The final bell rang, signaling it was time for the students to go home. Everyone was excited to head back to their homes. After hours of studying, the end-of-school bell marked the end of their suffering. The same was true for Arzan, who was packing up his things until he was suddenly called by a teacher.
"Arzan, don't go home yet," said Ms. Elen from the classroom door. "The principal wants to see you in his office now."
Looking confused but trying to appear understanding, Arzan then said, "Alright, ma'am." He was a bit annoyed that his time was being taken up by something important.
After finishing packing up, Arzan hurried to the principal's office. On the way, he kept thinking about why he was being called. It felt like he hadn't done anything significant to warrant such attention. Maybe he had skipped a few classes, but that wasn't something that needed the principal's immediate attention, right?
Arzan knocked on the door and was greeted by Ms. Elen. It turned out the principal still had other guests to attend to first. Therefore, Arzan was told to wait in the room next to the principal's office. Arzan became even more annoyed as he now had to wait.
Arzan sat on the soft sofa and opened his phone to play a game. Waiting and waiting made Arzan lose track of time. His phone also started to feel hot because he kept playing to pass the time. Glancing at his watch, Arzan realized he'd been at the school for a long time. It was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Arzan was annoyed.
How much longer would he have to wait? His patience was truly being tested.
He decided to get up from his seat and leave the school. However, his steps halted when he heard the sound of the doorknob turning. Out came someone Arzan assumed was a guest, followed by the principal. Arzan looked at them with a polite smile, but inside he was irritated with them.
The guest and the principal seemed to chat briefly for small talk before the guest left. They shook hands. Arzan observed the guest and admitted that he looked handsome and dignified. The guest smiled at him, and he returned the smile to the cool-looking guest.
Noticing Arzan there, the principal invited him in. After being asked to sit by Mr. Adi—the principal—Arzan immediately asked about the reason for his call today.
"Excuse me, sir. What exactly do you need from me?" Arzan asked politely, though he harbored a lot of frustration inside.
"First, I want to apologize for making you wait so long," Mr. Adi said as he poured a glass of water and handed it to Arzan.
Coincidentally, Arzan was thirsty, so he gladly accepted the glass of water. "It's alright, sir."
"So here's the thing. I want you to represent our school in the national English speech contest," Mr. Adi said, handing a brochure to Arzan. "Arzan, you're great at English. What do you think? You'll participate, right?"
Arzan thought for a moment and then said, "I need to discuss it with my mom first, sir." It was just an excuse since Arzan wasn't interested in participating in the competition, but he didn't want to outright reject the principal's offer.
Mr. Adi nodded in agreement. "Sure, just let me know as soon as possible. Don't worry, all your needs for the competition will be covered by the school."
Their conversation ended with Arzan and Mr. Adi shaking hands. They decided to go home. Mr. Adi offered Arzan a ride in his car, but Arzan politely declined.
Finally, Mr. Adi left first in his car, and Arzan strolled casually down the school corridor. As he was going down the stairs, Arzan's steps halted when he saw Mr. Adi's guest walking by with Mr. Budi, the school guard. They seemed to be having a conversation, with the guest doing most of the talking.
The late hour made Arzan indifferent to their activities. He headed straight for the gate. He didn't bring his motorcycle today because it was being repaired, so he had to take public transportation.
Arzan reached into his pants pocket to find money to pay for the ride. He had a 50,000 rupiah in his hand. However, if he handed this to the taxi driver, he might be scolded for having too large a bill.
Arzan had done this before, and the driver told him to use smaller bills. Arzan remembered that he had a 5,000 rupiah bill earlier. He searched his bag and his shirt pockets. However, all he found was a torn piece of paper from who knows where. Arzan thought for a moment and seemed to remember where the money was. He turned back towards his classroom, thinking the money might be in his desk drawer.
"So annoying," Arzan muttered as he walked back with a feeling of laziness.
Arzan climbed the stairs to his classroom on the upper floor. He went straight to his desk and searched for the money. Sure enough, his five thousand rupiah was there. Energized, he left the classroom and headed down the stairs. As he descended, he heard someone screaming.
Arzan looked around, feeling a chill run down his spine. He tried to think clearly, guessing whose voice it was. The voice sounded familiar. He felt like he knew the person behind it. Arzan walked toward the direction of the scream, thinking it came from behind the storage room. The storage room was located behind the central building. He stepped cautiously but curiously. Peeking from behind the wall, he saw something shocking.
There, Mr. Budi lay weak on the grass, which had now become a pool of blood. Next to him was someone repeatedly stabbing Mr. Budi's body. The sight made Arzan feel nauseous. Mr. Budi, no longer making any noise and not fighting back, was continuously being stabbed with a knife.
Without thinking, Arzan ran away from the scene. He didn't want to be seen by the murderer or get involved in this case. His heart pounded as if it was going to leap out of his chest. Was that person the one who had been with Mr. Adi earlier? The thought kept swirling in Arzan's mind. He felt like he had fallen into a huge mess, and Arzan didn't know what to do. This was the first time he had witnessed a murder right before his eyes.
He managed to leave the school safely and was now at the entrance of the alley. The darkening sky signaled that night was approaching. He looked back at the school, which now seemed to have an ominous aura.
Arzan walked sluggishly, burdened with guilt. It didn't occur to him to call the police. His mind was filled with the image of Mr. Budi, covered in blood, being mercilessly stabbed. His face was pale, and he walked slowly, his heart still pounding. Arzan felt like he was going to vomit.
On his way, Arzan passed a girl. He glanced at her briefly before refocusing on his path. He didn't realize that the girl turned into the alley, the same alley that had witnessed Arzan's terrified escape.