Today had been the normal day which I usually liked, but that lasted only until I found out about my girlfriend’s secret.

It all began when I truanted from the class with my friends. As soon as the bell of the next course rang, we waited for the cruel math teacher to leave the class andleft the classroom after him.

I rarely skipped classes, but today was a special occasion because it was Rey Brhamasta’s birthday. He was one of my best friends in high school, so we planned to give him special treatment today.

My school was a large four three stories building placed like a square. The boy’s bathroom was beside the teacher’s bathroom, and the girl’s bathroom was on the opposite side of the building. The four of us planned to go there because we thought it would be empty.

We were wrong. We walked cautiously while ducking and squatting behind the building. When we arrived at the girl’s bathroom, we saw an unusual scene.

A group of girls crowded in front of the bathroom. The bathroom used to be connected with the corridor ahead, but the school staff blocked it with a wall, so it was a kind of safe place to hang out as this place was kind of isolated.

Meeting pretty girls in this place was kind of wild and fun. My friends liked that idea. I agreed with it, but I was different. I hoped my girlfriend was here to celebrate my best friend’s birthday, but I didn’t want to invite her to skip class. She was a sweet and innocent girl, after all.

Raffi was excited to find girls here, and he told us to invite them to do a special tradition for the person having his birthday, which was to throw eggs at that person.

As we got near them, we stopped because the scene before us was shocking. Three girls stood in front of another three squatting girls. We weren’t stupid. They surely bullied those squatting girls. One of the standing girls pulled a girl’s hair and attempted to cut it. The second standing girl stepped on a girl’s back, dirtying the latter’s white uniform. The third girl watched from the side while laughing.

Previously I heard about bullying among girls existed too, but I never saw it, so I half-heartedly believed it. After seeing this scene, girls' bullying turned out to be just as cruel as when men did it. I couldn’t believe people like them existed.

This scene shocked me. However, the most shocking thing was my girlfriend was among the bullies, too. Her name was Maria Wilona. She was famous for her title as one of the prettiest girls in this school. She had long, brown hair. There was no spot and dirt on her fair skin. She was blessed with perfect curves and bounciness. However, what I liked the most about her was her sweet and spoiled sides when we were alone. I always believed she was a kind person, and I felt lucky to have her as my girlfriend.

My sweet girlfriend pulled a girl by her hair as she attempted to cut the bullied girl’s long hair. I couldn’t even utter a word when one of my friends shook my shoulder as he pointed at her.

Still clouded with the memory of her kind side, I walked forward to face her. A shocked expression appeared on her pretty face, and she dropped the bullied girl. My lips shook as I tried to utter a word.

“Maria… I… this must be a tradition to celebrate a birthday, right?” I asked. Tears clouded my eyes.

Maria hid the scissor in her right hand. She tried her best to put on a sweet smile, but her face kept sweating buckets. “I… of course. This is Sarah’s birthday, right?”

Maybe she was in a panic and subconsciously kicked the girl below her to force her to go along with.

“Maria….” I uttered weakly as tears flowed out of my eyes. She really had no qualms about hurting others.

“AAAAA!!!” Maria shouted as she bowed down. When she looked up at me, her reddened eyes glared at me furiously. She never looked at me like that before. “Yes, this is my true self. You have a problem?” she exclaimed as she pointed the scissor at my face.

Her behavior shocked me. Then, I looked at her other two friends. Did they influence my sweet Maria? No, even they looked at Maria with fear. It could only mean that Maria was the boss here.

My eyes stopped at three bullied girls on the ground. Except for Sarah, they had one similarity. They were… I couldn’t say it even in my heart bluntly, but they were the type to get bullied.

My three friends helped each of them to stand. They looked at bullies in disgust.

“You three. Your pretty faces are wasted on you. You are demons on the inside,” Raffi Saputra—one of my friends—said.

“Adrian,” Stevan Liontin called me. He hugged a bullied girl. “I know Maria is your girlfriend, but I will have to report this to the teachers. I am sorry.”

I clenched my fist, I couldn’t say anything. My heart felt conflicted. Stevan was always like that. Even though we occasionally broke the school rules, he wouldn’t tolerate violence.

Suddenly Maria knelt and clutched my leg. She cried and begged, “Adrian, please stop your friend. If teachers find out about this, then they will report this to my parents. They won’t forgive me for it.”

My head was fuzzy, and I couldn’t think straight. Rei suddenly tapped my shoulder, as if giving me encouragement. My mind was still chaotic, but looking at my best friend’s saddened face, I suddenly loathed Maria a little. We came here to celebrate Rey’s birthday, but we encountered this scene instead.

“Maria, I—”

“Adrian, I really love you from the bottom of my heart,” Maria said with an earnest tone. I knew she didn’t lie this time. She truly loved and cherished me.

“Maria.” I didn’t know what to do and subconsciously looked at my friends again.

Rey gave me a pitied look; Raffi was busy calming the bullied girl; Stevan looked at me with fierce resolution.

“Adrian, I know this isn’t my place to say this, but as a friend, I will remind you. You are kind. You deserve better. There are many better women out there.”

“Shut up!” Maria shouted. She threw her scissor at Stevan, but the latter caught it, but his hand bled because of it. My girlfriend didn’t care and pointed at her fellow bullies. “I only followed these b*tches. Why are you blaming everything on me?”

“Lies! You were the one who started this! You said they annoyed you and we just complied with your wish!” One of her friends said and her second friend nodded.

“Shut up!” Maria glared at them and they became quiet. She stood and caressed my cheeks. “Adrian will always be on my side, right? I have always loved you. I treat you better than everyone, even my parents. So Adrian? Answer me!”

My heart delt dead inside. I never knew she was this violent, and she had no qualms to blame her friends too. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her hands down.

“Maria, I am sorry. I am sorry. What you are doing is wrong. I am sorry.”

“Adrian! You can’t do this to me! If you won’t save me, our relationship will end here!”

My heart raced when I heard that, but I was too tired to respond. Rey gave my shoulders a massage and escorted me away.

“Adrian! Adrian! Please don’t leave me.” Maria kept calling me and I heard her sobbing, too.

I gave up on Maria just because she was wrong. I didn’t offer any solution as a boyfriend. I was too immature and left her alone. I regretted it. I never saw Maria after that day.