Chapter 19: A Lucky Day

“I’m going to order chicken soto and iced tea. What about you, Frel?” Kevan said.

I was still smiling, my gaze fixed on his face, as if I had forgotten that he was waiting for my answer.

Looking at Kevan, who was sitting right across from me, felt like the greatest gift of the day. Only one table separated us. I enjoyed his handsomeness while feeling incredibly lucky. Until his gentle voice pulled me out of my daydream.

“Frel?” Kevan called, waving his hand in front of my face.

“Eh, y-yes, sorry,” I replied nervously. “What did you say again?” I asked with an awkward smile.

Kevan smiled calmly, then repeated his question. “What do you want to order?”

“Just meatballs. To drink, apple juice.”

“Okay. Wait a moment, I’ll order.”

I nodded softly.

Kevan called the canteen attendant and mentioned our orders. While waiting for the food to arrive, I gathered my courage to start a conversation, trying to dig up a little information about him.

“You like chicken soto?” I asked, trying to sound casual. Honestly, though, I was extremely nervous.

“Not really,” he answered with a small smile.

“Wow, then you lose to Mr. Joko. He really likes chicken soto.”

Kevan’s brows furrowed slightly. “Mr. Joko, the history teacher?”

“Yes. Does Mr. Joko also teach in your class?”

“Not anymore. Back in tenth grade, he taught my class.”

“Oh, really? He’s a huge fan of chicken soto, especially Lamongan-style chicken soto. He says it’s really delicious,” I said while giving a double thumbs-up.

Kevan nodded and chuckled softly at my expression.

I grew more and more enthusiastic as I talked. About how Mr. Joko got annoyed during the student introduction session, about my classmates’ over-the-top, strange, and funny behavior when they came to the front of the class. I even mimicked their way of speaking and their intonation, making Kevan burst into laughter.

I really should thank Mr. Joko. Thanks to the topic about him, our conversation flowed smoothly. We did not even realize that our food had already been served on the table.

We looked at each other, equally confused. Since when had the food arrived?

Without any cue, we laughed at the same time.

While we were enjoying our meal, two troublemakers arrived uninvited.

“Hey. So this is how it is, huh. Ari and I were desperately holding Farah back while she was raging, and you two are just chilling, eating in the canteen,” Alvin snapped, standing beside the table.

Meanwhile, Ari had already sat down next to me. He grabbed a fork and, without a shred of guilt, took the biggest meatball I had deliberately saved for my last bite.

I fell silent, my head reflexively tilting as I followed the movement of that meatball until it disappeared into his mouth.

I swallowed hard. Damn it.

“Sorry, Frel. It would be a waste to leave the biggest meatball. Better for me,” Ari said with a wide grin.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance inwardly.

Let it be, your head!

Before Kevan could say anything, I asked first, “Why was Farah angry, anyway?”

“That’s just how it is. Every time a girl tries to get close to Kevan, she usually ends up in Farah’s hands,” Alvin replied, now sitting beside Kevan. “Luckily, before she really went berserk, we managed to hold her back in the classroom. Such a hassle.”

“That bad?” I asked softly. “What usually happens to those girls?”

“It’s scary, Frel,” Ari chimed in. “I once accidentally saw it behind the warehouse. Farah and her gang poured eggs and flour on them, stepped on their hands, pulled their hair, even slapped them. If I hadn’t walked in back then, it could’ve been worse. I also heard that some girls even transferred schools because they were too scared.”

I shuddered at the thought. What if I became the next target? If I had to transfer schools, I would not be able to see Kevan anymore.

Kevan seemed to catch my uneasiness. He looked at me seriously, then gave me a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Frel. Ari is just joking,” he said, then glanced at Ari with a subtle pressure. “Right?”

I understood the signal.

“Y-yeah. Don’t take it seriously, Frel,” Ari said with a stiff smile.

I laughed quietly to myself. Just a little warning, and he was already that scared.

“That’s why, Ar. Don’t go looking for trouble,” Alvin said with a laugh. Ari responded by hitting Alvin’s head with a spoon, which was then repaid with a fork. And so it went on.

I burst out laughing. Meanwhile, Kevan could only shake his head at his two friends’ behavior.

Ari and Alvin always managed to be entertaining whenever they bickered. When one of them was cornered and ran out of arguments, words were no longer used. Hands took over, even spoons. I could already imagine a bowl of Ari’s meatball soup someday actually landing on Alvin’s hair, all just to win an argument that did not even matter.

A few minutes later, I jolted.

“Oh my God,” I exclaimed.

“What is it?” they asked in unison.

“I forgot. I have an appointment with Dara, my friend,” I said while smacking my forehead, then hurriedly excused myself from the three of them.

Oh no. How could I forget Dara?

The excuse about the appointment was actually just a pretense. What really happened was that from the start, I had come with Dara when heading to Kevan’s class. Yet now I had left her behind just like that, without any word.

This was bad.

Dara could get really angry. And her anger was not the ordinary kind. When she was upset, she could pour everything out in a long lecture without pause. No interrupting, no leaving, all you could do was stay silent and listen until she was finished. It felt like listening to a broken cassette playing on repeat, making my ears ring.

I quickened my pace, almost running as I searched for Dara. It might sound excessive, but I had no choice. Dara was my longtime comrade, a best friend who knew both my good and bad sides without ever turning away. I did not want to lose her, ever.

As for Farah? Threatening, kicking, or whatever she wanted to do, I did not care. I had heard the word bullying so many times that it felt like I had grown numb to it.

Since long ago, being targeted by girls who felt powerful at school had seemed to become part of my daily life. But one thing I always made sure of, I never allowed myself to be a victim.

There were two choices when someone was bullied. Let it destroy you, or stand up and fight.

And I chose the second. Because I knew that if I let those bullies oppress me, they would only do it again, and again.

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