BESTFRIEND

"Stella, we managed to find Karen near the river of hope. But... she's gone. Karen is dead, Stella."

***

Seven days after Karen's death.

First Metro, New York.

First Metro has been abuzz with the news of the disappearance of Karenina Baker-the top-performing employee who always ranked highest in the entire office building-for two days. The commotion in the office building, which is synonymous with its top performers, became even more intense after the news of Karen's disappearance was upgraded to a sad news. Karenina Baker was pronounced dead when she was found by police near the river of hope, which is located quite far from the office building.

Samuel Johanson - Karen's cousin - along with Antoni - Karen's father - and the local police managed to find the poor girl at nine in the evening after searching for a dozen hours.

Samuel was probably in shock from seeing the body for the first time with his own two eyes and asked permission not to enter the office building for a few days after his cousin's death.

Today, the most popular guy in First Metro finally showed his nose. He went to the office building and shocked the employees at First Metro with his appearance. Samuel walked through the gate without any expression, trying to avoid the curious stares and whispers of the other employees around him who wanted to know about the reason behind Karen's death.

There were rumors that Karen committed suicide because she was bullied by a senior the previous day. But rumors are rumors, unproven.

Samuel then arrived at the office. His eyes stared at the long board with the name of the room attached to the door hesitantly as he let out a long sigh before finally entering the room.

Samuel immediately cast his eyes around, looking for his friends who were also in the room, but something bothered him. He quickly entered and ignored the curious stares of the other employees to immediately sit next to Stella;the popular girl in the office building and one of Samuel's best friends. "Stella?"

The girl who was engrossed in a novel with both ears covered by a headset noticed the presence of someone next to her and turned her head. "Samuel?" Stella hurriedly took off the headset and turned off the music from her cell phone. "Are you feeling better?"

Samuel smiled and nodded. "But, why are you alone? Where are the others?"

Stella sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Everything's changed, Sam," she said sadly.

He furrowed his thick eyebrows, not understanding. "What does that mean?"

"Let's talk in the park during break."

***

Samuel and Stella sat together on a wooden chair in the corner of the office building's garden. There were several large shady trees behind them, while colorful flowers that the staff had deliberately planted in plastic pots lined the sides of the garden, complementing the shady atmosphere created by the greenery in the garden itself.

Stella took a sip of the coke in her hand and gazed longingly at the field across the park before finally speaking. "I don't know why either. But everything changed after they found out Karen died, Sam."

Samuel set his tea box aside and gave Stella a curious look. "What does changed mean?"

The girl who let her long hair down her back shrugged her shoulders and turned to Samuel. "As you know, I've been alone since Karen died," she said sadly.

"Where has Clara been?" Sam asked curiously. "Don't you two always go everywhere together?"

The question finally came out of Samuel's mouth. After all, who wouldn't know? Stella was known to be close to Clara and Karen. They went to the toilet together, ate at the same table and even had sleepovers every weekend. It was strange to see Stella alone now.

"Clara suddenly became close to Ganisa and distant." Stella turned her gaze to the field again. She looked at the employees who were playing basketball there with a sad look. "Whenever she's asked, she always avoids. Maybe she doesn't want to be friends with me anymore."

"Ganisa? How so? Aren't you guys enemies with Ganisa?" Samuel asked unsatisfied. "This really doesn't make sense."

"I don't know, Sam. I really don't know," said Stella, taking another sip of her drink. "Lala changed, so with Juna and Harry."

Besides Clara, Stella and Samuel are friends with Juna Pennington - the First Metro office's bad boy - and Harry Clark - the nerd who goes everywhere to read comics. The six of them are known as the most popular employees at First Metro because of their beautiful and handsome visuals. But who would have thought that one of them would eventually die and the others would have changed.

Sam looked at Stella in disbelief. "June too? Even that nerd Harry did the same thing, is that it?"

Stella shook her head weakly and placed the tea box Samuel had bought from the office building's cafeteria to her side, close to her best friend's. "Juni was suspended for hitting a senior while Harry was busy with his work. They just disappeared into the earth, they never looked for me," he said. "But strangely they all changed after finding out that Karen died."

Samuel squinted suspiciously. "Don't they know something?"

This time it was Stella's turn to wrinkle her forehead. "What do you mean, know something?"

"The reason behind Karen's death. What if they know something and are trying to avoid it because they don't want to make you suspicious?" Samuel guessed. Making the frown of the girl sitting next to him even more deeply furrowed. "That's possible, isn't it?"

