Revenge By Law's
ARTICLE 33

Twenty-seven years ago

Regina walked casually towards her class. As a first-grader of Elementary School who was immediately popular among his friends, he made the school as one of his favorite places. The days at school were a very pleasant time for him.

But, the past few days, the fun was a little disturbed by the behavior of one of his classmates.

“Good morning, my future wife. I brought you breakfast. My mother cooked it.”

Regina's face immediately pale from having to endure being upset this early. The energy emanating from him since this morning suddenly dimmed when he saw Franky welcoming him. I want him to turn around and go home.

It all started when he and his mother ran into Franky and his mother at a wedding. The bride is Regina's mother's cousin, while the groom has a business relationship with her father Franky.

Like most other adults, her mother Franky was instantly fascinated by Regina's beauty and timidity combined with her mother's ability to dress her.

“How about we match Franky to Regina? Looks like they fit.”

Regina's mother didn't say she agreed, but she didn't. He just smiled. Because of that, Franky who takes the conversation seriously believes that the two of them have been betrothed. From then on, he told everyone that Regina was his future wife.

“Sorry, I have breakfast,” said Regina refused Franky's gift politely.

Towards the entrance bell ringing, the students who had already come had to hear Franky's ravings. The boy told me quite a detail about his future plans with Regina if they grow up later. Actually no one is interested in his fantasy story, especially Regina. But, because the sound is flat with a high volume, inevitably the whole class must hear it.

Suddenly, a boy whose chair was behind Franky and was busy reading a book, stood up so fast that his chair shifted and made a noise.

“Hey, aren't you aware? She's beautiful and you're ugly. He won't marry you or just date you. Even I who's a lot prettier than you realize he won't want me. If anyone says you're good-looking and that you fit in with him, it's just your mom. The monkey mother also said her son was handsome.”

The whole class is silent. They were surprised because the boy named Abhimanyu Alexander, who had been quite quiet, shouted at Franky. The object also looks very pale. In addition to being yelled at, the facts conveyed by Abi were very painful for him.

Regina smiled. From then on he began to be attracted to Abi, although the boy was indifferent to her. Slowly, Regina approached Abi. Starting from pretending to borrow an eraser, asking PR to offer bread to him. Unknowingly, they are familiar.

“Let's date,” Regina said one time.

“Stupid! We're still kids, we can't date. My mother said, courtship is preparation for marriage and if you want marriage, you have to have a lot of money. So, we can date if we already work and have money.”

Abi's explanation of the courtship did not dampen Regina's intentions at all. He kept looking for a gap.

“Then, promise we will date when we work later, yes.”

“Sorry, but you're not my type.”

Regina was upset to hear the answer and was about to hit her friend's head.

“So, what is your type?”

“My mom is very friendly to everyone, especially the guys. He always brought drinks to the men who had just come to our cafe. He also wanted to laugh at their laughs, even if it was not very funny. Every now and then I see him sitting on the lap of a man who is looking moody.”

“So, you mean, I have to be nice to all guys like your mama to be your girlfriend?”

Abi smiled at Regina's innocent question. Then he said, “I don't want you to be too friendly with everyone, especially if you don't like it. Like you did with Franky. If you don't like it, say you don't like it or just show a dislike face. Because I know, it's very unpleasant to pretend to be friendly to people we don't like. Like my mama.”

Regina pondered over Abi's words. One hundred percent right. All this time he demanded himself to be friendly with everyone because he seemed to have responsibilities as a popular child and liked by many people. Unknowingly, he had to suffer for it.

“Thanks, Bi,” Regina said with a smile. “Just if I grow up later, I'll just be friendly with you. So, later we have to date.”

                  *

Fifteen years ago, before Abi was imprisoned.

“You are weird. Just a week ago I said love me, now you're dating another guy,” Abi told Regina.

“You're weird too. It's been a week said love me, until now refused if invited to date,” Regina reply.

