NOOO!!
A loud scream shattered the calm—the idle chatter of the classroom. The sudden cry startled everyone.
The voice belonged to a boy who had just woken from a nightmare. He woke up with a panicked look, breathing heavily, his face pale from the dream. Unbeknownst to him, tears fell onto his desk, alarming his seatmate.
"Hey! Are you okay, Zid?" Syifa asked, her voice laced with worry. "Do you want some water, Zid?" she said, quickly grabbing a water bottle from her bag.
Zidan, still disoriented and gasping for air, didn't respond.
Was that a dream?
Why did it feel so real?!
Is Mom... really going to...?
He murmured to himself, still confused by the nightmare.
"Zidan?" Syifa said, her voice starting to show annoyance. "ZIDAN!!" she yelled.
Startled by her shout, Zidan fell off his chair.
One of the boys in the class started to mock him. It was Steven, a kid who had been making fun of him since elementary school.
"Hey, look! The sleepyhead is taking a nap on the floor!" he shouted, pointing at Zidan and embarrassing him in front of the whole class.
Immediately, the entire class burst into laughter, their voices and the sound of desks being pounded replacing the previous silence.
Syifa felt she had gone too far with Zidan. She had no idea her shout would cause that to happen.
Zidan stood up and fixed his chair, his face gloomy and aloof. Syifa could only watch as he fell and got up all by himself.
"Z-Zidan, I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to," Syifa said, feeling incredibly guilty and awkward.
"It's fine... You don't need to apologize," Zidan replied without looking at her.
"I'm used to being treated like this since I was a kid," he continued, forcing a smile. It wasn't a sincere smile, but a facade to hide his frustration.
The heavy sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, signaling someone approaching the classroom. The footsteps grew louder until they stopped just outside the door.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, startling everyone. It was their teacher, who was about to start the lesson.
"I'm only a little late, and the class is already this noisy," the teacher said, shaking his head and looking at the students.
"Oh, the teacher's here, hehehe," Steven said with a sheepish grin.
"Get back to your seat," the teacher said, gesturing towards Steven's desk.
Steven walked slowly to his seat, but not without taking one last jab at Zidan.
"The kid whose parents never loved him~" he whispered slowly as he passed Zidan's desk.
Zidan didn't react; he just sat there, lost in thought, and bowed his head onto his desk.
Syifa, who had overheard Steven's insult, responded with a burst of anger.
"What's your problem, Steven?!" she yelled loudly.
Her shout surprised both the teacher and the other students. The teacher walked over to Syifa and Steven, intending to calm them down.
"Hey, what's going on?" the teacher asked.
"What's with you two... It's still morning, and you're already fighting," the teacher said to them.
"He started it, sir! He was insulting Zidan!" Syifa said, pointing at Steven.
"Whoa, whoa... I didn't do anything! I just walked past, and you suddenly got mad, Syif," Steven said, defending himself and mocking her at the same time.
"Alright, that's enough, stop fighting—it's too early for this," the teacher said, trying to calm them both.
"But he really started it, sir," Syifa insisted, pushing Steven to confess.
Zidan, who had been silent, now wanted Syifa to stop. He reached for her arm, trying to get her to back down.
"Syifa, it's enough... just stop," Zidan said softly, tugging on her sleeve.
"I can't just stop, Zidan! He keeps making fun of you," Syifa said without looking at him.
"That's enough! Do you want me to call your parents?!" the teacher asked sternly.
"You two shake hands and apologize to each other."
Syifa, annoyed but with no other choice, obeyed.
"Steven, I'm sorry," she said, holding back her frustration.
"Yeah, yeah, I forgive you," Steven said, still taunting her.
The two shook hands, even though Syifa was still furious with Steven.
"There, that's better. Don't fight again, you two," the teacher said with a smile before walking back to his desk to start the lesson.
"Alright, class, let's open our Indonesian language books," he announced loudly.
The lesson began, but just a few minutes in, Syifa couldn't focus. She kept looking at Zidan with a worried expression.
"A-are you really okay, Zid?" she asked softly, her voice full of concern.
Zidan didn't reply. He just kept writing down the teacher's explanation.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I bothered you," Syifa said, smiling awkwardly. "I'll get back to my notes now."
Deep down, Zidan was arguing with his own thoughts.
What is the point of my life, really?
Why am I... why am I always like this?
He thought to himself. Without realizing it, tears dripped onto his notebook.
Syifa, who had been writing, was confused as her desk suddenly felt wet. When she looked at Zidan, she finally understood what was happening.
Seeing Zidan's tears, she quickly looked for her handkerchief, intending to wipe them away.