Fighting

No one knew who started it, but the gossip at school had gotten a bit weird. Citra and Ken were at odds, competing for Damar. A 10th-grader clashing with a 12th-grader. It turned out, Ken had a crush on Damar. Friendship ended!

And so, that was the gist of the gossip at school. Then, the students split into two groups: one supporting Citra and the other, a bunch of scouts, obviously backing Ken. However, this didn’t affect the relationship between Citra and Damar. They still looked cozy, always seen together, which reportedly made Ken’s blood boil even more. Ken once even kicked Damar’s motorcycle in the parking lot, but Damar didn’t react to it; he didn’t want to get involved with Ken.

“Why are you silent, afraid?” Ken asked, as Damar simply lifted his motorcycle back up calmly. “Come on, if you dare!”

Damar looked at her and shrugged. “I don’t ever fight girls.”

“Oh, really? So, you think you're some kind of man?” Ken retorted.

Damar sighed, then walked towards her. “Hey, Ken, what’s your problem? I’m used to dealing with strange fans, but please! Don’t hurt Citra. She’s done nothing wrong. I’m the one who fell in love with her. So, if I don’t love you, I apologize.”

“Oh, get over yourself! Who said I like you?”

“Then why are you bothering Citra?”

“That’s between her and me, not with you!”

“Then, why kick my motorcycle?”

“Because I don’t like you hanging around Citra! But listen, this isn’t because I have a crush on you. Ugh!”

“Okay, so what’s the problem if I’m with Citra? We’re both single. Not involved with anyone else. And you’re just her friend.”

“You’re not the right person for her.”

“Oh? So, who is? You?”

“Ugh, don’t flatter yourself!”

Damar raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that hypocritical? Ridiculous, you know?”

Ken took a deep breath before walking away from him.

Since that day, Damar felt increasingly uncomfortable at school. Ken seemed to be always trying to cause trouble with him. So far, it had been hard for Damar to defend himself. Ken’s status as an upperclassman, as well as a former Scout leader, left him no room to fight back.

“She’s strange. She used to be so nice to me. Now, she acts ridiculous out of jealousy over you,” Citra complained as they hung out at a cafe after school to chat and have a drink.

Damar scratched his head playfully. “What am I, anyway? How am I worth fighting over?”

“Oh, you!” Citra playfully hit his shoulder, making him laugh.

“Starting a fight with Ken feels pointless, especially since they’re close to their final exams.”

“Yeah, here we are worrying about her future, and there she is acting weird!”

“Was she really nice before?”

“Oh, Ken was so nice. She was like a sister to me. Honestly, we were best friends.”

“Always together?”

“We even took naps together, hugged and all. She often kissed me, saying I was cute. I guess she saw me as a little sister? I just didn’t know she had a crush on you. She didn’t tell me. In fact, she used to say she didn’t like guys.”

“She didn’t like guys?”

“Yeah, maybe she was just lying to herself back then.”

“Totally hypocritical, huh?”

“Turns out she’s into you, haha…”

“Oh, please…”

“You should be flattered, Ken’s pretty.”

“Ugh, no thanks.”

“Aww…”

“Let’s not talk about her.”

“I’m not, but we can’t help talking about her.”

“Are you sure you don’t enjoy bringing her up?”

Citra pouted. “Ew, are you happy I talk about your fan?”

“Alright, let’s change the subject. What about Saturday night? It’s Vincent’s girlfriend Alona’s birthday, right?”

“Yes, we should go, right?”

“For sure. Vincent would be mad if we didn’t show up.”

“He’s so whipped over Alona, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, they’ve been together since they trained in Taekwondo at Sampurna.”

“With Ken too, right?”

“Yeah, with Ken too.”

“But Ken’s already a blue belt. Vincent and Alona are still yellow belts.”

“What? Ken’s a blue belt?”

“Last I checked, right before we stopped being friends, Ken had just moved up from Geup 6, wearing a plain blue Geup 5 belt.”

“Wow, impressive! Still young, not even out of middle school.”

“She really is exceptional, so many achievements. Honestly, I admired her a lot. I was her biggest fan. So I felt really sad when she became distant. It’s hard to believe because as far as I know, I never wronged her.”

“Don’t think about it. Just consider her a pebble in our love story.”

“Oh, stop!”

“Haha…”

That afternoon, like usual, Citra held Damar tightly from the back of his Ninja motorbike as they rode. Damar’s tall, muscular frame suited the bike well, making him look right at home handling it.

And such a big, heavy bike too, which Ken had somehow managed to kick over, leaving it scratched. Citra only heard about it from Damar, and it made her increasingly nervous about getting involved with Ken.

“But Damar, do you think Ken won’t show up at Alona’s party? I mean, they both trained at Sampurna. Practically schoolmates,” Citra asked as they arrived in front of her house.

Damar shrugged. “Who knows? Anyway, let it be. It’s hard to keep avoiding her. But she’d be foolish to cause trouble at a friend’s birthday party. Her blue belt would be a waste if she only uses it to hassle people.”

“Yeah, who knows? Because everyone has an unpredictable side to their personality. Like water in a glass, you can measure its depth without sticking your hand in. But the depth of the ocean? We’d have to dive in to find out.”

“Aww, getting wise with your words. Where’d you copy that from?”

“My mom said it.”

“Wow, amazing! When can I meet her? Your mom’s always busy, huh?”

“Busy with work, just like my dad. What about your parents?”

“They’re busy managing my shooting schedule!”

“Wow, you’re lucky. Your career’s managed by your parents, and you’ve been a star since childhood. Your earnings even support your family. Unlike me, just a burden. Haha…”

“Hey, you could be like me, you know. Want me to invite you for a film casting? A girl as pretty as you would be hard to turn down.”

“Ah, I can’t act. Pretending is exhausting.”

“Yeah, but it’s work. You get paid. So, you in?”

“Hmmm… not sure.”

“Oh, come on…”

“Alright!”

Damar gave a thumbs-up, then got back on his bike. He winked before putting on his helmet. Citra blew him a playful kiss from a distance and waved goodbye as he sped off.

“Oh wow… all that romance!”

Citra turned and saw Vincent peeking over the fence next door. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just shorts, and seemed to be snacking on young guava leaves dipped in salt on a small plate.

“Oh my gosh! You’ve got diarrhea again, Vincent? Eating guava leaves! You really need to watch your diet!” Citra shouted as she walked towards Vincent, who kept munching.

Vincent pouted. “I think my digestion’s been messed up since birth. I’ll probably never make it as a Taekwondo athlete.”

“Ugh, really? But how does Alona like you then?”

“Maybe because I’m handsome?”

“Yeah, right! By the way… did Alona invite Ken to the party?”

“Why? Are you looking for a fight with her? Just make up, no need to argue over Damar.”

“Ew, who’s fighting over Damar? Ken’s the jealous one. Come on, answer! Did Alona invite her?”

Vincent nodded. “Looks like she invited everyone from Sampurna. From white belts, yellow belts, green, blue… all of them!”

“Oh, boy!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” Citra said, swallowing hard.