《How to Befriend the So Called Classmate》
Prolog?Babylonian Kingdom Pt.1
WARNING: In the spoiler are words or phrase''s meaning.
t.n. : I added a lot of notes and some chara''s introduction.
Only First Prolog and Epilog have this kind of chat-like template.
Second Prolog and Epilog are from third p.o.v while the rest are in first p.o.v.
The group name ''10-5'' has been changed into ''We are Babylonian all'' by RiskiSSSSSS.
RiskiSSSSSS:
Woy! The one who had our class joined cm, who tf is it!
Woy?Similar to ''hey.''
CM?Classmeeting, a festival that is held after the exam each semester (6 month in Indonesia).
Come out!
Why
Just why!!! Why our class named BABYLONIAN ANJIRRR
(Anjing) Anjir?Or njir, means ''dog,'' a cursing word to express any kind of emotion like ''fuck'' I guess. Whether it is anger, frustration, excitement, confusion, anything.
i am beni:
Wakakakakakakakwe''re babylonian, bro
Wakaka?Or wkwkwk, sounds of someone''s laughter, imitating duck''s sound which is annoying. Sometimes it is used to mock others like here.
Mirna Safitri:
Anjir babylonian LOL
Lindaaa:
Shit, that makes me remember Bu Idin
(Ibu) Bu?Means ''Mrs.'' refer to an older woman.
t.n. Bu Idin is their Indonesian Language and homeroom teacher, yes, she taught about Babylonian Empire too, not the history but something more memorable. What a shame I forgot to add this tiny bit of story in the novel, maybe I''ll make one here later on.
Cintya V:
Pls what''s with this alainame
Alai?Stand for Alahan dari lebai, means too much or overrate or overpraise or whatever with prefix over-
Andini Tasya:
What if Bu Idin did it but had no idea what name was better and smh remember her own teaching about Babylonian and picked it up and the end JUST WHAT IF WKWKWKWK
metA:
Silly Andin LMAO
Andin?Or Din, Andini Tasya''s short name.
RiskiSSSSSS:
It''s so damn embarrassing to be laughed at by others, they said our class name is as arrogant as a pig :(
(Songong kek babi) As arrogant as a pig?Awordplay. The original phrase issongong kek tai or ''as arrogant as shit'' but their class name is Babylonian?no, but Babiloniaand has ''babi'' in it which means ''pig.''
i am beni:
Lahthat''s true tho? wkwkwk
Lah?In the front of a sentence used to express confusion, ''lah'' after verb (E.g. oke lah?okay, sadar lah?realize, jelas lah?clear) is used to make it sound stronger, ''lah'' at the end of a sentence (E.g. serah lu lah?up to you, biar bahagia lah?so that I''m happy, suka-suka gua lah?I do what I want) is used to express annoyance and you''re not really willing to talk more.
The group name ''We are Babylonian all'' has been changed into ''We are Babylonian? Truly?'' by Pandu Winata.
Pandu Winata:
Seriously?
Daniel J. :
Sorry, I ran out of ideas, I happened seeing Bu Idin passed by that I remembered Babylonian
Rather than wasting my time dwelling, I just used that instead
Just Lisa:
Dan, I don''t get what your brain is made of
Dan?Or Dani, Daniel Juanda''s short name.
(Gue gak paham isi otak lu itu gimana) I don''t get what your brain is made of?Not literal meaning but to express her sarcasm for "How come you use such a brainless name."
BastttAz:
Bgsdthat cracks me up
(Bangsat) Bgsd?Or bgst, a cursing word. Similar to ''scoundrel'' or ''bastard.''
Pandu Winata:
I thought the one you love the most is Pa Muhsin, Dan. I just know now the one you love the most instead is Bu Idin
(Bapak) Pa?Or Pak, means ''Mr.'' refer to an older man.
t.n. Pa Muhsin is their chemistry teacher with a soft voice that makes them feel sleepy with only one exception, that is Dani. That''s why he jokingly said Dani loves Pa Muhsin the most.
RiskiSSSSSS:
SHIT IS SHIT FOR SURE
(Tai emang tai deh ya) Shit is shit for sure?Acursing phrase, is used when you are annoyed others ignore you deliberately.
Andini Tasya:
Lis, Dani''s brain is made of memories of Ianshhh
Lis?Lisa''s short name.
(Isi otak Dani kan Ian semua) Dani''s brain is made of memories of Ian?She totally didn''t get Lisa''s sarcasm and replied it literally. Ian was suddenly mentioned because both Dani and Ian are rumored as a gay pair.
Shh?Shushing sound.
DAMN I AM SO CHEAP ANJIR WKWKWKWK
(Receh) Cheap?Means easily entertained or laugh because of random or weird jokes.
i am beni:
Woy Du, let him be with Bu Idin
Du?Pandu Winata''s short name.
If he were with Ian, he would be hibernating in the sea of deep wounds
(Terlelap dalam lautan luka dalam) He would be hibernating in the sea of deep wounds?Lyrics from the song ''Butiran Debu.''
PRendi:
Just now I googled, it turns out Babylonian girls are okay, pass pass!
t.n. You know, Rendi is your typical horny boy.
i am beni:
I''ll be lost and can''t find my way homeee
We are all babyloniaaaan
t.n. Once more, it''s lyrics from ''Butiran Debu.''
yusufmansyur:
Damn wjwjwj
Horny in next room Ren, not here
Ren?Pamungkas Rendi''s short name.
Lindaaa:
I am so cheap I swear WKWKWKWKWK
RiskiSSSSSS:
Yall bacodI say
(Bacot) Bacod?Or bcd, means ''mouth'' literally, but mostly used as a rude calling for people who talk too much. Similar to ''loudmouthed.''
I don''t wanna play if the name weren''t changed elahh
Elah?Has no definite meaning but here is used to make him sound more like "I''m begging you."
PRendi:
Good for cleaning our eyes, Cup
Cup?or Ucup, Yusuf Mansyur''s short name.
