The blaring sound of my phone's alarm jolted me awake.
"Oh, come on! It always rings just when I'm having a good dream. But when it's a nightmare? Never in the early morning!"
Today is Tuesday—the day I return to school. As usual, I go through the morning routine: showering, eating breakfast, and getting ready.
The events from yesterday keep echoing in my mind, making it hard to believe they even happened. Since sixth grade, I've lost all my friends, been avoided, treated like a problem, and even called "gross" by other girls when they joked about pairing me up with someone.
But now, there's this new girl who joined the school, became popular in just one day, and is strikingly beautiful compared to the rest. She doesn't feel disgusted, isn't embarrassed to interact with me, and even managed to shock the whole school.
"I'm leaving!" I shouted out of habit, a tradition from childhood to let my parents know whenever I was heading out.
On my way, the memory of yesterday keeps creeping back, but I try to shake it off. Suddenly, I spot three students in our school's batik uniforms walking ahead. As I get closer, I recognize one of them as Arman and his two lackeys.
It's unusual for them to be this early—they're usually late. Something tells me they might be up to something. Curious, I decide to walk closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Hey, did you hear? A new girl joined yesterday. Bro, she's gorgeous!"
"Like a D-list celebrity?"
"Of course not! But top-tier—like an angel!"
"Are you serious?"
"Of course! Don't you remember the commotion when we were heading to the canteen yesterday?"
"Oh, so that's why there was all that noise. What class is she in?"
"Pretty sure it's 11-B."
"Wow, lucky us. Having a pretty girl in our grade makes school so much more exciting!"
"Hey, you're our leader. Go talk to her—maybe she'll like you."
"Yeah, you're the most popular guy at school. You've got this!"
Their chatter, while trivial, makes me realize I should warn Cici to be cautious around them—or maybe even more than just them.
Before I know it, we've arrived at school. I've been tailing them unnoticed. I plan to head straight to class and get there before Arman and his gang can act on whatever they're planning.
"Wait… where are they?" I muttered, puzzled. They were just ahead a moment ago, but now they've vanished. Feeling uneasy, I hurried toward the classroom.
From outside, I could hear Cici talking to someone—likely Arman. A sinking feeling hits me as I run inside. There, I see Cici looking uncomfortable while Arman stands nearby, grinning slyly.
"H-hi, Fin! You look like you've been running," Cici said, noticing me immediately as she stood up and walked over.
Arman's smug expression morphed into shock. He clearly wasn't expecting a girl as beautiful as Cici to be friendly with someone like me.
"H-ha? Uh, n-no," I stammered, quickly trying to assess the situation.
"Why the rush? Were you afraid I'd disappear?" she teased.
"W-what? N-no, I just thought I was late," I replied, nearly spilling the truth.
"Oh, is that all? Fin, come with me to the canteen. I haven't had breakfast yet," she said, as I suspected she would.
"Come with me instead, Cici. I'll treat you to anything you want," Arman interjected, trying to look cool despite his reputation for owing the canteen lady money.
"I prefer to pay for myself," Cici replied curtly, leaving Arman visibly frustrated.
Suddenly, a group of girls swarmed in, offering to go with Arman instead. But he brushed them off, clearly still focused on Cici.
"Shall we?" Cici asked, smiling at me.
"Y-yeah, okay," I agreed reluctantly.
"That's better. You're so sweet!"
"H-ha?"
"Just kidding."
Her teasing startled me, but at least we managed to leave Arman behind.
At the canteen, Cici took her time picking out breakfast. Eventually, she chose nasi lemak without sambal because she doesn't like spicy food.
"You should get something too. It's awkward if I'm the only one eating," she said.
"N-no, I already had breakfast at home," I replied, hesitant to spend what little money I had.
"Fine, but get me a hot Milo—sweet, like you," she said, throwing in a cheeky compliment.
"She could've just said Milo with milk," I thought to myself.
"O-okay. You find a seat, and I'll get your drink."
After buying the drink, I sat beside her, intentionally avoiding sitting across from her.
"Why not sit in front? It's so much trouble to move the chair beside me," she said, clearly puzzled.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it—just eat," I replied, somehow managing to sound calm despite my nerves.
As I watched her eat, time seemed to slow. The noise of the canteen faded, replaced by the sound of her voice.
"I can't believe this girl doesn't feel disgusted by me, doesn't look down on me, and doesn't avoid me. A girl this pretty, this popular, has such a kind heart..." I thought to myself before snapping back to reality.
"Fin, open your mouth!" she suddenly said, holding a spoonful of food toward me.
"Huh? N-no, thanks! I've already eaten," I protested.
"Come on, just one bite."
