The ceiling fans spun. It was hot. Outside, scooters rattled, and street vendors shouted, carrying smells of fried snacks through the open windows.
Lestari sat at her desk, pencil hovering nervously over a blank page. She wasn't taking notes. Not really. Instead, she doodled her little characters, and, at the center, a potato with a crown.
Her hand shook slightly as she tore the page out. She slid it sideways toward Citra, "Ubi."
"Uh… hey," Lestari said softly, chewing her lip. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of the paper.
Ubi glanced up, one eyebrow raised. "Huh?"
Lestari's voice dropped even lower. "I… I drew this. For you."
Ubi unfolded the page. Scribbles and shaky lines, and under it, in messy letters:
QUEEN OF ALL POTATOES.
Ubi laughed. Loud, easy, confident. "Oh my god… what is this?"
Lestari ducked her head. "It's… um… It's supposed to be funny."
Ubi tilted her head. "It's… cute." She grinned, leaning a little closer. "Did you draw this for me?"
Lestari's face burned. She fiddled with her pencil. "I… maybe…"
From across the aisle, Arka leaned forward dramatically. "Ooooh, secret love letters! Do I get an invitation to the coronation?"
Lestari flinched, covering her face with one hand. Ubi chuckled, amused.
Bayu sighed behind them. "He literally lives for this."
Arka spun around. "What? Romance? Secrets?"
Lestari's ears burned. She wished she could disappear.
Ubi leaned back, watching her shy friend. There was a softness in Lestari she rarely saw; it was awkward, hesitant, impossible to ignore.
"You like it," Ubi said lightly, almost teasing. "Admit it."
Lestari stammered, "I… I-maybe… not… I mean… stop saying that!" She shoved the paper back into her sketchbook, heart racing.
Ubi laughed again, warm and easy. "Relax. It's cute when you're flustered."
Lestari's chest fluttered. She tried to focus on her math notebook, but all she could see was Ubi's grin, the sunlight catching her hair just right, the way her laugh made the whole classroom seem lighter.
Arka whispered to Bayu, smirking, "They're totally a thing."
Bayu didn't answer because he only kicked Arka lightly under the desk, but the corners of his mouth twitched.
Lestari kept her head down. She told herself it was just a doodle. Just a silly potato. But when Ubi leaned forward to peek at the page again, her heart skipped.
"This is going to be harder than I thought."