Daniel J. :
Well, I¡¯m sorry, but you guys are at fault too. Yesterday I asked bout it yet yall only read my chat.
Feraini:
FVCK I JUST READ
RiskiSSSSSS:
How shameful njir so shameful
(Malu njir malu) How shameful njir so shameful?Literally, he''s so embarrassed by their class name that he cursed out loud.
Feraini:
I swear, Dan. You¡¯re so damn stupid wkwkwkwkwkkek
Daniel J. :
Let it go, only for this cm
i am beni:
Even if it is for the next cm, this lil bro is willing tho
(Dedek ini) This lil bro?Yes, he''s calling himself like that. That one that makes you feel more disgusted.
Mirna Safitri:
It¡¯s kinda cute now that I dwell on itIf you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
RiskiSSSSSS:
Your bald head is cute
(Ucul pala lu botak) Your bald head is cute?To express dissatisfaction or disagreement strongly. If someone said "He''s so sweet" and then you disagree, you can say "Your bald head is sweet."
Yall really willing when our futsal team plays, everyone shouts, FIGHTING PIGS! OUGHT TO PLAY THE BEST! when cheering us?
Sorry but I¡¯m not that thick skin
Mirna Safitri:
Bitch pls LMAO
yusufmansyur:
They were joking, it¡¯s just you Ki too sensitive like girls'' coming month
Ki?Or Iki, Riski''s short name.
(Cewe datang bulan) Girls'' coming month?Girls are on their period.
RiskiSSSSSS:
Cuih
Cuih?Spitting sound.
Iq has changed the group icon.
Marselalex:
Fuck you Iqbal, we both have no problem so please don¡¯t look for problems
RiskiSSSSSS:
YOU, AN OLYMPIAD KID! WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PAIN IN MY CHEST
t.n. Ucup is a part of the science olympiad club. So, yes, he''s an olympiad kid.
i am beni:
WAHWAH PHOTO FROM WHEN IS IT O MS. QUEEN
Wah?To exclaim amazement, similar to ''wow.''
Marselalex has removed Iq from the group.
yusufmansyur:
Eh you also have no idea how much it hurts when I memorized formulas, yet it''s wasted in the competition bc what''s out is a different topic
RiskiSSSSSS:
I KNOW WHEN IS IT CMERE BEN LET''S DISCUSS IT TOGETHER
Elisabeth A. :
That means you¡¯re stupid, Cup
Marselalex has changed the group icon.
RiskiSSSSSS:
You¡¯re a dead meat, Cup. Eli is here
PRendi:
Cmere come closer, let¡¯s find out together
Marselalex:
The three of you, don''t stop bacot so that I can kick you out like someone
Sela is urging Iki, Beni and Rendi to talk more so she has justification to kick them out of the group like Iqbal.
i am beni:
.....
PRendi:
Eh my mom called me, wait a sec
RiskiSSSSSS:
Better to ask Tian, the source itself, I will not interfere
t.n. Yes. Beni is silent, Rendi lies and runs away, while Iki throws the bullet to Tian.
Marselalex:
Tian shut up
BastttAz:
...
Andini Tasya:
OHH THAT¡¯S WHEN WE WERE AT THE TOP TWO WEEKS AGO, RIGHT SEL? THE ONE WHEN YOU FORGOT UGHH IT¡¯S BETTER NOT TO SAY
t.n. She''s slow-witted like Iki.
Marselalex has removed Andini Tasya from the group.
RiskiSSSSSS:
WAHHH ANDIN YOU¡¯RE MY MUSE
PRendi:
Anjir why the remove, Andin isn¡¯t finished talking yet
RiskiSSSSSS:
...
Yah it''s deleted
Yah?Expression used for showing sadness, sometimes eagerness (E.g. Lemme join, kay? Yah? Yah?), similar to ''well.''
Marselalex:
Anyone else?
i am beni:
Be careful you guys cursed by Malin Kundang
Malin Kundang?Character from folklore ''Malin Kundang'' about him cursed into stone by his own mother because he was ashamed of his mother''s existence and won''t admit he is her son.
t.n. He explicitly said that Sela''s anger is as frightening as Malin Kundang''s mother so they should be careful.
yusufmansyur:
El,our brain capacity from the factory itself is totally different :¡¯)
El?Or Eli, Elisabeth Angela''s short name.
RiskiSSSSSS:
I''m too curious that I feel insomniac, what bout watching movies
t.n. Iki is curious about the story about the photo posted by Iqbal (Iq). Because no one tells him about it, he will dwell on it so much that he cannot sleep, so yeah, insomniac.
I tell you, he''s so slow-witted.
Yes or no, Ren?
i am beni:
Nonono, I mean Malin Kundang¡¯s mommy
PRendi:
Wait a sec, Ki. My mom called again
RiskiSSSSSS:
Eh answer me first, you still have some shows, right Ren?
PRendi:
Ofc
Daniel J. has invited Andini Tasya and Iq to join the group.
RiskiSSSSSS:
Is there some French one? I wanna watch while eating some baguette given by next door
t.n. Baguette is French bread, he asked for a French movie to make him feel like in France itself. What a brain he has.
Daniel J. :
Sel, selo. They¡¯re just joking, don¡¯t be so emotional
Selo?Or selow or woles, from ''slow'' means take it easy.
t.n. Dani is not Dani if he didn''t poke his nose everywhere.
Iq has joined the group.
Elisabeth A. :
You have no better name, Dan? Babel or atom
Or quantum whatsoever
t.n. She''s not really asking for a better name, she''s just being sarcastic.
That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you¡¯re stupid, Cup
PRendi:
Cmere to my place
Daniel J. :
I¡¯ve run out of ideas, what can I do, El?
t.n. Dani knows Eli is being sarcastic.
i am beni:
WKWKWKWKW UCUP STUPID
RiskiSSSSSS:
Lah didn¡¯t you say you were called by your mom wth
t.n. Yes, Iki thinks Rendi is really called by his mom.
