El Cares for Nusa

Nusa rolled right and left with a feeling of boredom that hit her strongly. She didn't want to leave the school grounds, but there couldn't be a much better option, right? Who wants to be treated like that? no, being a victim of bullying is the worst thing. Ah, better not remember it anymore, it just makes her heart skip a beat.

She turned on the small speaker in her room, continuing to play western songs to fill the silence. Well, let's just say you had a bad day as a result of all this happening.

"Rehan is angry with me or not if he knows I'm such a messy bed? Aish.."

"Then I won't be given lunch, maybe."

"Eh, but Rehan's behavior is not as bad as Bara's, how can Rehan let his beloved sister starve?"

"What did you say?"

In that second, Nusa immediately straightened her body which was originally prone on the bed. She saw El who was standing right in front of her bedroom door, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Staring at Nusa with a cold gaze that felt very intimidating, gosh it scared her.

"Eh, Bara? Why didn't you say you wanted to come here? Don't look at me, my condition looks bad." said Nusa nervously while scratching the back of her neck that didn't itch. She wanted to wipe herself off the face of the earth because she was too embarrassed.

"You are senile."

Nusa saw El who stepped closer to her, the man's face was always an attraction for her. "Eh, who let you into my room?" she asked with cute chubby cheeks, asking for clarity from the presence of the man who always intrigued her.

El saw him raise an eyebrow, then shook his head slowly when he saw Nusa's strange behavior. "You are not clear," he said as he put Nusa's bag on the bed, right next to the girl.

"Eh? Yeah, I forgot to ask you to carry my bag," said Nusa with a small grin, geez, why is she so forgetful?

"Hmm." Even though El knew that carrying Nusa's bag was an initiative of his mind, not the girl who asked for it. But never mind, Nusa also asked for help like that and he was too lazy to explain the truth.

Nusa leaned her bag on the other side of the bed, then looked at El's athletic body who was still standing staring at her with a cold gaze. "You don't want to sit down? Your feet will hurt later, I'm not good at massaging, you know," she says.

"Yes."

She saw El who was already sitting on the edge of the bed, facing Nusa directly, the difference was that this girl was in the middle of the bed.

"Are you okay?" he asked looking at Nusa with raised eyebrows. El's expression was never predictable whether he was angry or acting normal.

Nusa chuckled a little, gosh, she finally saw El's other expression. "It's okay, what's the matter with me?" She answered.

"You leave the school area and go home."

"What is the problem?" asked Nusa while gently stroking her arm. She felt cold when El started to enter her room, I don't know, it was just a feeling because she might be afraid of the man.

"What courage entered your body?" El asked with a tone that seemed intimidating because Nusa was actually a new student but dared to leave the school area before going home —yes, even though there was a reason behind her decision-.

"Huh? I don't know, sorry," said Nusa who was already confused to answer El's question. She started to lower her head, suddenly feeling guilty about her truancy.

She heard El sigh, it caused her heart to pump faster.

"What's wrong with you?" El asked again, dissatisfied with Nusa's unclear answer.

One question came out of El's mouth. Incredibly, Nusa lifted her head to look at El's face, who still looked handsome even though she had been at school almost all day. "You're asking me?"

"On the wind."

"Oh, I thought you asked me."

El looked straight into Nusa's eyes with a slightly annoying feeling. "I'm asking you, stupid."

Again Nusa's heart was beating fast. "Oh, I just want to go home." very fantastic answer.

Wait, what kind of excuse is that? Nusa cursed the stupidity in her heart. How could an innocent girl like her want to be truant?

El raised an eyebrow in disbelief at what Nusa said. "Explain." For some reason, he was very curious about what happened to Nusa from the girl's mouth. Feeling like a failure as a boy but unable to protect a girl who is being mistreated by his classmates.

Nusa sighed, maybe she couldn't take it anymore. "Priska bullied me, she said I shouldn't be around you. She doesn't like me, she said she should be the one to go to school with you." She said as she bent the smile that had framed the surface of her face, even though it was only a smile. This time she didn't cry over what had happened before, but annoyance overtook her at not being able to fight the bully girl.