"Didn't Karen die by suicide?"

"I think you should know something."

Stella gasped. "I don't understand, really. What exactly are they hiding from me and what should I know from you, Sam?"

Samuel looked right and left, making sure there was no one there but the two of them. He then leaned closer to Stella and whispered, "I don't believe Karen died by suicide, Stell."

The girl widened her eyes in surprise. "Are you saying Karen might have been murdered?" asked Stella in an equally quiet voice. "You must be careful with your mouth, Sam!"

Samuel shook his head vigorously. He looked at Stella deeply and confidently. "I found this paper in Karen's hand that night," he said, showing Stella the tattered piece of paper. "She held it so tightly that her fingernails almost dug into her skin."

A curious Stella pulled the paper from Sam's hand and read slowly, "Someone please help me, Karen." Her round black eyes reflexively widened in surprise. "You shouldn't keep this, Sam. You should give this paper to the police!" she squealed in a stifled voice, trying not to let anyone hear her even though Stella really wanted to cuss Samuel out for his stupidity right now.

Sam sighed and pulled out the paper to put it back in his pants pocket. "I can't tell this to Om Antoni, Stella. I can't see him get any more upset," he reasoned. "Don't tell anyone about this, just me and you. I only trust you, our relationship is the only one I can trust."

Stella looked the other way, to where the other employees were playing basketball. She sighed in frustration and scratched the nape of her neck awkwardly. "Now, what? We don't have any leads on Karen's death and we can't blame our friends either, right?"

"Karen was always very private with us," Samuel said. "But maybe there was something she was trying to tell us, but we just didn't realize it all this time. Right?"

Stella mumbled. "I wonder, are we really Karen's friends or not? We don't know what she died of." She then looked at Samuel with concern. "Aren't we pathetic friends, Sam?"

CHAPTER 2

Eight days after Karen's death.

First Metro, New York.

Days had passed, but the curiosity inside Stella continued to haunt her. The girl with long black hair was beginning to be curious about the reason behind the death of her best friend, Karenina Baker because Samuel's words yesterday continued to bother her. Maybe Samuel was right, Karen had tried to tell them something, but no one realized it because Karen never said it openly. But is there something that Stella really missed that she should feel guilty about now?

Stella stopped her steps when Clara appeared in front of her. Unfortunately, the short-haired girl was not alone. There were Ganisa, Helena and Sera - the seniors who had allegedly bullied Karen - around her. They were looking at Stella dimly with satisfied smirks on their lips.

"Hi, Stella. Long time no see," greeted Ganisa sarcastically. She stood next to Clara and embraced her intimately. Then she looked at Clara who was rooted to her spot. "Don't you want to say hello to your old friend too, um?"

Stella remained silent, staring straight at Clara who was also keeping her mouth shut. If Karen was still alive, the girl would have defended her and scolded Clara for being friends with their nemesis in the office building.

The tall girl with the distinctive ombre hair then lowered her hand from Clara's shoulder and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if you guys don't have anything else to say, we'd better go now."

Ganisa walked ahead with Helena and Sera trailing like maids behind her. Meanwhile, Clara stayed where she was for some time before finally walking away, passing Stella's body who was still looking at her expectantly and curiously.

Stella let out a long breath after Clara had completely left. Her eyes reddened, there was a hot sensation in her sad eyes when Clara treated her like a stranger. She would have been crying by now if someone's hand hadn't suddenly tapped her shoulder from behind and interrupted her reverie.

"Juni?"

Juna Pennington, otherwise known as First Metro's bad boy, appeared in front of Stella after a few days of suspension for violence in the office building. Juna and Bani-his senior-had gotten into a big fight over something and ended up with one big punch that sent Bani to the hospital.

"Are you coming in today?" Stella asked again. "Is our boss okay with your problem?"

Instead of answering, Juna threw her notebook at Stella, causing her to flinch and almost falter as she tried to catch the thin object.

"What the hell?" Stella lifted Juna's book into the air and looked at the boy in confusion. "You didn't mean for me to do your work during your absence, did you?"

Juna shrugged her shoulders and only had a flat look on her pretty face.

"Seriously, Juni?" Stella sighed harshly. "By the way, have you eaten yet? Want to go to the cafeteria together?"

Juna nodded yes and walked with Stella to the cafeteria of the office building.

The office building cafeteria itself was located in the corner of the hallway between rooms eleven and twelve. They often referred to the cafeteria as the border between seniors and juniors because this place filled with various dishes was often used as a dueling ground by First Metro boys.