YOU JUST KNEW THAT UCUP IS STUPID?
i am beni:
IDIOT
IDIO
IDI
ID
Marselalex:
a bcd
RiskiSSSSSS:
I
t.n. He continued Beni''s because Beni is silent after Sela came out.
Iq:
Mm, should I introduce myself first?
t.n. When someone is new in a group chat, usually they introduce themselves.
yusufmansyur:
You¡¯re both idiots, pigs
PRendi:
Oh yeah, I forgot my mom just called earlier
t.n. He''s too lazy to explain it to Iki.
Daniel J. :
Just you all, why are you all talking about other people¡¯s life? You all have your own life.
t.n. Can you relate when you write a long chat and it fails but you forget to check it because you reply to others and it is finally sent when the topic itself is far up away.
i am beni:
Dan, we have changed the topic already?
BastttAz:
Sel lemme pick you up, to Wendis
Wendis?Wendy''s, a fast food restaurant. Indonesian people usually like to write words as how they are spelled (E.g. Gugel?google, mekdi?McDonald, kaepce?KFC, watsap?WhatsApp).
Pandu Winata:
Dan, check your pc
Pc?Personal chat.
Iq:
You¡¯re quarantined yet you¡¯re still wandering around, Yan. If Bu Idin found out, you''ll be slid to death
Yan?Or Tian, Bastian Azriel''s short name.
(Mampus lu disleding) You''ll be slid to death?Literal meaning is you''ll fall and injured because someone tackle your leg but it''s a expression similar to ''beaten to a pulp.''
t.n. Tian is quarantined for a physics competition.
Andini Tasya has joined the group.
Andini Tasya:
WAH SO CRUEL I WAS KICKED OUT
RiskiSSSSSS:
Yauda si, we¡¯re idiots together then
(Ya udah sih) Yauda si?To express that you yield and let others do whatever they want.
t.n. He has no idea why Ucup is angry after him and Beni tease Ucup, so he kindly appeases Ucup.
Eh anyone has a hugging teletubbies sticker?
Lindaaa:
The sticker has been sent.
RiskiSSSSSS:
There it is
BastttAz:
I¡¯m not you, skipping class but get caught right away
RiskiSSSSSS:
That¡¯s the first time I found out that there are people who have no talent skipping school
i am beni:
There was an idiot who wanted to skip class in the middle of Pa Budi¡¯s lesson
t.n. Pa Budi is their math teacher, strict and likes to give them homework as many as he can.
I feel stupid
Iq:
THAT WAS ONLY ONCE ALSO IT WASNOT INTENTIONAL AT ALL ANJIR
Lindaaa:
That¡¯s because you skipped only once moron
RiskiSSSSSS:
That¡¯s right, Linda said the truth here
Iq:
Whatever lah, I¡¯m tired.
The group name ''We are Babylonian? Truly?'' has been changed into ''Babylonian Kingdom'' by i am beni.
T.N.Supposedly, it is Babylonian Empire, well yeah, there are some loose screws in their head so...
Too many explanations tbh but I can''t help it, the kids in this class have distinct character, temperament, nature, personality or whatever you call it. So I need to explain why this person said this, why that person said that and so on. For example, Beni is easygoing yet cautious. He knows when to push through and when to step back, later in the future he will mostly be the one who induces a lot of quarrels in the class.
I used many original words, mostly profanity. Because many have ambiguous meaning and I don''t find the right word for it, so yeah. But the real reason is surely because it just sounds too rigid?we can''t distinguish their personality with their chatlog while the original itself can let us know?I''m not lying. For example, the word ''moron'' or anything used for insulting someone who is stupid, in original are begoand when alphabet ''K'' is added at the end ''begok,'' it suddenly sounds more harsher and unpleasant like ''retarded.'' You can already see two different kinds of people there, outspoken people who still have their bottom line and who have no more bottom line left. Moreover, bahasa gaulor Indonesian slang has its own place and source. Let say, anjir which is used widely by kids to adults, it has many variations such as anying(mostly used by Sundanese),anju(mostly used in Jakarta),anjay(used in many social media platform, Twitter, YouTube, so on),njir (used in Kalimantan),anjas, anjrit?wait... Why do I suddenly open a language class?
Anyway, let''s wrap it up.
My love from Pluto,
aoillies.
Prolog?Somewhere in Somewhat Tiring Day Pt. 1
"What¡ªI can¡¯t hear you."
Nina tapped the loudspeaker button then threw the phone to the bed. She set her eyes on a few sets of clothes hanging in the closet.
"I said, two days ago, Rio came back here, to Indonesia."
Nina, who watched herself in the mirror fitting a light brown dress, saw her smiling face immediately changed to a frown when she heard Fera.
"What the fuck you mean by that?"
"I have none, just in case you wanna know but too shy to ask? I am invited to his comeback party, so yeah, why not tell a tiny bit of news¡"
She threw the cloth in her hands onto the bed, then mindlessly emptied the closet.
It seemed like she had no mood to go to the school tonight.
"What do you want me to do, Pei?"
Fera was silent for a moment and she was happy keeping her mouth shut too.
"At least you guys talk first what the problem is¡ª"
She cut her off, her patience almost ran out.
"I have nothing to say. When we break up, then it¡¯s over. No such thing as a second chance."
Fera sighed. "So, you''re not coming the day after tomorrow?"
She expressionlessly stared at the clothes in her closet. She was truly no longer interested in leaving the house anytime soon.
She just closed the closet and took the phone on the bed.
"If the earth were a square, I would consider it."
Without hearing the response, she immediately cut off the call.
Then threw her body on the bed while opening the class group chat, to be more precise, reading the document that Daniel sent to the class group chat.
"Classmeeting...."
She mumbled out loud looking at the types of competitions that would be held during Classmeeting at the end of this year.
"There¡¯ll be short film''s too."
A chat notification appeared at the top of the screen, it was Bastian.
''See you at school next Monday.''
She was stiff all over and didn''t immediately open the chat room, only after Bastian sent a new chat that she came to her senses.
