Long Time Friendship: Part Three

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A strange phone call indeed, happened when senior high was done and I went to college already. It was so unexpected.

"Hello?"
"Hello."
"Bisa bicara dengan Riana?"

It was Ully. After like years! I almost could not believe this. I mean, someone who secara terus terang rejected me in one broad daylight, leaving me with this puzzled memory about how our friendship really was, was now calling me on the phone. To be honest, I was so happy. First of all, I missed her so much. Second of all, I had a feeling she had something to talk about that would explain all of this. That would answer all my questions.

Awalnya percakapan terasa awkward, karena gue masih in disbelief. But then we just kept talking, and I was amazed how we hadn't been talking again like this since junior high. She went to STEKPI and would soon continue her study in the US. It was soooo great talking to her again!

More importantly, I got the answer I wanted.

I didn't actually ask her about it, but when she told me that in senior high she dated my ex, it became crystal clear to me.

I dated this boy once. Oops, no, twice. What I didn't understand was, after people knew that we dated, girls in my school hated me! One of the girls who hated me was even a girl whose campaign to be head of the class and head of the choir class I supported.
When I broke up with him, they still hated me!
But when they have another boyfriend, they stopped hating me, moreover, they suddenly became the sweetest friend to me!
One girl from another class, who I didn't hang out with {all my close friends knew she didn't like me and sour-face was her middle name}, even visited me at home when I just got out from the hospital {i got yellow fever}. She came with her friend, who never smiled back at me although we kept bumping on each other everyday on the way home because we lived in the same area. When they saw me, they hugged me, kissed my cheeks, told me that I'm prettier ever! I was like, wow, suddenly I got new best friends! Never hung out before, but now we kissed cheeks!
Then I found out that she now had a boyfriend. So I figured, now she was over him, she regretted all she felt about me, and now maybe she wanted to make a closure or whatever. I was okay with that. We're humans, and it's nice to have more friends. I didn't care she once hated me. It's her issue, not mine.

That was not the only case, though. Another girl was so determined to destroy my reputation, she talked oh so bad about me {made me look like some kind of a whore or something} in front of the boys, including my ex. I had a huge fight with him after that, because she obviously 'mengadu domba' gue dengan my ex, that ended up with him begging (literally begged!) for my forgiveness. Years after that, I met this girl again in college and she acted like she and I were sisters. Human is a funny creature, huh?

So, when Ully told me she dated him in senior high, I was like, "Aaaaaaahhhh, no wondeeeerrrrrr......"
And now she was sweet and nice again to me, back to her oldself, because she broke up with him already. I was sooooo relief! I thought it was bigger than this. Thank God, it's just one simple stupid teenager thing!

When I finally hung up the phone, it was like a giant burdern lifted up from my shoulder. Alhamdulillah... She's still my friend. Still the same girl I knew.
We promised to keep in touch, especially because she would leave for the US soon.

One day, I got a postcard from her, from the US. She said she hadn't had a permanent address yet, but she would let me know as soon as she got one. I was so happy, it was so sweet, and I was looking forward to hearing from her again.

Years went by, we lost touch again. I graduated, moved to Bandung to work, back to Jakarta again, worked at the radio and became an internet addict. I looked her up on the net, and found her. That's when the ball hit me again.

..to be continued..