Noor stood there, frozen.
"Ria… what are you talking about?" Jenne looked serious.
"How did you find out?" Noor trembled.
..
..
(no
no
no
I never wanted them to know that)
Noor's eyes widened as his breath became heavy.
"I just took a guess. And you just confirmed my suspicions," Ria said.
"Ashraf found you heavily injured that day. At the same time, Roy was found on the verge of death alongside his gang members. He hurt Suvro and Ashraf in front of you, and he was also stalking me," Ria said, clenching her fist.
..
..
"W–what are you talking about? They were bigger and stronger than me. That's impossible," Noor said, sweating.
..
..
"But you did fight those thugs that day in front of us. That wasn't a coincidence. And lately… you have changed a lot."
"Risking your life for people without thinking a second time."
"Getting into fights without hesitation."
"I don't know how you beat Roy, but one thing is clear to me…"
"It was you." Ria pointed at Noor.
..
..
"Noor… is it true?" Jenne asked.
Noor kept silent, looking down.
(Looks like I don't have any choice. Okay then.)
..
..
"Yes. It was me," Noor said.
"I had enough of everything that day. My mind collapsed. I didn't want to be a burden or a weakling." His expression darkened.
"Roy… that bastard. I didn't want him to get away after what he had done to my friends. It felt so good when his attacks didn't hurt me."
"Crushing them with my bare hands…" Noor grinned, whispering while looking at his hands.
Jenne and Ria looked at him, surprised.
"Sigh."
"I don't want to talk about that anymore," Noor said.
"So you are a Pure Human," Ria muttered.
"Forget about that bullshit. I don't care about that," Noor snapped.
"I want to live like a simple person by forgetting what happened that day."
He turned away.
"But—"
"Ria," Jenne stopped her.
"Sigh…"
"Fine then," Ria said.
"There are more important things you should be concerned about," Noor muttered.
"The incident that happened today wasn't just a terrorist attack. I saw the guy who was behind all of this. He even tried to lure out Jenne using that little child."
"You two should be more careful," he added.
..
..
"I am already aware of that," Jenne replied.
"You don't have to worry about that," Ria sighed.
..
..
"Hm… did you draw it? It looks pretty cute," Ria said, picking up a drawing from Noor's desk.
"Hey, don't touch my things without permission!" Noor snatched it away, annoyed.
Woosh.
Grabs.
"Why?" Ria laughed. "The scenery looks really good in the drawing. You got skills, man." She snatched it back.
"Ahh! Why don't you listen to me?" Noor slapped his forehead.
"I am not giving it back—ha ha," Ria laughed.
"Not my drawing book!" Noor yelled.
Jenne smiled, crossing her arms while watching them.
..
..
Some days had passed.
That incident became breaking news all over the country. No terrorist organization claimed responsibility, but the terror people felt that day was real.
My mom called me, concerned. I replied that I was fine.
And my dad… he didn't care or call me. That doesn't bother me anymore, to be honest.
All I want is a simple school life. Nothing else.
But problems keep finding me.
Still… I am not alone anymore. I got friends. I got people who care about me.
Noor thought this while entering his classroom.
Suvro and Jamil were gossiping, and Ashraf was reading a book. Other students went silent.
"Oi, Noor! How are you doing, man?" Suvro slapped Noor's back.
"Good," Noor replied.
"Wait a minute—there's a leaf on your hair," Ashraf said, removing it.
"Thanks, man."
(My friends care a lot about me. I pray our brotherhood lasts forever.)
"Hey, Noor. They want to say something to you," Jamil whispered.
"Who?" Noor asked.
"The students from Class A and B. They are waiting for you," Jamil said.
"For what…" Noor sighed.
"Ask them yourself."
..
..
Noor walked toward them.
"I heard you guys were looking for me," Noor asked, bored.
"Umm… Noor. They're embarrassed to talk to you directly," a girl said.
"There are seven wonders in the world," Ashraf muttered, reading his book beside Noor.
Grabs.
Noor yanked him.
"Bro… What was that girl's name? I forgot. She helped us before. She even proposed to you, remember?" Noor whispered.
..
..
"Oh, her name is Umi," Ashraf replied, adjusting his glasses.
"Wait—how did you forget?" Suvro cringed.
"I have a bad habit of forgetting people's names I don't talk with," Noor replied, scratching his head.
..
..
"Oh… your name is Umi. I remember now," Noor said.
"You helped us a lot before. I want to thank you for that."
"It's okay," Umi said, smiling.
..
..
"They want to thank you for something," she added.
"For what?" Noor raised his eyebrows.
"You risked your life that day in the museum to save us," a boy stepped forward.
(Oh… for that. I forgot they were there.) Noor frowned.
"We have treated you harshly since you came to this school. We were rude to you. We made fun of you."
"But you proved us wrong. You didn't hesitate to save us."
"Sigh…"
"We are ashamed of what we did," the boy said.
"Remember, Noor—these are the students who messed with you for no reason," Suvro whispered.
"And they made fun of you every single day," Ashraf added.
"Hm…" Noor rubbed his chin, looking at them.
The students looked down, full of remorse.
..
..
"Nah… it's okay," Noor said.
"What? You're… forgiving us after all of that?" a girl asked.
"Everybody makes mistakes in life," Noor stretched his neck.
"Yes. I forgive you all."
"Just promise me one thing."
..
..
Everyone looked at Noor, curious.
"Please never judge or treat anyone based on their looks."
"And don't…"
"bully new students."
Noor looked down, his voice softening.
..
..
"We promise," the students said loudly.
"That boy has a heart of gold, doesn't he?" Suvro said, admiring Noor.
"You're right," Ashraf said, adjusting his glasses.
..
..
"Sigh."
"Good," Noor crossed his arms.
(I didn't expect this. But at least I don't have to face problems in school anymore.)
..
..
"What's going on?" Ria stood behind them with Jenne.
"Oi, Noor. Your girlfriends are looking for you," Suvro whispered boldly.
Grabs.
"Would you dare say that again?" Noor said, pulling Suvro's cheeks.
"Ouch! I'm sorry! I mean—they're girls, and they're your friends, so doesn't that make them your girlfriends?" Suvro laughed.
"Seriously…" Noor cringed.
"I'm joking! Ouch—that hurts!" Suvro groaned.
..
..
"You were looking for me?" Noor asked Jenne.
"We just came to see what was going on," Ria said.
"What happened?" Jenne asked.
..
..
"Nothing. They just wanted to apologize and thank me for that day," Noor replied.
..
"Oh," Jenne said coldly.
"Hm," Noor smiled.
"That means you are their hero now," Ria said excitedly.
"That's quite true," Noor looked at the students.
(I don't see hatred in their eyes anymore. I never expected this… but here we are.)
"I hope everything will go well from now on," Noor muttered, smiling.
..
..