Once I was done helping Sasi, I packed up my own books. It was 3 PM, I believed that Aunt Rosi was waiting for me. She said that her customers would come and make their orders there.
"What took you so long? Were you reading or went out cold there?" I almost jumped when I heard his voice from the side.
It turned out that he had been waiting for me all this time, behind the door. Was he not bored? I was there for about an hour.
"Why don't you come in?" I asked.
He walked ahead of me, I walked right behind him. Occasionally, he turned around and faced forward again with his hands in his pockets.
"I am allergic to books, so I don't want to enter a library," he answered.
"Then, why are you waiting for me?"
"Of course I'll take you home, you are my girlfriend."
Was I going crazy?
I beat my chest, I bit my finger. It hurted me. So this must be real? So what happened hours ago was real as well? I stopped, so did Ricky.
He turned around, then approached me. Our bodies were just inches apart. I looked up to those brown eyes. There was a sizable gap in our body height. He looked down, straight to my eyes. Very close, for some time. I could not tell what we were doing.
"I've told you, no? Days ago. I said that I don't love you, yet, but I can't tell how it will be the next day. Since I have started liking you today, then I'll have you know about it. Because I don't want to lose you, twice."
"Twice." I asked again. I only knew him when I enrolled in this school. Was he confusing me with someone else? I was certain that he was confusing me, or that he was being delusional.
"Don't think about it, that's not important. I don't even want to know if you like me or not. All that matters is that I like you, that will do."
"But, to be a pair of lovers, both parties must be in love with each other, right?"
"Being in love is like the most difficult equation in the universe. It's just unfathomable. Therefore, my feelings alone will be enough, you don't have to feel the same."
I looked down. Even though he spoke softly, he sharply scared me. Especially when I remember that he was the head of a gang. Where did I go wrong? Why do I have to stick with this delinquent? I just needed a scholarship to finish my study in peace with flying colors. Nothing more, nothing less.
After those bizarre talks, Ricky took me home in silence. No, he did not take me home on a big fancy bike or luxurious car like the one seen on television. This was my life, not a drama show. We rode angkot to go home. We sat next to each other in silence, roughly half an hour later, we arrived and I walked through the alley. Ricky only escorted me to Aunt Rosi's bakery. He went ahead into the store and bought several pieces of bread. I was lucky that Aunt Rosi was not there to see me escorted home by Ricky. She only knew that we just happened to be walking in the same direction. Maybe Ricky knew about my aunt? Or? Nah, Aunt Rosi did not know Ricky and vice versa.
"Ah, you again?" Aunt Rosi seemed surprised, but Ricky just smiled and approached her.
"Same order, ma'am. My mother really liked that bread."
Once again, he acted like this; like he never knew about my existence. I was confused when it came to this boy, Ricky. Was this a different Ricky than the one who accompanied me home? I did not know. When he was chatting with Aunt Rosi, I decided to leave the store, change my uniform, and head back to the bakery. I wanted to help Aunt Rosi and forget every confusing thing that happened to me today.
@@@
"So..What happened in your class yesterday, Nilam?" Sekar asked when we were alone in the student council's office. I could see it from miles away that she would eventually ask. Probably my friends would ask as well. Friends? Since when did they see me as a friend?
"I don't understand, Sekar. Maybe Ricky just wanted to fool around." I answered. I sincerely thought so, my mind and my heart agreed on the same thought.
."Thank God you are here, the student council needed your help once again."
Somehow, I felt restless whenever Aldi had already said that. I was certain that we would end up doing the hardest part of the job with the least amount of appreciation. It happened for a long time now, time and time again. But we foolishly did it again and again, even though we knew that we were being exploited.
I was a dumb.
"What?"
"Send this letter to Harapan Bangsa High School."
I should not have asked him.
"But, you are the leader. You got Maya as the secretary and Alya as the financier, besides, wouldn't it be more suitable for boys?"
"We are busy! After the midterm test, we have a class meeting and we planned on inviting the neighboring schools, so you, with nothing better to do, must help us!"
Always like that.
So, for them, working on a huge stacks of documents, cleaning up this office, and arranging the student council's activities were 'nothing better'? What about them, who were lazing around all day? Was that our real task? If that was our real task, I would gladly take on that part.
"When?"
"Set out after the midterm test is done."
@@@
Today, I went home from school alone. Yup, just like I usually did. Nothing changed. It was yesterday when things changed a little because Ricky accompanied me home.
By the bus stop, there were several students who waited for the bus or angkot. Meanwhile, I had to go to the bookstore since there were additional parts of the test that I had not fully comprehended. I planned on going with Lala and Genta but because I had a few things to do at the student council's office, they went home earlier.
That was normal.
The most important trait that I must uphold at all times is patience, always taking on whatever comes to me. If I could keep that up, everything would go as I had planned, I was sure of that.
Not very long after I started waiting, the bus that was often used by the people around these parts arrived. It appeared the bus was currently crowded, so I had to stand and cram among the other passengers until I arrived at my destination. The next 15 minutes would be wasted because I could not study in this situation.
"Ow!" Someone who stood behind me exclaimed when the bus suddenly braking, he crashed on to my back and it almost caused me to fall.
"Eh, sorry!" He said in a panicked voice. It appeared that it was the first time for him to ride a bus. Judging by his outfits, he looked like a rich student. I knew that his clothing brand was an expensive one. Wait, I recognized that uniform…
I looked down, I did not want him to recognize mine. I did not want to be bullied because of this coincidence. Yup, the boy behind me, the one who apologized to me, was a student from Harapan Bangsa High School, a long-standing rival of my school. People had already known that whenever the students of Harapan Bangsa High School and Pelita Mulya High School met each other, one of them would bully the other or vice versa. That was why their rivalry remained alive.
"You freak! I said sorry! Are you deaf?" It appeared that this boy was offended because I did not reply.
"Y..Yes." I stammered. He giggled and lowered his face to see mine.
His face looked like Ricky's, like a typical playboy. Slightly reddish hair and pierced ear, he must be a delinquent. I could not be wrong, I could easily tell by the way he made his appearance.
"Your hair is funny! Like the duster in my home!" He laughed while touching my hair.
Honestly, I felt offended. People called names on me many times, from weirdo to lion cub, now he said that my hair looked like a duster? How presumptuous!
"Excuse me." I said. The bus had stopped, so I got off quickly because the bookstore was just a few steps away. I would rather walk for the rest of the way rather than being involved with another delinquent.
"Yo, duster girl!" He shouted at me while getting off the bus. Where did I go wrong? What have I done? I just got off the bus, nothing else. I hugged my bag and got off normally. I did not show a frightened face. Honestly, I tried to be normal.
"Wait!" What the heck? Why did he run toward me and wave like we were an old friend?
I ran as fast as I could to avoid him, so I must enter the bookstore ahead. I was certain that Lala and Genta were inside the store. Right before I made it to the store, a strong arm yanked my collar harshly. I could do nothing but let myself dragged away.
"What the heck is wrong with you? It's like you have just seen a ghost!" Ricky? Since when he appeared here?
"You?"
"Here, this is what you're looking for." He said, while handing over a white plastic bag. I knew what was inside it. It was the book that I wanted to buy. But, how did he know? This boy really perplexed me. Seemed so vulnerable yet shrouded in mystery. That was Ricky for you.