-14-

"You!" Dinda growled.

"What!?" Rendra yelled.

Both of them really hated to look at each other, they faced straight to the front without saying anything.

"Don't you realize you're in deep shit back there!?" Rendra said while pointing at the bloodshed that transpired behind them, as if no one had regard for their lives. She also saw with her own eyes how a college student was pulverized, plus many other atrocities. "Had I not pulled you away from that mess, you'd die in the worst way you could think of. You were crossing a warzone while thinking that you were walking in a park? Was your cheese sliding off the crackers!?" Rendra said.

Dinda did not reply because she actually thought that nothing will ever happen to her since she was not directly involved in the violence. There was no benefit in harming her, or so she thought.

"You are part of the Airlangga. Even though you think that you are innocent, you are a part of us nonetheless! You got that!?"

"No." Dinda lightly answered.

Rendra really lost his mind. Describing his emotion with the word 'angry' would be a severe understatement. He really wanted to beat the crap out of this girl just to satisfy his wrath. Even so, he was not the type of guy who was fond of physically hurting a girl.

"I go to Airlangga to do nothing else but study well and graduate with flying colors. Not to be involved in a senseless chaos or to be marked by the three dumb pillar. I just want a normal school life like any other students." Dinda explained.

Rendra was silenced after he heard her explanation. Being marked by the red card was certainly not something she wished for. If there was anyone that he could blame, that would be himself.

Rendra remained silent for the rest of their way to school, his anger finally snuffed out. He drove his car into the school complex and got to school as fast as he could before the bell rang. Prior to this, he warned his boys to take away the opponent's flag and claim victory over them exactly that morning.

After he heard that they had defeated the opposing high school, a group of biker boys revved their engines as they entered the school while waving the Airlangga High School gang's flag; the bright red flag with an eagle symbol in the center. Another member of the gang also waved the opponent's flag. A grey flag with a scorpion symbol on it.

The biker boys circled around Rendra's car and it made Dinda feel dizzy. Rendra then came out of his car and then a heavy-bodied boy with short hair came to him. That boy folded the opponent's flag and gave it to Rendra. The boy then crisply saluted Rendra as if he was submitting the spoils of war.

"Reporting. Bhakti Nusa High School has been eliminated!"

Dinda laughed as she heard the boy say that. They acted like a ceremonial leader during Monday's Flag Ceremony. But Dinda abruptly stopped laughing as all eyes suddenly shifted on to them.

"I shall accept the flag, to be submitted to the king!" Rendra replied firmly while placing that flag into his backpack. "Anyway, are you guys doing alright? No severe casualty?" He asked to make sure his boys were alright.

After they had conducted such a formal ceremony, they were hugging each other and laughing in satisfaction at their well-done work.

"Buy me some food, you monkey! I am so hungry, so thirsty, for real!" That boy sighed.

Rendra hugged him and said "Today, all your food and drinks are on me!" The boys cheered happily.

Dinda couldn't help but smile at the scene before her, but suddenly someone pulled her arm and it almost caused her to fall on her back. She looked at that boy, he was a fragrant boy with a sharp uniform in a brown jacket.

"What are you doing with my crush?" Nathan asked. He glared at Rendra.

"She was caught in the fray, so I brought her here." Rendra explained.

Nathan pulled Dinda away without replying to Rendra. He didn't care at all when all eyes were onto them. They walked through the school corridor to the central schoolyard. Nathan seemed to be unperturbed by the whispering lips and staring eyes of all the students who happened to pass by them. On the other hand, Dinda seemed to be really troubled by what he was doing.

At their class, Nathan placed Dinda on her seat. He was slightly leaning and restraining her in her seat. His grey eyes glared at Dinda, she could see clearly how upset he was.

"You are mine, no one shall lay their hand on you other than me, you got that!?" Nathan warned. He was speaking under his breath yet in a stern tone. Right after he said that, he went to his seat while occasionally sneezing.

"Hey, Nathan! We have won over the school next door!" Regar shouted happily. He took a seat at the front row while smiling. His head was bruised, signifying that he was involved in the fight.

"Are you sick?" Regar asked again as he saw Nathan's nose go red and sneezed all the time. "Were you caught in the rain?" He guessed. Nathan nodded. "You dimwit, why did you go out in the rain knowing that you are susceptible to cold air?" However, Nathan refused to answer him.

At that moment, Dinda found out about his vulnerability to cold weather.

"Oi, Nathan. The school guardsman asked me about your car. Did you leave it here yesterday?" Benny asked.

Dinda looked at Nathan but he remained indifferent.

"I forgot." Nathan answered as if it was the norm.

So, yesterday, Nathan drove his car to school? So why did he walk in the rain? Could he just drive his car home? Once again, Nathan's way of thinking left Dinda perplexed.

The first class session in Dinda's class was Physical Exercise but unfortunately, the teacher couldn't make it to the class. So they had to do the exercises themselves. Next week, there will be a PE examination; 500 meters run for female students and 1000 meters run for male students. Therefore, the teacher sent them a message to prepare themselves for that test. Benny, as the class leader, would take note of who had done their training. Those who had finished their training session were allowed to do other physical exercise that they like.

All the students had changed their uniform into the physical exercises uniform and they headed out to the basketball court at the right side of the school building. It was a huge sports yard with a basketball court enclosed by a wire fence and a running track around it. They actually got a soccer field as well but they chose the basketball court because they wanted to play basketball after their training session.