Those who dare their seniors and want to prove their toughness, usually duel in front of the cafeteria for the two camps to watch. Juna was one of them. The tall guy with small muscles on his arms managed to deliver a punch that Bani - the senior of the office building and Ganisa's boyfriend - couldn't block, sending the guy known as the office building's 'bully' to the hospital and ending with Juna receiving a three-day suspension.

Juna wasn't actually a bad kid, but her background as a 'broken home' because her parents divorced made her a different person. She no longer sympathized with others and chose to live a hard life with other bad boys in order to achieve a goal called 'freedom'.

Stella sits across from Juna at a corner table in the cafeteria. Stella ordered a sandwich, while Juna had her favorite pasta. "Why do you like eating pasta with just a little bit of bean sprouts?" asked Stella curiously. "That's why your body is like a living corpse, skinny and dry."

Juna chuckled amusedly, "Since when do you care about my food?" and took a spoonful of pasta pieces and chewed on them. "Even though my body is skinny, it's still powerful. You can see the muscles in my arms, right?"

Stella grimaced in disgust and shook her head in disbelief.

Juna and Stella didn't say much as they ate their favorite foods. Stella with her sandwich and Juna with a portion of pasta covered in chili sauce.

Then Samuel's appearance caught both Stella and Juna's attention from their lunch. Samuel looked at Stella and then at Juna in turn and smiled kindly. "I was looking for you guys earlier, but you're having lunch together here," Samuel said. "Can I join you?"

Stella nodded. "You may."

But Juna hurriedly finished her iced tea and got up from her chair.

"Uh, where are you going?" Stella saw half the pasta left in Juna's bowl and looked at the owner in surprise. "This pasta isn't finished yet."

Juna looked at Stella and gave Juna a sardonic glance before finally saying, "I'm full." as she waltzed away leaving Stella and Samuel in an awkward atmosphere there.

Samuel took the seat Juna had previously occupied and looked at the food in front of him in confusion. "What's wrong with Juna? He doesn't seem happy that I'm joining him."

Stella shrugged her shoulders indifferently and took a sip of her orange ice. "By the way, where was that?" She pushed her empty glass and plate away. "They said you were called by the HRD staff. Any problems?"

Samuel shook his head quickly. "No, they just asked about Karen's death," he said.

"So, what did you answer?"

The 27-year-old then supported his chin with his right hand and looked at Stella sadly. "I can only answer what it is. We found Karen's body near the Hope River that night, dead."

Stella nodded in concern. It took a few seconds of silence for the girl to finally realize something and clear her throat. "Sam, there's something I want to ask you," she said cautiously.

"Yes, go ahead. What do you want to ask?"

Stella leaned toward the boy in front of her and looked at him questioningly. "The night you found Karen's body, was Om Antoni there?"

"No." Samuel frowned, trying to remember something. "I found Karen's body alone because Om Antoni went in the opposite direction."

"So, you were the only one who saw Karen's body that night?"

Samuel gave a short mumble and nodded in agreement. "Technically yes. After I confirmed that the body was Karen, I immediately called Om Antoni and the other police."

Stella bit her lower lip nervously, her hands suddenly trembling. Horrible thoughts began to run through her head. She took a deep breath and thought, "What if Samuel was actually involved?" []

CHAPTER 3

First Metro, New York.

Samuel and Stella walked out of the room together when the working hours were over. It was time to go home. Usually, Stella would go home with Karen and Clara. Hitch a ride in Om Antoni's car or use an online taxi service. But since Karen went missing and Clara stayed away, Stella always came to and from the office building alone.

Her world seemed to turn 180° degrees overnight. Her close friendship with Karen and Clara suddenly broke down in an instant. Karen left and Clara began to act antipathetic.

"Should we wait for Harry and Juna first?" asked Samuel as they reached the main hallway of the office building.

Harry and Juna had been in a different room from Samuel and Stella since they went up to room two. In order to keep up with work and results, Harry and Juna had been assigned to the social division.

It was said that the social room at First Metro was the place where lazy, creative and insane people gathered. In fact, many of the employees in the social room have made it to national and even international championships and have higher academic grades than employees from the data room.

"Do they want to be waited on?" said Stella unconvincingly.

Before Samuel could answer his best friend's question, Clara suddenly flashed in front of them. It drew out the reckless side of Stella to run after her and stop the short-haired girl's footsteps.