''Congratulation! You''ve managed to become the class treasurer for the next semester.''
She scowled at the fact that she was forced to become the treasurer by her classmates.
The reason was annoyingly because of Bastian, because he was the class president but always disappeared when he was needed.
So, the election for class administrators was held even before the new semester started. Not even the final exams have started yet, the election for class administrators has already been chosen.
In fact, the current semester class administrators, whose working time had not yet been completed, instead chose to disband and handed over their responsibilities to the new class administrators.
''What is it you want, I forgot.''
Seeing another new chat coming in, she impulsively called him to complain, which he picked up not even the third ring rang.
There was a loud laugh from the phone.
"Sorry, I really forgot. I mean it. I¡¯ll go right now to buy it so what is it you want?"
Strangely, when she heard his voice, which was a combination of annoying, disgusting, calming and reliable, she stopped her previous intention and instead vented about something else.
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"Pei said Rio returned to Indonesia yesterday." She said, not even caring to answer his question first, "I am invited to his comeback party the day after tomorrow."
After she spoke, both of them fell silent.
It took a few minutes before he finally opened his mouth.
"You wanna go there?"
She played the sleeves of some random dresses lying messily on the bed while her other hand tightly held the phone to her ear. Suddenly everything seemed too annoying.
"I..." She let out a deep sigh. "I don''t know. I know I don''t like him that much, it''s just that I''m used to it. It feels weird."
"Nina." He called her seriously. "Do you know why I''m on your side when you two fought even though I''ve been friends with him since he was a silly child while the two of us have been friends only for like... two years?"
She scowled in disgust.
"If I''m not mistaken, that¡¯s when you were in your worst bucin period."
(Budak cinta) Bucin¡ªMeans someone who is so blind in love and does/grants everything their partner want him/her to.
"Nah. It had nothing to do with Sela, okay? Only¡ it was Rio who is like an ignorant pig."
"Are you sure that your fight with him had nothing to do with Sela?" she voiced her doubt which was immediately denied by him.
"No, no, that''s a personal problem between me and Rio. Anyway, at that time I realized that our thoughts were not in line, so we stopped being friends."
"That bad?"
He laughed out of embarrassment.
"Honestly, yes, that bad. I was like taking the wrong step by befriending him, like I regret it a lot wasting my time on him."
"You know what, you talk as if you were the one who dated him, not me."
"You know what," he followed her way of talking, "You talk too much as if it''s only me who talked to you."
She fell silent, unable to refute his words.
"I know you so well that when Rio told me that you didn''t talk much when you were with him, I thought ''ah this kid is still awkward with Rio.'' I kept thinking, why the hell you accept him as your boyfriend if you were still awkward?"
"Ugh," she groaned. She didn''t want to answer at all. She sat and leaned against the wall, not forgetting to tuck a pillow between his chest and thighs.
"No need to answer, I never asked because I know why."
She snorted in disbelief. "You know? Everything?"
"How do I know, you always talk half-heartedly. But what I know for sure is that you are now close to Ian, the reason is the same as when you were with Rio."
She opened her mouth to argue but no words came out.
"I''ve only been quarantined for three months, you''ve already moved on to another guy."
"Watch your words. I don''t want Sela yelling PHO to me," said Nina, irked.
(Perusak hubungan orang) PHO¡ªMeans someone who steals someone¡¯s partner and mostly to make them break up. Many likes to destroy relationships. it''s somehow like hobby for them.
She was tired sitting so she laid down, not forgetting to throw the pillow just anywhere.
"Shut it, my ear is getting hot listening to you talking nonsense."
"You were the first to talk nonsense. What is it you want? Quick, before I change my mind."
"Tsk," she clicked her tongue, "Thomas Harris'' novel, titled The Silence of the Lambs."
"Novel again?"
They debated for a while because of it before finally ending the call.
She didn''t move from her position and stared blankly at the ceiling. Her focus was shattered once more when her phone rang again.
Reluctantly, she took her phone out only to find a new chat from an unknown number, which destroyed her already low-mood that had barely improved after talking to Bastian.
''Nina you¡¯re not coming to the school?''
Without thinking, she just knew who the sender was. Made her throw her phone again and covered her face with a pillow.
1. Happi-weird-ness (1)
PART I - LUMINIFEROUS AETHER
My life was happy.
There were no complicated and annoying problems that I had to solve other than math''s missing X''s problems.
Yup, I''m serious. My life was happy. If I were to explain how happy I am, there was this ''weird'' word in the middle of the word ''happiness'' itself.
So¡ Happi-weird-ness.
(Baha-gaje-gia) Happi-weird-ness¡ªFrom two words bahagia which means ''happy'' and (gak jelas) gaje which means ''not clear'' or ''weird'' or ''vague'' ... so on. To explain she is happy yet there is this vague feeling of an unknown that is burdensome.
At first, I was happy like those common people generally, I didn''t know why it changed into happi-weird-ness since I entered Senior High School.
Dealing with useless-cum-annoying stuffs drained my soul that sometimes made me wonder whether this was a school or a zoo.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
I didn''t even think the animals in the zoo were as wild as the kids in my class.
Trust me, making friends with those whom¡ªunacceptably¡ªI call classmates was very tiring. If other students came back home exhausted from studying, I was exhausted because they dragged me along to anywhere which were said to make good memories in high school.
I almost laughed out loud if I were not on the edge of the basketball court where there were already a lot of people because I came late.
Thinking the ridiculous events that appeared one after another without stopping made me a little crazy.
Had an error brain circuit like my classmates too.
I fanned my sweaty face, even though I hadn''t even arrived at class. I took shelter under a tree¡ªwhich I had no idea what it was called¡ªwhen the sun came out again from behind the clouds, gazing at the court that sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight.
Ah.
That just made me want to not attend the class, which had to cross the unbelievably hot court. After a hard debate between skipping the first subject or not, the cool image of being in UKS made me stop thinking unnecessary thoughts, I immediately chose to skip class.
