chapter 9

Juno, who was in the car with Rhea, didn't know that Sean was following him because he was too happy that Rhea accepted his invitation.

"Oh yeah Rhe, where are you originally from?"

asked Juno who had started asking further questions.

"Do I have to answer?" Rhea was still snappy.

"Of course. Well, I want to get to know you better. As your friend, I don't know anything about you."

Rhea looked at Juno in surprise. "Friend?"

Juno nodded casually.

"Since when have I been friends with you?"

Juno grinned. "Since we met, of course."

Rhea snorted. "Crazy."

"So where are you actually from? You live in Jakarta, right? Are you from out of town?"

"I'm from Bandung."

"Bandung? I also have a friend whose house is in Bandung. His name is Verdinand. Do you know him perhaps?"

"I'm not the RT chairman, yes. How do I know your friend?"

Juno laughed in response to Rhea's surprise when she was chatting with him. Then he looked at his car mirror and saw Sean's motorbike behind his car. Juno smiled slyly and had already made a plan to provoke his cousin.

***

Rhea got out of Juno's car followed by Juno who immediately approached her.

"Thanks, yeah," said Juno.

Sean saw them still sitting on the motorbike.

"Why are you saying thank you? Shouldn't I?" Rhea wonders. "You took me, didn't you?"

"I should be the one saying thank you, because you accepted my invitation to go with me. And that means I'm the one saying thank you."

Rhea laughed, this time not a sarcastic laugh anymore but a genuine laugh. She was a little surprised and felt funny with Juno.

Seeing Rhea laugh, Juno was even happier.

"Yes, that's it, it's up to you. I have to picket now. And thank you, I've been waiting."

Juno raised his thumb. "YES."

Rhea goes inside and Juno notices her.

When he was about to get into the car, Juno saw Sean who was still sitting on his motorbike and looking at Juno angrily.

Juno smiled happily and raised his hand. "Hi, Young. Good morning."

Sean was very upset with his cousin. He drove his motorbike into the school gate.

"I won't give up, Young!" Juno shouted at Sean who ignored him.

Sean was lucky to still see Rhea in the school corridor, and he ran after her.

"RHE!! RHE, WAIT!" called Sean who once again managed to block Rhea's path.

"I'm in a hurry, can you step aside now?" Rhea is too lazy to argue with Sean again.

"Rhe, Juno is a playboy."

Rhea frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Juno is a playboy." Sean repeated himself. "You better not get too close to him."

"Why is it that I'm close to Juno? Then why is it that if Juno is a playboy, I have to stay away from him?" Rhea asked back.

"I just don't want you to be hurt by him, Rhe. Juno is the type of guy who won't be satisfied with just one girl. He just wants to play with you." Sean explained his concerns.

Rhea laughed sarcastically. "You can talk like that about other people, but you don't look at yourself."

"What do you mean?" Sean frankly didn't understand Rhea's intentions. What was wrong with her?

"You said Juno is a playboy, you won't be satisfied with one girl, and you like to play with girls? Then what about you yourself? You're not like that?"

Sean became even more confused about what Rhea meant, earlier they were discussing Juno but why was Rhea now discussing something Sean didn't understand. "I don't understand what you mean, Rhe."

"I don't think I need to explain any further, because it doesn't seem important to me. After all, we don't have anything to do with each other, right?" Rhea looked increasingly annoyed.

"But Rhe, I love you," Sean said in a low, almost inaudible voice.

Rhea knows how Sean feels about her, she has known for a long time. But somehow Rhea is still hesitant to accept Sean. "I know how you feel. But I can't."

For the umpteenth time Sean heard Phea's rejection, but his heart was already used to the rejection. He could only remain silent, almost in despair.

"Que can't come to you. Maybe I won't be able to accept In forever, Sean. And I ask that you no longer need to interfere in my affairs," said Rhea who was actually not completely and her heart was "Sorry, I'm in a hurry"

Rhea continued her way to her class for morning duty.

Sean looked at Hea's back with a gloomy expression. Desperate.

**

Sean entered his class with a disheveled look, similar to a businessman who lost a tender and his company was threatened with bankruptcy. He put his bag on the table and sat on a chair then put his head on the table. Tody who was sitting next to him, had been watching Sean all this time and was surprised.

"Heh, what's wrong with you?" asked Tody.

"Since yesterday, I've noticed that you look really disheveled?"

"I don't want to live now, Dy." Sean's words even bounced.

Tody's eyes widened. "HAH??? Why is that? Don't say anything weird, okay?"

"Rhea seems really mad at me." Sean said while his head was still lying on the table.

Tody changed his sitting position. "So since yesterday your business with Rhea is still not finished?"

Sean shook his head weakly

job.

"That's why, so that things can be finished quickly, you better go to therapy so Rhea won't be angry anymore." At a serious moment like that, Tody still had time to joke.

Sean, who would usually be angry with Todd's jokes, now didn't care at all.