No Turning Back

The last lesson of the day had just ended, and most of the students had left the school. The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of Rafi's footsteps echoing on the tiled floor. He glanced to his right and left before stopping in front of the teacher's room, the door slightly ajar.

For a moment, he stood still at the doorway, scanning his surroundings one more time. His heart pounded loudly, as if anyone passing by could hear it. But the school was eerily quiet—no students' laughter, no teachers' chatter. All that remained was the monotonous hum of the air conditioner inside the room.

"Just get it done," he whispered to himself. With cautious movements, he pushed the door open wider, just enough for his body to slip through.

As he had predicted, the room was empty of teachers. Most likely, they had already gone home. With his heart beating even faster, Rafi quietly approached Mr. Ali's desk.

The test papers. That was why Rafi was rummaging through his teacher's desk. He needed to find the papers, study them, and get a perfect score so he wouldn't disappoint his mother

From the drawers to the piles of papers, Rafi searched thoroughly. His efforts finally paid off when he found a sheet of paper with 25 biology questions on it. Quickly, Rafi reached into his pocket to grab his phone. His heart pounded even harder with excitement, but he knew he had to finish this task before he could celebrate with a carefree mind.

One-click, and Rafi had captured a photo of the questions. Still unsure about the photo quality, he pressed the shutter button several more times to ease his anxiety.

"Rafi?" A voice called out from the doorway of the teacher's room. "What are you doing there?" With long strides, the man walked toward his desk.

"Sir. Ali?" Rafi hastily shoved the paper back to the bottom of a pile of books on the desk. He stood up nervously, straightening his uniform as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"What are you doing at my desk?" Mr. Ali furrowed his brows, clearly displeased to see Rafi near his workspace. "And why is my stuff all messy like this?"

"Uh… well," Rafi scrambled to come up with an excuse as quickly as possible. "I was dropping off a book at Mrs. Anjar's desk, sir. Then I accidentally knocked over the books on your desk. I'm sorry, sir."

Mr. Ali gave a short smile, slightly amused by his student's excuse. "Do you think I'd believe that?"

"Uh… sir." Rafi started to panic. Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead.

"I know you're one of the smart students in this school." Mr. Ali stepped closer to Rafi, causing the student to take several steps back. "But I never thought someone like you would stoop to stealing test papers."

Rafi had no defense; he was completely caught red-handed. With trembling hands, he clenched his pocket tightly, hoping Mr. Ali wouldn't take his phone. "I'm sorry, sir," was all he could manage to say.

"Sorry? Is that all you can say right now?" Mr. Ali raised an eyebrow, his tone growing more sarcastic.

"Please don't call my parents, sir." Rafi dropped to his knees in front of his teacher, hoping to appeal to his empathy. "I beg you, sir. I'll accept any punishment, but please don't call my parents."

Unbeknownst to Rafi, Mr. Ali was smiling with satisfaction. "Have you ever been listed in my blacklist before?"

"N-no, sir."

With a smile and a gaze that seemed kind, Mr. Ali said, "In that case, I'll let it slide this time, but your name will go into this book." Mr. Ali gestured toward the door. "Now, leave before I change my mind."

Hearing this, Rafi quickly stood up, looking at his teacher with hope. "Thank you, sir. I promise I won't do it again. Thank you, sir." Rafi thought being on the blacklist wasn't a big deal. Anything was acceptable as long as his parents weren't called.

Without responding to Rafi's words, Mr. Ali motioned for him to leave with a wave of his hand. Seeing this, Rafi immediately ran out of the room, leaving Mr. Ali standing near his desk. He surveyed the mess—the scattered books and papers, the open drawers, and the sheets on the floor.

"Brat deserves to be punished," Mr. Ali muttered flatly, his gaze filled with contempt.

***

Who knows how many times Karin had cursed herself that morning? From the moment she woke up until she was running toward her class, she kept berating herself. Waking up late meant she was now scrambling to make up for lost time—already 30 minutes past the start of the class. Karin hadn't even bothered to shower to save time. But late was late, and there was nothing she could do to turn back the clock.

When she arrived at her classroom, the first thing she saw was the warm smile of Mr. Ali, who was in the middle of teaching English. Karin's heart raced even faster, not out of love but fear.

"Karin, I thought you weren't coming today." Mr. Ali paused his lesson. All his attention was now on Karin.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I overslept. I'm so sorry," Karin stammered, repeatedly apologizing. Her nervous behavior confused her classmates, but Karin knew she couldn't afford to become another victim—not after what had happened to Heri.

"Feel free to come in or leave altogether. I don't mind either way," Mr. Ali said nonchalantly, "but your name is going in my book regardless."

Karin froze, her heart pounding. "I'm really sorry, Sir. I promise it won't happen again." She kept bowing her head, though in her heart, she muttered curses at the young teacher.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over her. Clutching her bag strap tightly, Karin felt her face grow pale. Without a word, she rushed out of the classroom, ignoring her classmates' confused stares. She headed straight to the second-floor restroom. The third-floor restroom was still under repair—as if this school was determined to add more chaos to her life.

Once in the restroom, Karin leaned over the sink, gasping for air. She felt sick but couldn't bring herself to throw up. The bitterness in her throat only grew stronger. Her hands trembled as she splashed water onto her face, but Mr. Ali's cold, smiling face lingered in her mind. It felt like he was watching her every move.

After a few minutes, Karin tried to gather her courage. She took a deep breath and straightened up, though her eyes were swollen, and her face looked disheveled without makeup. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she let out a long sigh.

Karin decided to leave the restroom and walk slowly toward the schoolyard. Every step felt heavy as if the burden on her shoulders was growing. When she reached the first-floor corridor, she sat in a corner and leaned against the wall, her eyes fixed on the yard where the science students were playing basketball. Her gaze was empty until it met Arzan's.

Seeing Karin sitting alone during class hours, Arzan left the game and walked toward her. Chika, noticing this, burned with invisible flames of jealousy. Her annoyance was evident in her frown as she watched their every move.

"Karin?" Arzan approached cautiously. "Have you been crying? What's wrong?" he asked, sitting beside her.

Karin took a deep breath before answering. "My name's been written in Mr. Ali's book. Twice."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes." Karin rubbed her forehead. "It's driving me crazy. I feel like burning that book."

"I've been in that book once, too," Arzan said, trying to reassure her that she wasn't alone.

Karin frowned in disbelief. "You? Someone like you—top student—got your name in that book?"

"Yeah, for using my phone during his class," Arzan admitted, recalling his own foolishness.

"So what now? My name's in there twice," Karin said, her worry evident. "Should I just transfer to another school?"

"Don't be ridiculous. If anyone should leave, it's him."

"But how, Arzan?" Karin's frustration boiled over, her emotions already stretched thin since the morning. "He's a teacher, and we're just students."

Realizing Karin wasn't in a state to handle her emotions well, Arzan decided to focus on calming her down. He wanted to cheer her up, even though part of him was also concerned about her situation. If he showed his worry, though, Karin might lose her composure entirely.

"Want me to treat you to some ice cream?" Arzan asked out of the blue.

Karin paused, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic. But the question managed to make her smile slightly. "Yeah, I'd like that."