When the sun was hiding behind the clouds again, I, without hesitation went inside the UKS and immediately laid down on the bed after asking permission from the caretaker.
The UKS was cold. Me, who was lying down was lulled to sleep and in the end I actually fell asleep.
2. Happi-weird-ness (2)
When I woke up, it was almost break time.
So, I was freaked out. It was Pak Budi¡¯s lesson that I missed right now.
Damn, my homework would surely double itself if I was caught skipping class.
Whatever, dammit.
I was walking sluggishly to class. I felt sick in real time that I didn¡¯t realize so many eyes were following me. Some peeking, while some blatantly observing with a smirk which I had no idea the meaning was.
Oh, they were murmuring too, aloud, to be honest.
So I straightened my sluggish body and walked like a proud peacock, I mean, they already thought that I was like a circus monkey.
Why not be a proud peacock instead? Proudly saying, ¡°Yes, I was skipping, so?¡±
"Nina? You¡¯ve just arrived, huh?"
The voice whose owner made me avoid him like a plague suddenly appeared, for I walked away faster immediately wishing he would not catch up.
If people were asking, ¡°Nin, why¡¯re you so silent when others try to talk to you?¡±
Well, it¡¯s because¡
Tried to imagine first so that I could explain easier. If you¡¯re actually not that pretty like those supermodels but you¡¯re admired as if you were one, what¡¯d you think?
Sounds fun, right?
That¡¯s also what I used to think when I first entered high school, imagining love letters piled in my desk drawers, adorable secret fans and getting lots of chocolates and flowers on Valentine''s Day.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
It felt so excitingly dag-dig-dug¡ªthat¡¯s how you imagine how it felt, right?
Dag-dig-dug¡ªThe sound of a heartbeat, just say it felt so damn exciting?
What about the actual one? Ha. Ha. Ha.
Ha. Ha. Ha.¡ªA laugh you make with no emotion nor joy. A sarcastic laugh.
Secret admirer? Eh Mawar, that was just a softer term for stalkers.
Mawar¡ªMeans ''rose,'' not as a flower but as a name which is her way to insult someone else (E.g. Bambang, Marni, Marina, Udin ... so on).
S-T-A-L-K-E-R. Got it?
Think about it, I had to change my number countless times that I was sick of it just because there were too many love messages from unknown numbers.
Changing numbers, receiving love messages, changing numbers again, receiving love messages again.
It was like a damn circle.
There was one time when I was so fed up with this certain stalker because he took my pictures illegally. I struck him by pretending to be a life insurance seller and found out it was Jordan. A student from 11.3 who every morning screamed that he¡¯s going to make me like him.
Urghh.
That truly blew my mind away, I mean, he was looking so normal¡ªmaybe with some loose screws in his brain, but yeah, pretty normal if we compared him with my totally brainless classmate.
Anyway, he one-sidedly fell in love with me at first sight, which aroused my pity for him because he could not even hide it. The strange thing was, even though I pitied him, I felt uncomfortable near him.
So, there were reasons!
"Why won''t you talk to me, Nina?" Jordan tried to match his pace with me.
If, just what if... he liked me a little bit normal like, well someone, I thought that we could be friends though. I mean, he was polite to the point it was uncomfortable and from the way he messaged me, I was sure he was possessive as hell.
t.n. In orig, Jordan talks politely (''aku-kamu'' not ''gue-elu'') ''I-you'' only to Nina which is how couples talk to each other or when you court your crush.
Nah, nevermind. I will not befriend someone like him.
3. Happi-weird-ness (3)
"Is it heavy? How about me carrying your bag?"
Jordan got closer to my side, his friends who were watching us not far behind¡ªthey never got tired watching Jordan who always failed to woo me¡ª whistled loudly out of nowhere.
Actually, yeah, I didn''t really that care if he liked me. Other guys often said that Jordan was miserable because of his one-sided love. But you guys, mere viewers, have you ever thought about how uncomfortable it would be for me to be forced to accept something I don''t like?
Fine, it was his right to express his love for me. But I, too, had the right to accept or not to like him¡ªlooked at this cowok mawar. I, who had been silent and only cursed out in my mind, immediately pushed Jordan''s hand away when he suddenly grabbed the bag on my back.
Cowok mawar¡ªMeans ''guy'' and ''rose.'' Remember, she used mawar to curse at people. But it can also mean a guy who acts like girls do, depending on the context.
I walked faster than ever, leaving him behind.
There was a roar of laughter along with Jordan''s shouts, which made the corridors immediately feel so crowded.
"I''LL MAKE SURE YOU WILL NEVER IGNORE ME AGAIN! SOON, YOU WILL LIKE ME!"
I, who walked away faster than ever, suddenly heard Pak Budi''s voice.
"Who''s dating in the corridor this early in the morning? What a fuss."
After that, Jordan''s friends were yelling out my and Jordan''s names, which made Pak Budi shout our names both.
"WHERE ARE NINA AND JORDAN? COME HERE MEET ME. LET''S TALK ABOUT YOUR MATH''S PROGRESS AND DISCUSS WHETHER YOU CAN CONTINUE YOUR PUPPY LOVE OR NOT."
I pretended as if the one Pak Budi called wasn''t me and disappeared at the end of the corridor with a fast walk that was almost like running before entering class 11.5 with my contorted face.
Unfortunately, I was greeted by Linda''s scream that was as loud as the speaker in the hall.
"Goodness! Nina!" She patted her chest with a kicep face. "When you enter the class, don''t make that horrible face, kay? Scared me out of my wits."
Kicep¡ªMeans so scared or shocked that you are left speechless. But if it were said as ''face expression'' then it changes a bit to ''continuously open-close your mouth because you are unable to say a word.''
"Go ngebacot in the canteen!" Eli was furious because of Linda''s voice which shocked her.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Ngebacot¡ªVerb form of bacot, means making noises or yelling nonsense or similar.
t.n. I am conflicted whether using orig. or translation but... the translation sounds too ... serene and she is cursing out loud.