"N-no! People might get the wrong idea."
"Fine. Then I won't eat anymore," she pouted, dramatically setting down her spoon.
Panicking, I blurted, "O-okay, I-I'll f-feed you instead! H-how about that?"
"Really?" she asked, her mood instantly lifting.
Under the watchful eyes of the other students—some smiling at Cici, others glaring at me like I was a monster—I carefully lifted the spoon to her mouth.
"Open wide," she said, smiling brightly.
As the rice on the spoon made its way to Cici mouth, my hands felt like they were trembling violently, my heart beating erratically, and I could feel a murderous aura around us that was almost overwhelming.
When the food finally entered Cici mouth, she chewed it and smiled at me. My hands were still shaking, but my focus remained solely on Cici. For some reason, she looked so happy that I had fed her.
"Fin, remember, you might not be the first guy to feed her, so don't think this has any special meaning," my mind suddenly warned me, as if to snap me back to reality.
After that one bite, Cici asked me for more. Feeling nervous but wanting to excuse myself, I declined with a bit of hesitation.
"S-sorry, Ci, I-I need to go to the bathroom for a moment."
"Eh, sure, go ahead. But don't take too long, okay? I'll feel lonely if you're gone too long."
"O-okay."
Without wasting time, I stood up from my chair and headed to the restroom. However, once I got there, I decided to take a detour back to class so she wouldn't notice.
Once I reached the classroom, I sat at my desk, feeling an immense sense of relief. The heavy nervousness that had overwhelmed me earlier slowly started to fade.
"HAHAHAHA, hang in there, bro. Maybe you're just having bad luck, huh?"
"HAHAHA, yeah, totally."
"SHUT UP! I'm thinking about how to win over that new girl. She's playing hard to get, but with her beauty, I can't just let her go."
"Whoa, now that's the boss we know!"
"Yeah, that's him, our boss!"
It seemed like they were planning something again. Earlier this morning, Arman looked irritated after being ignored by Cici, the beautiful new student. Usually, he always got attention or even love confessions from the girls in this school. But this was the first time he was outright rejected.
Suddenly, one of Arman's lackeys approached my desk, glancing at me with disdain. Before I realized it, Arman and his other lackeys were already standing beside me.
"Ohhh, so this is the guy, huh? The one acting like boyfriend with the new girl."
"Yeah, boss. This is him. Acting all chummy and stuff."
"Should we teach him a lesson?"
"Sounds good. And with no teachers around and the school still pretty empty, let's just—"
"STOP!!!"
Before Arman could finish his sentence and swing his fist at my face, Cici suddenly appeared, stopping everything. Even though a few other students had started arriving, Cici didn't seem embarrassed at all. She spoke out loud, and her words left me stunned.
"STOP RIGHT THERE! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Cici walked closer, stood beside me, and suddenly grabbed my hand.
"What are you all doing? What are you trying to do to my friend?" Cici spoke firmly.
"F-friend?" Arman and his lackeys looked surprised.
"Yeah, why? Let's go, Fin." Cici pulled my hand, leading me away from them as they stood there, dumbfounded.
Cici brought me to the school garden. She told me to sit on a bench, then she carefully examined my face, looking at every detail from my forehead to my cheeks. She finally looked relieved, sighed, and sat next to me.
"Why did you leave me alone in the canteen? And then just go back to class?"
I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond. Cici's question made me feel even more confused and a little guilty.
"Why do you keep avoiding me? Don't you want to be my friend?"
I still didn't say anything, keeping my head down. Cici seemed to calm down a bit.
"Are you... not good at talking to girls and anyone ? Is that why you stay quiet and avoid me? Sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier."
"N-no, it's my fault."
"We're both at fault."
"B-but earlier, you called me your friend?" I ask.
"Yeah, why? What's wrong with that? You're my friend, aren't you? Don't you have any friends? I heard people avoid you because they think you're weird. But to me, you're kind, funny, unique, and different from others."
"W-what?"
"You're a guy who's different from everyone else. While others are busy flirting with me, you just stay quiet like nothing's happening. That's why I wanted to be friends with you."
Cici said that with a sincere tone, without hesitation.
"From now on, don't ignore me, okay? We're friends, right? If something's bothering you, just tell me. If I can help, I will. Deal?"
"D-deal."
"That's more like it! So, when the next break comes, what should we eat? I'm thinking about..."
Today, for the first time, someone called me their friend. After so long, I finally had a friend in this high school. It felt like a light had appeared in my heart, which had been dark and empty for so long.
Cici and I sat together in the school garden, chatting like friends. Even though I mostly stayed silent and just listened to her talk.
Today, is this just a dream? Am I still asleep?