Chapter 08

Chapter 08: Hello Again

Meri's POV

I played my pen, turning it around, tapping it, and even munching on it for the last 15 minutes of boring hours. My stomach had been grumbling since this morning, I'm hungry, but I don't feel like eating. I grabbed the energy bar, it was chocolate flavor, the taste that both of us like most.

I grabbed the energy bar in the pocket of my backpack, trying to devour it to calm my tummy down. My finger went back into every inch of my bag, searching for another sweet treat. Oh? I think that was the last one. I stepped my foot towards the small black trash can behind the classroom door to throw away the chocolate wrap that I had eaten earlier.

Even though this is my own class, but now it feels cold and foreign. I returned to my old self, the lonely girl nobody wants to play with, the fear that was once become my trauma was felt again. Since Keiysy was in a coma, it was Arga, Jaya along with Daffin, and the others who tried to cheer me up. I haven't seen Alin in a long time, I think he's very depressed about losing what was once the owner of his heart. He hasn't returned to school since that day.

It was a sad day, a day full of regrets for me and the others. I shouldn't have asked her to the canteen at that time, she should have just done her homework. Ayu, that child, I would love to see her feel the same way she did to the best childhood friend of mine.

"I'm so bored."

Arga, who was playing games before, look at me and grumbled, "Stop complaining and just eat your chocolate energy bar."

"I've eaten all of them."

He gaped in surprise, "Wasn't it just this morning I bought you those 10 chocolate bars?"

"I'll repay you later."

He refused, "No need to, instead of eating those unhealthy kinds of stuff. Come on, let's eat Julia's pizza at the cafeteria, you like it, don't you?"

I pat my stomach in response, "No thanks, I think I've lost my appetite. The pizza brings back bad memories for me anyway."

Arga who gave up asking me to eat, looked at his cellphone screen again, "For a girl who just finished 10 packs of chocolate in less than 7 hours, she must have really like that treat."

Daffin came with Jaya with sweat soaking their shirts, the smell really hit my nose, disgusting. Looks like my guess about them having just finished playing volleyball was right, as seen from the volleyball that Jaya held tightly in his left hand as he greeted us. Meanwhile, on the other hand, Jaya was fast asleep beside us as soon as he lay down by using two chairs as his footrest.

Just then, Daffin suddenly asked with a concerned look, "What's with the long face?"

"It's just... I ... Miss her, don't you?"

He then let out a deep sigh, his face looks sad, but still cheers me up. "Don't worry, she'll be okay. You know how strong she is, don't you?" He patted my arm gently then said, "She'll be alright, she'll get through this."

Arga, who had been listening to our conversation, also replied, "That's right, I'm sure she would wake up, someday."

I turned, curiously staring at him, "But, when will that someday be?"

He paused, his index finger was tapping constantly on his sharp chin, thinking hard I guess. "Honestly, I don't know."

I rolled my eyes at his words, "Forget it, why did I even bother?"

Arga sulked, clutched at his chest, the place where his heart was beating. then complain. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? You hurt me, Adara."

"But, I don't care."

His face was astonished, looking at me from the side of his eyes, "Then why did you ask?"

"That...still remains a mystery."

He complained to his friend, did not accept being teased by me. However, it wasn't defense and protection that he got but a hard smack landed on his forehead, making me laugh out loud. But apparently, my forehead got the same thing as he is.

Fed up with the endless debate between me and Arga, he scowled, "There is no such thing as a mystery, there's only you guys who are being stupid right now."

Arga's face became flat, feeling shocked at the sudden betrayal. Showing the 'You've got to be joking' face at him then pouting at me, "Screw you, Mer."

Seeing his childish behavior made me feel a little better, I stuck my tongue out to irritate him even more. He grew annoyed after I teased him a few times, then frowned. Sending me a silent 'I hate you' with his middle finger pointed directly at my face.

I raised my palm and whisper to him, "Talk to my hand."

