Chapter 21: Chapter 21
Teresa said goodbye to her mother as she left for school that morning. The weather was very bright, and the sun rose earlier and more brilliantly than usual.
Teresa walked and greeted the security guards at the front gate of the complex. They were all drinking coffee in the morning.
"Off to school, miss?" one of them asked.
"Of course, where else would I be going?" Teresa replied. "You guys better not drink too much coffee in the morning, or you'll get acid reflux."
"Yes, miss."
Teresa walked to the sidewalk in front of the complex, waiting for a minibus to pass. She looked to the right and waved her hand to stop one.
"Hey," Teresa noticed a foot beside hers. She looked up and saw Gabril standing next to her.
"Gabril?"
The minibus stopped, but Teresa was still staring in confusion at the man standing beside her.
"Hey, it's stopped. Let's go!" Gabril hopped into the minibus, and Teresa still couldn't believe it. She hesitated for a moment before getting in.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up!" Gabril leaned out of the minibus and snapped Teresa out of her daze.
"Oh, right," Teresa climbed in and sat across from Gabril. They both sat in the back, facing each other.
"Aren't you going to get car sick again?" Teresa asked, concerned.
"I'll be fine," Gabril smiled cheerfully, showing the mask he brought and putting it on to minimize the smells inside the minibus.
"But does your mom know?" Teresa asked.
Gabril shook his head. "I got dropped off by Mr. Singgih earlier, but I got off before we reached school."
"What if she finds out?"
"She won't. Don't worry," Gabril reassured her.
The once-empty minibus gradually filled up with women heading to the market. Teresa glanced at Gabril, worried he might feel uncomfortable or get sick.
"Are you okay?" Teresa asked softly.
Gabril nodded, his eyes smiling. Teresa couldn't figure out why he chose to ride the minibus with her.
The minibus dropped off its passengers on the roadside. Gabril was having a new experience he'd never had before.
"This is kind of fun," Gabril said, looking out the back window, excited by the vehicles on the road.
"Have you ever ridden one of those?" Gabril pointed to a blue bajaj.
"A bajaj?" Teresa asked.
"Yeah, that one."
"I have," Teresa answered.
"Next time, let's ride one of those, okay? It looks like fun!" Gabril said excitedly.
"Um, sure," Teresa agreed, though she thought to herself, He doesn't know there are no windows on those things.
After a few more minutes on the road, the minibus finally stopped in front of their school. This time, Gabril tapped the roof and said "left" to signal the driver to stop.
"I'll pay," Gabril said to Teresa.
They both got off, and Gabril handed the driver two hundred thousand bills.
"Keep the change," Gabril said nonchalantly, leaving the confused driver behind as they walked toward the school entrance.
Teresa felt uncomfortable as other students stared at her while she walked with Gabril. Their eyes seemed to intimidate her. She moved slightly away, trying to keep some distance, but Gabril followed her closely.
"Hey, this is your class," Teresa pointed out as they reached Gabril's classroom, but he kept walking.
"I'm walking you to your class," Gabril insisted.
Hearing that, Teresa stopped in her tracks and looked at him. "You don't need to. I can go on my own," Teresa said.
"But I want to walk you," Gabril replied.
Teresa looked around nervously. "There's no need. I'm going to the restroom first," she lied and then ran off, leaving Gabril behind.
...
"Aaaaah!" Teresa tripped and fell to the floor. She looked back and saw Dona and her friends laughing at her.
"You pathetic tramp," the girl sneered as she and her friends walked away.
"Are you okay?" someone asked. Teresa looked up to see Reno offering his hands, helping her stand.
"Aaah, aaah," Teresa winced as her knee throbbed from hitting the floor.
Reno helped her up and supported her as they headed to the nurse's office.
"Can you still walk, or do you want me to carry you?" Reno asked.
"I'm fine," Teresa replied, letting Reno help her limp toward the nurse's office.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class, but Reno stayed with Teresa as the nurse treated her.
"You should go back to class. I'll be fine," Teresa told Reno.
"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"
Teresa nodded. It turned out she had sprained her ankle. The nurse applied some ointment and gently massaged her foot.
"Owwww," Teresa winced in pain as the nurse massaged her foot.
"You should rest for a while. Once you feel better, you can return to class," the nurse advised.
"No need, ma'am. I'll head back to class," Teresa said, trying to be strong.
"It's up to you."
Teresa limped out of the nurse's office, doing her best to walk despite the pain. Slowly, she made her way toward her classroom. In the hallway, she saw Kenzo leaving his class and walking toward her.
"Kenzo!" Teresa smiled as he approached her.
"Kenzo!" But he walked right past her without even glancing in her direction. Teresa turned around and watched as he continued walking, only showing her his back.
"Ugh," Teresa let out a bitter smile, realizing she had been mistaken in thinking Kenzo would approach her. "Teresa, you're so dumb," she scolded herself and continued limping toward her classroom.
Knock, knock, knock.
After knocking, Teresa slid the door open and entered the classroom, limping. Apparently, the teacher wasn't there, and they were only given assignments.
"Teresa!" Yova exclaimed, rushing to help her walk to her seat.
"Why didn't you just rest in the nurse's office, Tere? Dona went way too far," Yova said.
"How do you know?" Teresa asked.
"Reno told me."
Teresa saw Kenzo return to the class and sit at his desk with a serious expression. His face looked tense, and he furiously scribbled in his notebook with his pen.
Teresa's brows furrowed as she observed him. For some reason, she felt like something was bothering him.
"Tereee, Teresa!" Yova called out.
"Kenzo again? Seriously, Tere, I feel bad for you. You're like this because of him. You know he's close with Bianca, so why are you still holding onto that ten-door fridge?" Yova grumbled.
Yova wasn't wrong. Teresa knew it too, but Kenzo's pull was too strong, and she had completely fallen for him.
"I can't help it, Yova," Teresa admitted.
"Well, you're going to have a lot of problems, Teresa. This is just the beginning, trust me," Yova tried to convince her.
"But..." Teresa felt like she was getting closer to Kenzo, but for some reason, something was still holding them back, and she hadn't figured out what it was yet.
Sigh.
"Just focus on this assignment for now. There's a lot to do," Yova suggested.
Teresa pouted and began working on the questions.
...
Reno entered the room carrying a stack of papers. He had just attended a meeting with the teachers and the student council as the class representative.
Knock, knock, knock.
Reno tapped the front desk to get everyone's attention. He then explained the results of the meeting.
"The school is going to have a study tour."
Everyone in the class got excited. It was something they had all been looking forward to.
"Yay, vacation!"
"When is it?" someone asked.
"It hasn't been decided yet. We're still waiting for the selection of the Olympiad next month. Here are the registration forms and payment details. There are several options you can choose from," Reno said as he handed out the forms to everyone.
Teresa received her form and glanced at the payment amount. "Whoa, that's expensive," she muttered, staring at the numbers on the paper.
"Is this mandatory?" Teresa asked Reno.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Yes, it's mandatory because the study tour is for both observation and a literature assignment," Reno clarified.
Teresa stared at the paper in her hand. "Where am I supposed to get that much money?" she thought to herself.
"Tere, let's choose the Bali option!" Yova suggested, but Teresa was silent, staring at the paper.
"Teresa?" Yova called again. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Teresa replied, but she couldn't stop thinking about how she would pay for it. The amount was way too much for her.
...
...
"I'll help you as long as you agree to lose at the Olympiad."
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