“But, is your boyfriend not angry if you still hang out with other guys?”

“He has no right to be angry. Your position is always better than any guy. If he's my girlfriend now, then you're my fiancee. If one day he's my fiancee, then you're my husband.”

“If one day he becomes your husband?”

They realized that their conversation was not serious. After that, they laughed and chatted as usual.

That is their friendship. For nearly twelve years they have built a platonic relationship that never breaks down at all. Although last week they expressed their love for each other, their relationship has not changed. Although Regina wishes they could date.

Actually it's not that Abi won't, but he's just self-conscious. Although Regina already knew her mother's job, Abi felt unworthy of the girl. Therefore, he is very motivated to succeed in his future work so that his mother's disgrace as a former employee**commercial can be refracted.

“Why architects?”

Regina asked about her best friend's choice of ideals.

“In addition to love drawing, I want to build a beautiful house for my mother,” replied Abi Iirih. “Very beautiful, so he willingly left New Batavia to stay there.”

Abi's face looked gloomy despite the smile on his lips. Regina felt that bitterness. He knew how Abi was eager to bring his mother out of the dark life in New Batavia.

“Then, make it also for me that is no less beautiful.”

Abi smiled and this time the melancholy was gone from his face. He knew that Regina was trying to comfort him with that ridiculous request.

“If you were, what would it be with such a tall body? Though you will be cool if you become a basketball player.”

Regina's body was indeed quite tall for the size of women at the time. Its height has reached 170 cm. In school, there were only two people who were taller than him, one of them was Abi.

“I don't like basketball and don't want to be a sportsman. But I heard that modeling is an interesting job.”

Abi nodded and seemed to support Regina's choice. Then they went back to talking about dating.

“So, why Roy?”

“No guy wants to date a girl taller than him. In this school, only you two are taller than me. Since you didn't ask me out, I ended up choosing her.”

“You are, choosing a girlfriend is like choosing an item in the mall,” taunted Abi. “Then, is it fun dating her?”

Regina's facial water suddenly dimmed, making Abi feel that something strange happened. “I'll decide tomorrow.”

“What? Breaking up? Didn't you just get it yesterday? What's reason?”

“It turns out he's arrogant. A little bit, showing off his father's wealth. He always looked down on others. Even after we were made up, he treated me like a maid who had to obey him because he had been paid. Though he just bought me a bowl of meatballs.”

Abi mangosteen. Although not very familiar with him, he agrees with Regina about Roy's arrogant nature. “Ya already, which is best for you only.”

“The best for me is you. Hence, let's go out.”

“Sorry, I don't want to be an affair.”

They laughed together, as if they were forgetting the problems they were facing.

                  *

Fifteen years ago, after Abi was imprisoned

“You are a jerk! Are you ashamed of your behavior? It's obvious you provoked him. It's obvious he just wanted to protect me because you wanted to hit me. It's obvious you and your friends attacked him first, but you lost because you were too weak.”

Everyone heard Regina's screams at Roy, but they pretended not to hear. They don't want to deal with Roy and end up like Abi.

“You know where it is from? Everyone who saw him said that he attacked us first from behind,” Roy said defensively. Everyone knows it's not true, but no one wants to deny it except Regina.

“I also don't know why everyone is afraid of you. Even those damn teachers are defending you. Do you also rely on your father's money this time?”

Roy stands up from his chair and pulls Regina's uniform collar. Anger was seen from the look on his face. “Don't have a big mouth. The police know he's guilty, so he's in jail.”

It turned out that Regina did not show any excitement at all. He returned an angry look from Roy with a hateful look. “One day I'll be a cop and I'll find out if someone like Abi or someone like you deserves to be thrown in jail. And if that time comes, I'll pull your collar off and tell you that you're just a cocky little slanderer and can only beat women.”

Regina brushed Roy's hand off and left. Meanwhile, Roy looks embarrassed and angry because of the words of his former lover.