"Weird Kid""Trying to be cool.""Ugly.""Who would want to be with him?""Is there anyone who would want to be with this weird kid?"These were the words that became part of my daily routine at school. And yes, what they said wasn't wrong because I really did look strange to them. Quiet, always alone, it was something that made the bridge of differences so far apart.Today, on May 12th, while at school, as usual, they talked about me, looking at me, and laughing loudly as if they had just made a joke about me.My name is Fino Wernandes, but I'm usually called Fin, and I've had the nickname "The Weird Kid" at school since I was in the first year of middle school until now, in the second year of high school. At first, I felt annoyed by how they treated me. Every day, when I didn't do anything, someone would still come with problems. Maybe it was my unlucky days, or maybe they hated me so much that they wanted to see me suffer.At least that's how it was before, and now I've gotten used to their behavior. Rather than stressing over their words and the situations they create for me, I focus more on making my future better than it is now."HEY, YOU IDIOT!" I could hear someone shouting from behind me."Heh, what nickname did they give me now?" I muttered as I looked behind.Suddenly, a chalk eraser flew quickly toward me, and luckily, I managed to dodge it. I could see three students who bully me every day looking disappointed, probably because their throw missed me."AH, next time, I'll throw it harder!" I could hear one of them saying."You're weak, throwing like that and still missing," one of them mocked."Shut up, loser. Come with me to the canteen," the leader of the group, Arman, said. He was known as the most problematic student at school, both inside and outside.One thing I don't understand is why the female students here are so crazy about him. It's really weird that the girls in this school like someone like him."Boss, but we don't have any money," one of his followers asked."Shh, are you stupid? If we don't have money, we just borrow it," Arman said.Not only the teachers but also the canteen lady is tired of Arman's group. If they're not causing trouble with other students, they're borrowing money from the canteen without paying back and just keep increasing their debt."Well... at least I bring my own lunch and try to save money so I can save up for the stuff I want," I muttered.Even though I come from a wealthy family, I never think of asking my parents for money to buy things that are useless. I've made an agreement that if I help others, they can give me money. I don't even know where this idea came from.Suddenly, a commotion from outside the class."What's going on? Why is there noise?" I thought to myself."SO BEAUTIFUL!" one of the students yelled."OH MY GOD, SHE'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL I'VE EVER KNOWN!" another student shouted."DO YOU WANT TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND?" and many other comments."Huh, what's going on? Is there a new girl that makes everyone go crazy?" I thought, but before I could finish my thought, a new girl entered the class. She was quite tall, almost the same height as me, with beautiful eyes, fair and smooth skin, a perfect body, and long, wavy black hair.I was stunned for a moment, realizing I had never seen this girl before. Is she a transfer student? I was so focused on my thoughts when suddenly a soft voice asked from beside me:"Is this seat taken?" Her voice made me nervous.When I turned to see where the voice came from, my heart raced. It was her—the girl I had never seen before, and she became popular the moment she entered school."Y-yes, it's free..." I stuttered, not finishing my sentence as she placed her bag on the chair and sat right next to me.In our school, each desk is shared by two students, so every student has a partner. But for some reason, I never had a desk partner until the second year of high school. Even during group work, no one would sit with me or let me join their group. I would often do the work by myself, or the teacher would force a group to accept me.But today, everything felt different. I was really surprised. I was happy to finally have a desk partner, but even more surprised that my desk partner was such a beautiful and popular girl at school."Hi, I'm Cici Amidah, just call me Cici. What's your name?" she introduced herself while extending her hand toward me."I-I'm Fino W-Wernandes," I was so nervous that I was stuttering."Why can't I control myself? She's just another girl, but why does my heart beat faster?" I thought to myself.Cici kept her hand outstretched. Suddenly..."WEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!" the entire class screamed. Some students were at the door, and others at the window, staring at us in surprise.Not only them, but I was also shocked. She was so different, so much different from anyone else. Why did she want to shake my hand? No one else even speaks to me like that."Oh hey, Fino, would you like to be my friend?" Cici asked with an excited tone."Fin, calm down, calm down," I could feel my breath getting out of control."Are you okay?" I felt Cici move closer to me, who was looking down."I-I'm fine," I said, opening my eyes, and saw that my face was very close to hers."WEEEEEEEEH!" the students shouted.She smiled. Her actions really left me speechless, not believing that someone didn't see me as just a weird kid."Since you're my first friend, I want to invite you to the canteen. Do you want to come?" Cici asked.Without saying a word, I nodded."Fin, what are you doing? Why is my head moving on its own?" I didn't realize I was nodding."Okay, let's go," Cici said, walking out and pulling my hand.At the canteen, Cici and I became the main topic of conversation, with everyone whispering to each other. On the other hand, I could feel the hostile aura from the male students, their eyes glaring at me, but when Cici looked at them, they all tried to act cool. It was really a strange day at school.By the time it was 4 PM, it was time to go home. As usual, we had to clean the classroom before leaving. Even though I had cleaning duty, no one else wanted to do it. Usually, it was just wiping the board and moving chairs, but no one wanted to sweep. So, as usual, I was the one who swept the floor after school."This class is always full of dust because the students never knock their shoes outside before entering."The sound of a broom sweeping across the floor echoed."Wait, someone else is sweeping? This is rare," I heard one of the students say.I looked up and saw Cici sweeping. She didn't look forced; she actually seemed to enjoy it. Once again, my heart raced. This was the first time I saw a girl like her who was willing to clean the classroom when most of the other students would refuse.She was really different from the others. Now, it was just the two of us cleaning the classroom."Hey, why are you sweeping? Your schedule is on Tuesday, right?" Cici asked while sweeping and occasionally glancing at me."I-I'm used to it," I said, feeling awkward."You're amazing! You're so dedicated to finishing the cleaning when your classmates aren't even helping. A guy like you is really cool," Cici complimented me, making my heart race."It's nothing," I answered.The situation became quiet until we both finished cleaning the classroom. We walked out together, closing the door behind us."Fino, do you want to go home together?""Cici just invited me to go home with her?"Once again, I was in a situation like this."I-I'd like that," I finally said, but my mind kept wondering."Fino, what are you saying?" I thought, realizing my words were out of control."Okay, let's go," Cici started walking, and I followed her.On our way, we walked side by side, and every time Cici saw a cat, she would stop to pet it. She really was a beautiful and gentle girl. Before we knew it, it was already late afternoon. We walked until we reached a hill, where we stopped to watch the sunset and feel the cool breeze.It was just the two of us there, leaning on the railing of the road from the hill. The atmosphere felt so romantic. I felt that today was different from any other day."Wow, the sunset is beautiful," Cici said, enjoying the view."I-I agree, it's beautiful," I said, feeling the same way and appreciating today.