He scoffed for who knows how many times, "Huh, you're ridiculous."

While we were still continuing our childish fight, Jaya woke up annoyed because he was nudged, patting Arga's head slowly. "Can't you please be quiet? Why don't you go find your friend, Mer? Usually, you guys can chat from the morning until the next day. Stop bothering my son, okay?"

Arga responded by sticking out his tongue as I did to him before while flashing a smirk. "How do you like that?"

I smiled bitterly whilst scratching out some doodles on my notebook, "How can I talk with her if she hasn't even woken up from her long slumber."

At first glance, they seem to be nudging each other and whispering to each other, probably feeling bad for me. Arga whispered to his friend that was sitting next to him, "How could you?"

Jaya then mouthed, "I forgot." They both started to look at me in pity, "I...We're sorry, I don't mean to say that, here have him, you can continue your fight. I gave you my blessing, now bye~" Then proceed to stand up and moved his seat next to Daffin, leaving Arga silent in front of me.

My phone started ringing, an unknown number appeared on the screen. Out of fear, I showed the call earlier to the man facing me at this time. He took the rectangular device and pressed the accept button, signaling his two friends to listen carefully.

It spoke in a deep, creepy tone, "Long time no see, did things go well for the past few years? I see that you guys have been grown up, since the last time we met. A bunch of little babies who keeps crying for their moms is now a pack of teenagers."

The mysterious caller still proceeds reminiscing his past deeply then sharing it with us nonchalantly, "I still remember how your faces were at that time, plump and very adorable. Meri, you were very timid before, Arga doesn't seem to have changed, doesn't he, is still naughty and ignorant. Daffin and Jaya, you guys are just like my last memory before I said goodbye."

With some hesitation, I decided to ask the caller. "Do we know you? How did you get my number?"

He replied once again, "There's no such thing as mystery, there's only you guys, who are being stupid. There are some things in this world that happened not because of our will, but the will of the universe itself, and also because of God of course. I'm sure you still don't understand what I'm saying and probably some of you would think that I'm a lunatic, but soon you'll see for yourself."

Arga who was surprised immediately turned off the strange call and blocked it. "The heck-"

The sudden arrival of my homeroom teacher, Mrs. Shaz, with the beaming face of her as if she had just seen a handsome angel before coming here. And made the two boys, run out of the classroom as fast as they could, afraid that their teacher had already started his class.

She then informed, "Soon you will continue to a higher class, the last class of this last high school term. Therefore, we will get ready to take the promotion exam, reduce your playing time and go study, you understand right?" She continued to arrange the books containing today's material on her desk, then remembered something. "Everyone, we have 2 new friends that will join us today," She paused and then glanced at the window before continuing, "Please, come in."

A pair of new students walking into my class, there were a boy and a girl. The boy had this cold piercing look, he looks scary. While the girl, is somewhat familiar to me, she had short wavy blonde hair with a colorful clothed bandana tied around her head.

The cold boy greeted first, "Name's Mark J, call me Mark."

Mrs. Shaz then asked, trying to make the situation less awkward. "Would you mind telling us what's J stands for?"

He answered coldly, "Yes, I would mind."

Failed to brighten up the class, she let out an awkward laugh after that. "Is that so? I'm truly sorry if I crossed your privacy."

Mark just nodded away, then it's the girl's turn to introduce herself. She didn't look nervous at all, instead, a wide grin appears on her quite slim face. Our eyes meet a couple of times, and she smiled at me, reminding me of how I met Keiysy for the first time.

Back then, the 3-year-old me was begging and pulling my mom away to stop her from taking me to her friend's house. And that's when I met her, my forever best friend. I'm quite shy actually, I don't really get along with new people that easily, but as soon as she smiled at me, we became inseparable.

The new girl greeted, "Nice to meet you, again. It's been quite a while...My name is..." She chuckled for a moment, before continuing, "I'm Keiysy Lesham Maheswari, great to be back, and alive."