Clara frowned in confusion, though her mouth said nothing.

"Clara, are you going home now?" Stella smiled kindly. "Why don't you come with us?"

Clara looked at Samuel who walked up to them and looked away for a few seconds. She then looked at Stella coldly and shook her head. "I can't."

Stella frowned. "Why?"

Ganisa then appeared there and embraced Clara intimately. She smiled and waved at Samuel. "Because Clara wants to take me to the salon." Ganisa and Clara looked at each other. There was a different look the queen of the archipelago was throwing at her best friend and Stella couldn't understand it. "Right, isn't it?"

Clara took a breath and snorted in disgust before looking back at Stella and Samuel in front of her. "Sorry, maybe next time," she said and turned around.

Clara left while Ganisa watched Stella with a dismissive look from her place. "Poor, Stella." She then flicked her ombre hair back and grinned triumphantly, "I just stole your best friend." then left following where Clara had gone earlier.

Stella clenched her hands into fists as she watched Ganisa's back disappear from view. That senior of hers really wanted revenge. Shouldn't Ganisa be satisfied with just one death? Or did the girl intend to kill another Karen?

Samuel tapped Stella lightly on the shoulder. "Never mind, never mind." Trying to diffuse the heated atmosphere in front of him. "Shall we go home?"

Stella turned her head. "What's the ride?"

"A car," Samuel said. He lifted the corners of his lips and ruffled the top of the long-haired girl's head anxiously. "You forget that I always bring my car to work, don't you?"

Juna suddenly flashed into their midst, splitting the distance until both of them took a few steps to the side and left without saying an apology.

It left Samuel and Stella both surprised and astonished at the behavior of the office building thug who was once their best friend. The two then exchanged glances. "What's wrong with him?" Samuel asked.

The girl who was quite popular in First Metro because of her pretty face just shrugged her shoulders briefly. "One, he has a personal grudge against us or two, he's already brainless."

Samuel chuckled amusedly. "You're the coolest employee at First Metro. Let's go!"

Samuel then let Stella sit on the front seat before finally leaving the courtyard of the office building. To break the silence, the car owner deliberately turned on the radio which happened to be playing a Taylor Swift song.

"That song--"

"Karen's favorite song, right?" Samuel interrupted confidently. He glanced at Stella for a moment before refocusing on the steering wheel. "She likes this song because of its deep meaning."

Stella gave a short snort. "What depth? Out of all the songs, why does it have to be about sad things?" She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head in disbelief. "I prefer upbeat and modern songs to keep my spirits up."

But Samuel laughed instead. He looked at Stella and raised his eyebrows. "Okay, Miss Energetic. Are we going straight home now or are we going to get something to eat first?"

"No," Stella said quickly. "Because of Ganisa, I have no appetite for food. I'm really curious about the reason why Clara ended up avoiding me and preferring to be friends with our archenemy. Why do you think?"

The fair-skinned boy shook his head. "I don't know. Why don't you find out? Now you're not alone, I can help."

The girl turned around enthusiastically. Her face that was previously scowling now looked happy. "Seriously, you want to help?"

"Yep. I'll help you find out about Clara and you'll help me find Karen's killer." The smile lines on Stella's lips dropped instantly. Her eyes rounded in disbelief. "What do you say? Agreed?"

"Sam, Clara and Karen's cases are different," Stella said cautiously. "Karen's death is already a crime. If we make a wrong move, it could be dangerous."

"I can't just accept my cousin's death while the culprit is still out there."

"Sam, don't cross the line," Stella warned.

"Stella, please."

"Sam--"

"If I don't ask for your help, who else should I trust?" This time Samuel's voice rose an octave. He pulled the car over and wiped his face in frustration. "I really need your help, Stella. I really need."

Stella returned Samuel's gaze with a concerned look. Somehow, the feeling of compassion suddenly appeared in Stella's mind.

TRIIIING!

A ringing notification appeared on Stella and Samuel's cellphones at the same time. A message in the group chat they had made when Karen was still alive. Even Karen's old number and name were still there, no one had dared to kick her out.

"Group, huh?" Samuel only took out his cell phone a few seconds after Stella. And both of their faces immediately turned shocked when they finished reading the contents of the message and found out who sent the message in the group chat.

Stella gulped down her saliva with difficulty. "Ka-karen?"

"Karen sent a message in the group chat that we forgot about a long time ago." Samuel and Stella exchanged glances. "What now?" []

Karenina:

Someone please help me.