Linda didn''t care, she peeped out of the classroom instead and pulled me to my seat with a benign and modest look.
(Baik hati dan tidak sombong) Benign and modest¡ªIt is a common saying used by people who are asked to describe themselves when nothing pops up in their head. Other variation sometimes adds (suka menolong dan rajin menabung) likes to help and diligently saves money.
"C''mere, c''mere. Tell the truth to this big sis. Why did you skip the class?"
Here comes the shitty show.
"Could it be that my one and only lil sis already knows what is backstreet? Tell this big sis, who are you skipping with?"
Backstreet¡ªA term used for someone in a hidden relationship, they date but won''t admit to their surroundings they do. Mostly used by students in schools which prohibit dating.
I didn''t respond.
Other girls just looked at the two of us with curious eyes with no intention to help me keep this mawar away.
Linda questioned me again and again while I tried to patiently focus on my bag, which was full of various kinds of books.
"Hello? My lil sis, Nina, can you hear this big sis?"
I looked away when she placed her hand near her ear and made a gesture of a phone call. I didn''t react, instead, I mumbled the math formula that I had memorized.
The thing was that... everything about Pak Budi had a reverse effect that made anyone reluctant to come closer. This was my favorite amulet.
Because of my murmur, she thought I was answering her so she put her ear to my face. But when she heard what was out of my mouth, yes, math formula, she immediately stood up and jeered out.
"Do you know dogs, Nin?" She pointed out the window. "There''s a lot of stray dogs out there, shouting ''bitch bitch bitch'' out loud when they meet people."
Even the boys in the class, who didn''t care before, joined in. Which I knew they were watching whatever it was I didn''t care, idiots.
"Weh! When you curse, don''t bring the dogs out, Lin. Iki''s dog is cute and doesn''t bark ''bitch.'' Don''t insult ''em, those lovely creatures."
Weh¡ªBooing sound to voice out his dissatisfaction.
t.n. Iki is how their class call Riski, similar to Yusuf changes into Ucup.
"I don''t have a dog, you dumbass!" Riski got mad, didn''t forget to hit Beni''s head too. What a shame that Beni dodged it skillfully, then spoke once more with a shocked face.
"Lah whose dog which your sister played with yesterday?"
Rendi also chimed in. "I saw your sister''s story, so many photos with a Chihuahua, it''s so cute wearing a batman costume too."
"I have friends. What a pity, they are all idiots," Riski recited with a tone full of compassion. "That''s my sister''s pet, an imported cat from Egypt. What''s the name? You know, that cat statue one, I don''t remember."
Beni and Rendi were too shocked to realize the fact that Riski scorned them.
"Truly, is that really a cat?"
"Looks like a dog anjir!"
Ucup, who was still focusing his eyes on the laptop, commented, "It''s just that you all are blind and need your eyes changed to a new one. Chihuahuas and Sphinxes are totally different."
"Well, yeah, That is it. How do you know about it, Cup?"
"My uncle opened a petshop."
"That''s good, I can do a checkup there, is it far from my house?"
After that, they instead discussed the types of cats and dogs, abandoning their running movie in the laptop.
4. Bloody Tutorial (1)
"Gaes! Gaes! Come and join my tutorial cum review today!"
Gaes¡ªFrom ''guys,'' mostly used by Twitter''s users and now Tiktok''s too.
Not even a minute after the bell rang, the class was already in chaos. The loudest one, Cintya, invited the others to join her tutorial. I didn''t even need to cast a glance to know that those girls surrounded her table and made a fuss.
If she invited them to do a tutorial, it meant she recently bought a new make-up tool to be uploaded to her YouTube channel, while other guys in the class would sometimes appear in the video to make it more lively. I didn¡¯t know whether Cintya was as patient and humble as a monk or their shamelessness as wide and deep as the Pacific Ocean.
"What did you buy, Sin?" Meta asked, she was sitting next to Cintya.
Putri, Linda, Mirna, and Lisa should have gathered at their table too. As usual, messed Cintya''s makeup tools up.
"This one is the newly released mascara by mekover, really good I tell you. I used it yesterday. Try it."
Mekover¡ªIt''s Make Over, all.
"Waterproof, huh?"
"Why is it so watery?"
"That¡¯s why it¡¯s good, it won''t clump on the eyelashes."
Listening to them, somehow my eyelashes felt a bit itchy. I had no idea why.
"Eh, where''s your liptint?" Linda took all the stuff out of Cintya''s pouch.
While Cintya was still applying the eyeliner on in front of the recording video, she merely gave a short response, "Find it then."
It''s not me that paid attention to them doing their make-up¡ªplease, I''m not that free. It was just, coincidentally, Iko sitting at the table behind me, calling me out.
"Eh, you''re the treasurer, Nin?"
I just showed a face that said ¡°I don''t care if I''m really the treasurer or not¡± all over it. And Iko scratched the side of his forehead which I was sure wasn''t itchy. "Yaelah, Nin. Selow, I merely ask."
My stoic face was back. At the time I turned my head to the door, I saw Iqbal who entered the classroom screaming out loud. That guy¡¯s timing to return to class was just right, surely right after the second break time bell rang. When I arrived at the first break time, that guy also disappeared when the first break time was about to end. I suspected that he joined the classmeeting''s technical guidance just to skip classes.
t.n. If you were confused, let me explain. So, Nina came on the first break, there was still Iqbal in the class. And when the first break was about to end, Iqbal went out the class (the reason is to join the classmeeting''s technical guidance). Class started again and now, the second break time, Iqbal came in again right on time while the others with same reason were already in the class before the second break.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Woi! Woi! Woi! Big news!"
Why the hell, every time he comes in, he shouted. I mean, could he just selow even a bit?
"Fuck! It spilled down!" Lisa yelled and cursed Iqbal out loud, "You! It spilled on my skirt because of you! Fuck!"
"The skirt is getting red!" Linda panicked and yelled too.
