" Citra asked as she watched Damar sitting on his motorbike.

Damar laughed, "Not at all, I’m passing by your house!"

Citra had known Damar for a while through Vincent, but she couldn’t get too close, as it could be dangerous for her. Damar had too many admirers, and girls could fight over him.

That day, Citra felt safe riding with Damar, even though all the girls looked at her with envy and hatred. Still, they acknowledged how well-matched Citra and Damar looked—beautiful and handsome, a perfect pair.

After that, Citra never cried from loneliness again after Ken distanced herself. Damar was always there for her amidst his busy shooting schedule. He even proudly announced to everyone that Citra was his girlfriend.

"When did you two start dating?" Ken asked suddenly, confronting Citra in front of the library.

Citra was stunned, "What?"

"You and Damar!"

Citra sighed. Somehow, it felt too personal to discuss. Especially since she hadn’t spoken to Ken for two months. It was strange to see Ken suddenly asking about her relationship with Damar. "Are you jealous?"

"So what if I am?" Ken replied with a sharp gaze.

Citra chuckled softly and leaned against the library wall. "So you're just like those other girls, who admire Damar until they lose their minds? Oh, sorry, Ken. I guess I should say I’m the lucky one. Go find another guy!"

"Who said I’m fighting over Damar?!"

BAM!

Ken’s fist slammed into the library wall, just inches away from Citra. The girls passing by screamed in shock. The situation became chaotic.

Wawan, the student council president, ran over and tried to separate Citra and Ken, who seemed enraged. "Come on, Kencana. Don’t fight with the juniors. Besides, weren't you and Citra close friends?"

Ken didn’t answer and stormed off, her right hand covered in blood. Citra could only cry, terrified by Ken’s unexpected behavior. While Wawan tried to calm her down, Damar suddenly appeared with a pale face.

"Citra, are you okay?" Damar asked, holding her shoulders.

"Your good looks have caused a fight between two friends. Ugh, now I have to be a witness to the principal," Wawan grumbled, walking away in frustration.

Damar didn’t pay attention to Wawan’s complaints. He could only watch as Citra continued to cry. "I have a lot of admirers, but I never thought this would be so hard for you. I’m sorry," he said softly.

Citra didn’t respond. Instead, she cried even louder.