"Hmm, that's really good Chicken Geprek made by my father," Afika said proudly of the food she had brought. "Why don't you eat it? Eat it, it's delicious!" She promoted it in front of Diaz.
Diaz nodded and then lowered his gaze. He ate slowly. Meanwhile, Afika had already finished three pieces of her geprek chicken.
"Oh yeah, I made the orange juice myself. Try it too! It's definitely delicious." Again, Afika boasted of her prowess.
"I don't want it. You just drink it yourself. I don't know what the concoction is. You could have put poison in the cup," Diaz joked. Afika was annoyed and pursed her lips.
"Being prejudiced against people is not good for your health," Afika muttered under her breath with her mouth full of food. However, Diaz still heard her very clearly.
"After eating, you should go home quickly! It's getting late," Diaz advised. But Afika didn't want to hear it. She was still enjoying her delicious dinner. Even though the dinner menu was made by her own father.
"Are you listening to me?" Diaz was a little annoyed that Afika didn't seem to be listening to his advice.
"Yes, I heard," said Afika reluctantly.
After finishing her food, Afika was about to head home. It was almost late at night and she was afraid her family would look for her because she didn't come home. She said goodbye to Diaz and didn't forget to thank him for inviting her to dinner indirectly.
"Thank you. Now, I'm full and can sleep well," Afika said with a sweet smile in front of Diaz. Hah, Diaz looked away while clucking.
For a long time Diaz felt strange and wondered. What kind of snot-nosed kid like Afika was allowed to wander around at night and ride a motorbike? Matic again. Isn't that girl not old enough to get a driving licence? Diaz thought.
"I'm going home first!" said Afika. She was about to wave her hand at Diaz.
"Wait!" interrupted Diaz. "Do you have a driving licence?" he asked curiously.
Afika smiled even more sweetly. She didn't answer Diaz's question and immediately stepped on the gas, speeding away on her motorbike. Ah, damn it! That girl just made Diaz curious. What are you trying to do? Want to make Diaz worry again?
'I don't have one yet. That's why I dare to bring my motorbike at night. If I take my motorbike to school during the day, speeding on the road, I'll get scolded by my father. I'll get a ticket from the traffic police too.'
***
The next morning, the witty girl Afika embraced her friends from behind and managed to surprise them.
"Hi, girls!" she greeted them familiarly.
It wasn't only her friends who were surprised to hear her characteristic squeaky voice. Coincidentally, Diaz had just arrived and saw Afika's familiarity with her friends.
"AFIKA!" One of her friends, Gina, screamed hysterically. "Are you feeling better? How's your head? Does it still hurt?" she asked in rapid succession. A sign that she was worried about her best friend.
"It doesn't hurt anymore. It must be thanks to your prayers, right?" Afika giggled happily in front of them.
"It's good that you're feeling better. We were really worried about your situation," said Febby, the other friend.
'Are they really that worried about my situation?' Afika doubted their statement, didn't she? The proof was that the only one who accompanied Afika all day yesterday was Diaz. Where were her friends? Not a single one of them could be seen. They must have been busy with their own excuses.
Afika and her two friends walked slowly down the school corridor. They were still joking and laughing cheerfully. Ah, how annoying! Diaz doesn't like people getting in his way. So, he walked past Afika and her friends first. Afika had seen him. However, she didn't really pay attention to him because she was chatting with her friends.
Before entering class, Afika was stopped by two of her male friends. One was handsome Alan and the other was probably his friend. At that moment, Afika was very surprised to see Alan approaching her.
"Hi, you're Afika, right?" Alan confirmed it. He was told that the girl who was hit by his ball yesterday was Afika, a student of class XI.
"Yes." Afika blushed when she said yes. What was it about her that made Alan come to her? Until he bothered to come to Afika to his class at all.
Gina and Febby elbowed Afika's arm who was in the middle of them. They grinned and threw meaningful smiles at Afika.
"I'm sorry about yesterday. My ball hit your head," Alan regretted. He looked at Afika closely while smiling happily in front of the excited girl.
"Ah, that's ...." Afika became awkward and misbehaved in front of Alan. What should she say? Suddenly she was speechless in front of her idol.
"It must have hurt, right?" worried Alan.
'It must have hurt, to the point of unconsciousness,' Afika grumbled.
Afika hoped that Alan would visit her yesterday in the medical room. In fact, it was only now that he apologised to her. Outrageous! But ... but, that's not too bad either. Thanks to the incident with the ball yesterday, she got to know Alan.
Isn't that one of the rarest wonders of the world for an Afika? She will cherish this moment for the rest of her life. She will also tell her children and grandchildren about this precious experience when she's older.
Her monkey love began to blossom in the garden of her heart. After this introduction, what's next? Afika can't wait to see what happens next.
"Well then, get well soon! I hope your headache doesn't get worse," Alan hoped. After saying that, he walked away.
Afika smiled in response. A good start to a romantic relationship. Ah, how confident she is. Her two friends were busy cheering her on. Teasing her. Because Afika was lucky to be visited by Alan, the most popular boy in school.
While Afika and her friends cheered Alan arrival, the other students were mocked her. It was obvious that they were jealous of Afika. They don't care. Never mind, don't mind them! Haters are always right everywhere.
***
Sports lesson arrived. There was a football match between classes. Coincidentally, the sports teacher agreed to organise the match. At that time, Afika's class would compete with Diaz's class.
Wait a minute! Are Diaz and Alan in the same class? Afika accidentally saw the scene in the middle of the field. What a contrast. Where Alan and Diaz were in the same team and were now competing against Afika's class.
All the girls who were not competing were directed to the side of the field. To give support to their male friends who were competing on the field. Afika was confused. Which team should she support? Meanwhile, she liked Alan so much. Did she support the opposing team? Her classmates would be hostile to her. Ah, never mind. Silence is better in her opinion.
‘Go, Alan!’ Afika encouraged her silently.
To be continue …