"Aduh, you guys, don''t be too loud, let me review first!"
Aduh¡ªSimilar to OMG but with way more exaggerated gesture.
I hadn''t seen them, so I didn''t know how big the fuss was over there.
"It¡¯s your fault, Bal!" Lisa yelled again, not caring about Cintya who already rebuked her.
I felt bad that her video was so messed up. Well, the truth was¡ that was the risk she had to take if she involved these hillbillies. I, too, had experienced it when I was shooting a short film last year. I felt like¡ aging ten years older after that shooting.
In front of me, in front of the blackboard, Iqbal just shook his head with a hurt face. "You did it yourself, still I''m the one who got the blame. What a girl."
(Cewek memang) What a girl¡ªA saying used to generalize one thing a girl did as if every girl does the same.
t.n. Here, Iqbal said that every girl always blames others for things that actually are their own fault.
Because of his comment, Lisa was fuming with anger.
Suddenly Iqbal and Lisa started playing chase and catch in the classroom. The others cheered, making things more heated. Even Cintya stopped her tutorial, instead, recorded their chase and catch on camera while laughing out loud. Forgot that the liptint they wasted was hers.
Indeed, what an idiot.
To make it more and more heated, I even heard Putri blabbing about the news of Lisa confessed and was rejected by Ketos, and reached Ketos'' ex''s ears, all of it because of Iqbal.
(Ketua OSIS) Ketos¡ªMeans Student Council President. It''s too long so I simply use Ketos.
I still remember it vividly, an incident that anyone in the school would never forget. You could imagine it simply like the fight scenes in those sinetrons that Mbak Siti liked to watch, they grabbed and pulled each other''s hair as if whoever won could get Ketos.
Sinetron¡ªIndonesian TV series.
Mbak¡ªMeans ''older sister'' but not really to call a woman who is older than the caller. Calling someone by their name (front name or short name) is weird if you were not their family or friend. Like, someone you know but not close enough to be counted as friends. They prefer use titles like mbak/mba/embak/mbakyu or teh/teteh or kak/kakak or mpok/empok and so on...
It turned out that Iqbal was a Caladium purebred.
(Biang keladi) A Caladium purebred¡ªMeans the source of problem, the culprit.
t.n. Actually I can easily translate that part as ''the culprit was Iqbal'' but it sounds boring. While Caladium itself many times used to describe someone with an unbridled act. (E.g. (Tua-tua keladi) ''Like an aged Caladium'' means someone who gets older yet still acts like a child/teenage. Or (Air di daun keladi) ''Water on a Caladium'' means someone who won''t listen to others'' advice.)
5. Bloody Tutorial (2)
"What are you both doing, chasing each other?" Dani asked when he entered with Ian. He blocked Iqbal so he could not run any longer. "You must be spreading all kinds of rumors again, right."
"Dan, go away. This is a matter of life and death anjir!"
But Dani didn''t move, only Ian walked out first, leaving them standing in front of my table.
"Hold him tight, Dan. Let him feel it too!" Lisa remarked while getting closer.
"Why is¡ªwhat''s wrong with your skirt, Sa?"
Lisa was already next to Iqbal, who was begging for forgiveness while pleading mercy for his own uniform.
"He did," she replied, then spilled the remaining liptint onto Iqbal''s uniform.
Because Iqbal struggled wildly to avoid it, Dani''s uniform somehow got spilled too.
"Sorry, Dan."
"Shit¡ªDon''t spill on a whim like that! It spilled onto my clothes too."
Iqbal waved his uniform, who knew maybe the color might fade away along the wind. As he found out that the color remained the same, he could only cry silently. Unfortunately, he couldn''t go away yet because Dani was still gripping the collar of the back of his uniform.
(Menangis tanpa suara) Cry silently¡ªNot literal meaning, he is so sad in agony that he forgets to produce tears while crying. Overwhelmed by sorrow or misery.
I didn''t know why, it aroused my pity seeing him look like a wet cat.
"I''m sorry, Dan. It''s Iqbal looking for trouble everywhere, look how it spilled on my skirt. What a pain in the ass," Lisa complained while patting her tainted skirt.
The stain was exactly like that stain seeped out on every girl''s skirt or pant when the coming month arrived, so that''s why Lisa was so angry. That stain surely will be misunderstood by others.
"You, three people over there, you gaes are having a bloody Halloween party?" asked Beni as he entered the classroom. He stood still behind the door and leaned against the desk, watching them seriously.
"They are sacrifices for tomorrow, Ben." Linda chimed in and laughed out of nowhere.
t.n. ''Sacrifice'' here is not that sacrifice for some kind of ritual or similar, but more like prey that will be slaughtered to be eaten. In orig. kurban is an event day for Muslim sharing meat to each other. She said they are sacrifices due to Beni commenting on their bloody look.
I didn''t know where the hilarity coming from.
Iqbal moved excessively from Dani''s grip, a good thing that he was finally released. He straightened his collar while grumbling, "I didn''t do anything wrong! You did spill it yourself."
"It''s you who came in while shouting out loud!" she retorted back.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Reluctantly, I had to agree with Lisa. If anyone entered the class, please no need to yell. Our class is only ten meters wide, not ten kilometers.
"It''s you, a sissy wimp."
"Eh why ngegas when you''re the one who is wrong here!"
Ngegas¡ªMeans raise his voice rudely, get excited and say hurtful words.
Dani massaged his already dizzy head, while Beni¡ªthe one who first played with fire, I mean, a really big fire¡ªwas gone leaving his mess behind to Dani. He''s great, I admitted it, the trick to retreat to his chair silently and safely without anyone noticing.
"Stop it, you both. I want to explain the technical guidelines for classmeeting, yet you all are like this." Dani sighed, then he started to berate them. "Just remember that you all are lucky to be able to run around like this with your friends, pick a fight like this daily. There are many people who don''t even have a single friend because they can only learn at home."
t.n. ''You all'' is not for Lisa and Iqbal only, but all of his classmates. Yes, he scolds them implicitly, that''s why no one can stand him giving a speech like this. No one ever retorted him back because he will just scold more.
