Suvro kicked the classroom door open, holding a hand mic. Ashraf and Noor were right behind him.
Everyone stared in shock."Why is he holding a hand mic…?"
"Attention, everybody! I have an announcement to make," Suvro declared dramatically.
The class looked around, confused.
"But first—hey, you!" Suvro pointed at a boy with a puzzled expression.
"Me?" the boy blinked.
"Yes, you. Do you have a problem with Noor?"
"Him?" The boy glanced at Noor, confused.
"Yes. Answer carefully," Suvro said in a low, intimidating tone.
"No! I don't!" the boy cried and ran off crying.
"Okay then. Second... Ria!" Suvro shouted.
"What?" Ria snapped, annoyed.
"Do you have a problem with him?"
"I just don't like him. That's why I told him to stay away. That's it."
"Oh? But your fans beat him up for no reason," Ashraf said with a smirk.
"What?!" Ria yelled, furious.
"Ah, your reputation must be hurt," Suvro chuckled.
Meanwhile, the students who had bullied Noor were sweating in the corner of the room.
Ria slammed her table with one punch, breaking it, then stormed out of the classroom in rage.
"KYAA!" Noor, Ashraf, and Suvro screamed, trembling in fear.
"What was that?" Noor asked.
"Ah, that's nothing," Suvro brushed it off casually.
"So, everyone, listen up. Noor is my friend from now on. If you mess with him, you mess with me," Suvro announced.
"He's my friend too," Ashraf added. "And that means if you mess with him, I won't help you with homework or lend you my notes!"
"And that's all. Thank you!" Suvro said and dramatically shut the classroom door behind him.
The class was left in silence.
"…Whaaat…?"
Outside the classroom—
"So, Noor, let us show you around the school!" Suvro said enthusiastically.
"Okay," Noor replied.
"This is the bathroom," Suvro pointed.
"…Why are you showing me this first?" Noor asked, confused.
"Oh, if you pull this handle, it flushes!"
"I know that," Noor replied, annoyed.
"This is the library," Ashraf said proudly.
"Wow, it's huge," Noor said, impressed.
"I recommend you read these books," Ashraf said, piling up books in Noor's arms.
"Okay…"
"And this one… and this one… and that one, and this one too—"
"Please stop! I can't read all these!" Noor cried.
He collapsed on the floor, all the books tumbling down.
"Acckk!" he groaned.
"Poor guy," Suvro muttered.
"This is the pool!" Suvro shouted and jumped in.
"Suvro, you didn't have to jump into the pool just to show me," Noor said, shaking his head.
"This is the dojo, where we practice martial arts," Ashraf said.
"Nice," Noor said.
Ashraf began drying Suvro's hair with a towel.
"Bro, you shouldn't be so careless. You'll catch a cold."
"I know," Suvro mumbled.
"Now, Noor, let's show you the rest of the school!"
"This is the playground."
"This is the rooftop."
"This is—"
"Stop! Stop! I'm tired!" Noor panted heavily.
All three sat on the rooftop, catching their breath.
"Well, both of you… I really want to ask something."
"What is it?" Ashraf asked.
"Why do people idolize Ria so much? They beat me up over something so small."
"Well, Ria is the greatest rival of our school's princess," Suvro said.
"Princess?" Noor blinked.
"Yeah, her name is Jenne," Ashraf explained.
"…Wait, seriously?" Noor began sweating.
"Why do you look like you lost 50 HP just hearing her name?" Suvro laughed.
"It's nothing. It's just that… I…"
"You live in the same house as her?!" both Ashraf and Suvro exclaimed.
"Shhh! Quiet! Don't let anyone know," Noor whispered.
"That's actually kind of cool, dude," Suvro said, excited.
"Cool, my butt," Noor grumbled.
"Why?"
"Because my father left me there as a burden…"
The three of them sat quietly on the rooftop.
"Hmm… your story's really sad," Suvro said.
Sobs "You poor boi… I didn't know you'd gone through so much…" Ashraf said, tears rolling down his face.
"Wait—why are you crying?" Noor handed him tissues.
"It just hit right in the feels," Ashraf sniffed.
"So, Noor, what are you going to do now?" Suvro asked.
Noor took a deep breath and sighed.
"I don't know… I guess I'll just keep studying. But I really didn't want to live with strangers."
"Do they treat you badly?" Ashraf asked.
"No, no. They're actually really kind people. They've taken great care of me since I came. It's just… I feel so worthless. Like I can't do anything about my situation."
"Ah, cheer up!" Suvro said, slapping him on the back.
"Ow—Suvro!"
"Whatever happened to you isn't your fault. You can always do better. Just believe in God… and believe in yourself," Suvro said gently.
"And if you ever need help with studying, just ask me without hesitation!" Ashraf said proudly.
"Ashraf!" Noor's eyes filled with tears.
"Don't cry again," Suvro teased. "Come on, let's go. School's about to end."
Outside the school gate, Mr. Rahim was waiting for Noor.
"Well guys, see you tomorrow!" Noor waved.
He opened the front car door and sat down.
Mr. Rahim glanced at him. "Looks like you made some friends today."
"Yes, I did," Noor said, smiling.
(I really couldn't believe I made friends… for the first time in my life. I'm really happy.)
"Ah, sir Noor, what happened to your forehead?"
"Oh, I just fell down the stairs, hehe…"
"That's quite a rough first day at school."
"Hehe…" Noor scratched his head and glanced behind him.(Looks like she went home first. That's a relief.)
"Any problem, sir?" Mr. Rahim asked.
"No… nothing at all."