After thinking long and hard about my next steps, I decided to ask for some advice from my mom and dad. After hearing what they had to say, I finally made up my mind to apply to SMA Dua.
Honestly,
Once I was confident in my choice, Angga, my good friend, hit me up with an SMS, checking in and talking about our high school plans.
Angga: Bro, so you're going with SMA Dua? Why not Satu?
Me: I dunno, man. Just a gut feeling. Besides, Dua's great too, right?
Angga: True that.
Then, out of nowhere, Angga dropped a bombshell in his next message.
Angga: Bro, did you just break up with your girl?
What the heck? How'd he know? I hadn't told anyone about it.
Me: How do you know? You psychic or something?
Angga: Just a hunch, lol.
Angga: But for real, good thing you're done with Rani. Bro, you gotta know—your ex was a player. You're better off without her.
I stared at the message, my mind doing somersaults. Was he for real? I mean, I'd felt something was off, but I'd been too caught up with exams and everything else to notice the signs. Now that Angga said it, I felt this weird mix of anger, disappointment, confusion—and a little relief, like some weight had been lifted.
Me: You serious? Where'd you hear that?
Angga: I'd see her hanging out with other guys sometimes. But I kept forgetting to tell you.
Me: Bro, you're unbelievable. Why didn't you tell me something this major sooner?
If Angga had told me earlier, maybe I would've dumped Rani way before now. And maybe—just maybe—Santi and I... Ah, forget it. It's all just "what ifs" now. No point blaming Angga; he's always been a little... well, let's just say "unique."
Me: Whatever, man. Thanks for finally telling me, even if it's late as heck.
Rani accusing me of cheating while she was the one two-timing? Classic "thief shouting thief" vibes. Like that friend who says they're broke when they've got cash in their wallet but still mooch off you for a smoke. What even is that logic?
Anyway, things started making sense. Like why Rani didn't flip out when Santi kissed me that time. If she truly cared, she'd have shown up and raised hell. Turns out, I just wasn't that important to her. But hey, it's all water under the bridge now. Time to move on—plenty of fish in the sea, right?
***
The next few days, I was busy with paperwork. Stuff like getting my diploma and filling out registration forms for SMA. A lot of my friends were opting for vocational schools because they wanted to get straight to work. Me? I was gunning for SMA because I had plans to go to college someday—chasing after my older sister, who was already studying in Bandung.
One day, while sorting out the admin stuff, I ran into some classmates who were also busy with their high school or vocational school applications. A few of them invited me to hang out, but I passed. I was focused on prepping for SMA Dua's entrance test, which was coming up.
In the middle of all that, I spotted a familiar face—Santi's older brother! I remembered him from last semester when he came to pick up her report card. Should I ask about Santi? Before I could make up my mind, he was already out of sight.
"Damn, why didn't I just ask?" I mentally kicked myself. I'd just let a golden opportunity slip through my fingers. Now, I'd lost my chance to find out where Santi was. That mix of curiosity and regret hit me hard. Maybe that moment could've been the key to the answers I'd been searching for all this time. But it was too late now. Maybe Santi and I weren't meant to be after all.
***
The big day finally came. There I was, standing in the courtyard of SMA Dua, the school I'd chosen to take my next step forward. The morning air was crisp, mingling with the buzz of new students and their parents. Here, the admission process was different from the old-school
Once I wrapped up all the registration admin, it was just a waiting game until test day. Turns out, my dad ran into an old friend at the school, so I had a little free time to wander. My eyes landed on this huge announcement board listing the names of all the prospective students. Naturally, I went to check it out, curious to see who else had signed up.
As I scanned the list, I spotted a few familiar names. Not many of my middle school friends had applied here, though. But you know what? Seeing Febi's name on the list gave me a small boost of confidence. Febi, a friend I'd gotten to know during our middle school farewell event, had also chosen SMA Dua. At least I wouldn't be completely alone in this new environment.
And then, something else sealed the deal that I'd made the right choice coming here. While taking in the vibe of the school, I couldn't help but notice… the girls at SMA Dua? Absolute stunners. No kidding—this school definitely had its charms, and that was one of them.
Fast forward past the test day (which was fine but not worth diving into), I passed, and now all I had to do was brace myself for
The first day of MOS came and went, and man, it was a snooze-fest. Introductions, weird tasks, endless speeches from seniors—it was all enough to make me nod off. By the end of it, I was itching to shake off the boredom. That's when it hit me: why not catch up with my old middle school crew? The idea popped out of nowhere, and before I knew it, I was texting my partner in crime, Angga.
"Let's hang out, invite the class," I said over the phone to Angga. After some diplomatic-style negotiations (which was just casual chit-chat), we settled on the plan. Angga's job was to send SMS to all the girls in our middle school class first. Meanwhile, I'd do my usual task of picking up the guys from the hangout spot while searching for a spot to chill later.
Just as I was about to fire up my motorbike and head out, my eyes landed on a girl waiting for an angkot in front of the school gate. I took a closer look, and sure enough, it was Febi. She looked alone, standing there waiting in this quiet hour.