(Ceramah) Berate¡ªIt should be more like inspirational speech than beratement, but yeah nevermind.
Lisa and Iqbal went silent.
They understood the consequences if they dared to interrupt Dani in his speech, especially if they retorted him back.
Once, Rendi was showered with Dani''s speech when he was watching porn, dumbly, he forgot to turn its voice down. With his style, which was like an ustad ngaji, he spent an hour explaining the length and width of how bad adultery was. This class needed Dani''s berating so that we''re no longer trapped in the dark full of blemish¡ªWhat I mean, there was no color without him around.
Ustad ngaji¡ªMeans Islamic religious teacher, specifically, the one who helps to recite the Quran.
(Panjang kali lebar) The length and width¡ªMeans explaining something in detail and thorough.
(Gak ada warnanya tanpa dia) There''s no color without him around¡ªMeans ''It''s boring without him'' or ''It''s only fun when he''s here.''
Incidentally, Pandu and Riski entered the class. The two of them also saw the red thing on their uniforms. I knew because Riski blurted out, "Too scary, you both fought till bleeding like that."
It must be Riski thought that Lisa and Iqbal were fighting each other and Dani tried to separate them. Or maybe he merely joked but his expression seemed too earnest for a mere joke. I was pretty sure that he really did think they fought until they bleed.
Meanwhile, Pandu cleverly noticed the class which was suddenly quiet after Dani''s berating. The reason why I like Pandu was, he just knew when the surroundings were too awkward before actively making it alive like usual.
"Dan, Sispala''s budget plan is altered again?"
(Siswa pecinta alam) Sispala¡ªA club for students who like to adventure to the wild.
Due to that, Dani was busy once more with Pandu discussing their club''s things, Dani dropped his mind to explain the technical guidelines for classmeeting and the class was noisy again.
Iqbal disappeared out of the classroom, wherever it was. Meanwhile, Lisa and Meta were busy asking mbah gugel how to remove liptint stains.
Mbah gugel¡ªMeans Grandpa Google. Or Google who knows everything.
Cintya also continued to make a video review that had been delayed. While myself, I decided to read a novel which I forgot to do due to Iko calling me to ask an unimportant question.
6. A Failed Combination (1)
"So the shoreline on the south coast of Java can be dangerous in these months due to the effects of tropical cyclones that¡ª"
"Excuse me, Pak!" A voice interrupted and made all eyes in the class turn for it. Even me, who was about ascending to dreamland, also cast a look.
"The class administrators are called by Bu Idin to her room."
My ears stood up in an instant when someone talked about the class administrator this or the class administrator that. For some reason, I wanted to hit and crush some tables to vent this stuffy chest.
t.n. The frustration she has because she does not really want to be a class administrator.
Pak Muhsin snorted. "The class administrators, go and quickly meet Bu Idin. Come back to class immediately after that."
I stood up along with Ian, Dani and Anisa. I frowned as I saw this combination of the four of us as class administrators. I''m serious, not lying at all, the combination of me, Anisa and the gay duo looked like a failed combination.
t.n. Gay duo is refer to Dani and Ian.
But I don''t want to bother to think further about why it is. The four of us lined up like ducklings, those country bumpkins sitting in the class looked at us with envy because we didn''t have to listen to Pak Muhsin''s class which was like lullabies.
The girl that I didn''t know where her class was who just informed us, was no longer there when we left the class. But no one asked, neither did I. I''m just a bit curious where the girl''s class is, because she looks like a junior. The most important. Out from Pak Muhsin''s class.
t.n. Bu Idin is their homeroom teacher, so she''s wondering whether Bu Idin also teaches class from lower grade not just the same grade. For information, 11-5 is the second grade of high school. So 10-N¡ªfirst grade, 11-N¡ªsecond grade, 12-N¡ªthird/last grade.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
***
Bu Idin nodded when she saw the four of us in front of her desk, I don''t know what made her so happy to see the four of us. Bu Idin handed Anisa sheets of paper, while talking¡ªor she actually lamented.
"It''s almost the end of November, soon it will be final exams and classmeeting follow after. The end of the semester like this always makes us busy with many events. Look at Bastian and Siska, how many times now they have been quarantined this year. Their time at school is too short compared to their time in quarantine, makes Ibu tired all over accompanying them to go back and forth to Tanah Abang. Fortunately, Bastian is smart, he advised Ibu to choose new class administrators. Seeing you two, Ibu feel relieved."
t.n. Teachers more often refer to themselves with ''Ibu'' (F) and ''Bapak'' (M) rather than with ''I'' but still there are some who use ''I,'' just a bit rare.
Bu Idin''s eyes, which did not move from Dani and Ian''s figures, suddenly sparkled because the lenses of her glasses were exposed to light.
So ... I was wrong.
Bu Idin was satisfied with only Ian and Dani, not them added me and Anisa along.
"What Ibu gave you just now is the Indonesian language test grid, Ibu gives them now because tomorrow Ibu has to go to Tanah Abang again to accompany Bastian and Siska to the OSN closing ceremony. You should remind your friends, don''t be so loud during Ibu''s class tomorrow.
"Then, there are also forms there for those who want to take part in the classmeeting. It''s a different form from what was given by the student council, this one is specifically for short film and English essay competitions. The file of the short film and the essay should be attached to the form before giving it to Ibu later on. Those files will be put in the school archives so if there were inter-school competitions, it can be joined in when it was suitable."
We just nodded while listening to Bu Idin continue to speak.
"Oh yeah, have you notified your friends about the technical guidelines for the classmeeting yet?"
Dani, who was with Ian participating in the technical guidance briefing, answered right away. "Not yet, Bu. I''ll explain it when the class is finished, but I already shared the document file yesterday."
"Oh, I see. That''s fine too. Don''t forget to explain and share the form later, okay?"
We merely parroted, "Okay, Bu."