El was silent waiting for the continuation of Nusa's story, unable to give the best response when he heard a girl tell a story.

"She said that if I got close to you again, she would do even worse than this."

El raised an eyebrow, he felt that Priska's limits had gone too far. "Are you still afraid?"

Nusa nodded slightly. "Afraid." she squeaked in a tone that sounded adorable. Her innocent face now looks puffy again, as if she accidentally told others that the girl had been crying for a long time.

"In that case, I am the one responsible for this incident to you."

Gosh, Nusa blinked her eyes many times. She couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. Responsibility? El wants to be responsible for what happened to her today and beyond? It seemed like she was dreaming, or maybe she was hallucinating?

"There's no need to be nervous," said El when he saw the look on Nusa's face that looked a little radiant.

Nusa came back to her senses after daydreaming for a few seconds. "Eh? What do you mean, Bara?"

"Think of it as a thank you because Rehan did a great job at my uncle's cafe."

Nusa patted El's cheek with her hand. "This is true Bara, right? Not Mario or Reza who looks like you?" She asked, bringing her face closer to El's. Checking the temperature of heat's fearful body caused this person's personality change.

"What are you doing now?" El asked while gently pushing Nusa's shoulder away from him. He felt a strange feeling when the girl stared intensely at his face from a fairly thin distance. The only one who dared to do that to him was Alvira, even when Priska approached him, he would rebel. But why does it feel different this time with Nusa?

Nusa chuckled. "After all, you don't look like Bara. It's very clear that you understand, so you don't speak too short, it's good to talk like this." She said, without realizing it the tears fell more slowly and finally dried on her cheeks.

El raised one eyebrow. He didn't feel the slightest change in himself. Or is he too insensitive to himself?

"Don't act like you know everything."

"Oh, of course, I know! You're like an angel but the difference is he has a heart like stone, ah yes and annoying."

"Hmm."

"Oh my God, you're being so cold again? The fridge must be back on."

"What did you say?"

"No, a fly is passing by."

"Unclear."

Nusa smiled. Then looked at El with raised eyebrows. "Be honest with me, don't tell me you changed because of me. Will you?" She asked in a row of sentences that were uttered with great confidence.

"You are confident."

"Confess, come on!!"

"Hmm."

"Yes yes!"

"Hmm, that doesn't mean yes."

"How come you suddenly seem to care about me? Why? I know you feel caring which is a sign of affection, could it be that you have started to love me? Oh my God!!"

"Not like that."

Nusa puffed her cheeks in annoyance. She shook El's right arm. "Come on, Bara, don't be silly with me!"

"Urgent?"

"That's very important!"

"Why?"

Nusa covered her mouth, not knowing what to say. To be honest, she didn't even know why she was being this talkative. Her curiosity with El might have already been exposed.

"Ah, n-no!" She said in a nervous tone, scratching her non-itchy cheek with a very awkward smile.

El rolled his eyes. "I want to go home," he said as he rose from his seat.

Nusa nodded her head, then got off the bed and stood right next to the man. Ah, it turns out that her height is only El's shoulder, why are the boys always taller than her?

"Yeah, be careful okay."

"Where's Bian's jacket?" asked El who ignored the word of caution on the road from Nusa, he was still eyeing something else.

"I put it in the dirty clothes basket, what's wrong?"

"Give it to me."

Confused about what El will do next, Nusa walks over to pick up Bian's jacket the boy lent her at school. Then walk back to El. "This." She said as she handed over the jacket she lent to Bian.

El immediately snatched the jacket from Nusa's hands. "Just tell him his jacket is missing."

"Why are you like that?"

"It's okay, I want to throw it away."

"But it's expensive, Bara."

"The items may be expensive, but what Bian has is nothing more than trash."

"What do you mean, Bara?"

"I want to go home."

Nusa looked at El's body which slowly drifted away from her and disappeared right behind her bedroom door. She was still thinking about El's words, feeling there was something strange about the boy and Bian. Do they have a problem?

"Ah, maybe it's just my feeling because boys like to fight. Now I better rest." Nusa muttered as she threw herself on the bed, continuing to play puzzle games on her cellphone.

...

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