Like a thread just pulled from a tangled knot, Veriza instantly furrowed both her eyebrows. Her gaze shifted quickly towards Noor.
"She's the new student? What do you mean, Noor?"
The tone emerged from her throat—astonishment mixed with confusion, as if someone had just found the door she opened every day led to a strange room on a usual afternoon.
But then something whispered in her head, and her face changed.
She looked back at Margaret, this time more meticulously, longer, like a painter wanting to confirm the final stroke on her canvas. Her gaze traced every part of Margaret's body—from forehead to shoes—as if searching for a reason why she had missed such an obvious detail.
And finally, both her eyes widened—a surprise that appeared suddenly like a small flame flaring in the middle of the night.
"Ah! So you're the new student who is reportedly a transfer from Bandung City?"
"No wonder I didn't recognize you… I mean, I haven't seen your face before."
Her tone changed—a friendliness that appeared too abruptly, like someone who suddenly found a loophole to safety after long relying on her own prejudice. A thin sense of relief was visible on her face.
Noor's voice snapped in again.
"I heard you're a recluse. Is that true?"
She stepped forward—a subtle step that carried a specific intention.
"You can't even greet your classmates properly?"
"You also failed to leave a warm impression on your first day of school?"
"They must think that you are indeed someone who doesn't like to be bothered, which is why the teacher asked you to sit in the very back."
"Is all of that true?"
Noor's questions poured out rapidly—a barrage, like heavy raindrops hitting a window surface without a break. There was no room to breathe between each sentence; she seemed deliberately to shut off all possibilities for Margaret to interrupt. Like someone who was thirsty for answers, yet what she sought was not the truth, but a crack to exploit.
"If all of that is true, doesn't your statement just confirm everything?"
"You defended that ungrateful puppy... because you are its master. And of course, no one wants something that belongs to them to be disturbed... even if what belongs to you can actually be a nuisance to others."
Noor's tone sounded flat—dry like the midday wind sweeping across the school yard. Her expression was empty, without any wave of emotion, yet her words flowed with a crystal-clear purpose. Every sentence was directed right to one point: cornering Margaret.
Veriza turned to face Noor again.
"You even knew all those details… and you didn't tell me?"
Noor turned to face her.
"My friend in her class told me... and I only just remembered now."
"She only transferred two weeks ago. I forgot to tell you, and you probably wouldn't have been interested in talking about it anyway."
"Haven't our recent topics of conversation been the Idol Survival Program 'Next Star: Catch Your Five'? Tonight, they're having a live broadcast on YouTube to announce the group name and also their fandom name."
Noor's tone remained flat—clear and orderly, like water filling a glass without spilling, delivering every piece of information without hitching on a single note.
And the second Noor mentioned "live broadcast," Veriza's expression froze instantly, only for a fraction of a second, as if lightning had drawn a bright line across her mind.
She realized something. Something that was not just important, but felt like the essence of everything she had ever lived for. Something that, the moment its name popped into her mind, made her entire body tense as if trying to stop time so she could understand it more clearly.
"Oh my God! I forgot about that too!"
She slapped her forehead, a spontaneous gesture that showed that for Veriza, this wasn't just a show. It was a ritual. It was her life.
Without giving a breathing pause, she grabbed Noor's arm. The touch wasn't a forced one, more like the urgent shove of someone trying not to miss the last train.
"Come on, Noor, we have to go home now!"
"You're staying over at my house, right?"
"We can't miss a single little thing about them!"
"We have to be the first ones, the first participants, at their first live!"
Then Veriza turned towards Margaret.
"And you, new kid... you should be grateful."
"It just so happens that my mood suddenly improved today because my idol just gave me hope—far more valuable than wasting my time talking to someone as stupid and arrogant as you."
"But next time, if you dare to cause trouble with me again, I won't be this nice. And believe me, your life in your new school won't be peaceful."
Her tone was indeed soft—almost like a whisper deliberately held back so as not to break the false calm between them—but it was far from kind, let alone friendly.
Veriza then dragged Noor's arm while running lightly. Their laughter burst forth, light, spontaneous, and uninhibited, like small fireworks flaring in the afternoon, coloring the air with cheerful sparks that pierced the remnants of the recent seriousness.
Margaret remained transfixed, her eyes watching their retreating backs. She stared blankly, genuinely astonished, because the change felt like a switch had been flipped carelessly—from slashing words to bouncing laughter, as if their lives only needed one small trigger to start beating again.
She took a slow breath.
"Idols again... always idols. Is there nothing else on their minds besides idols, idols, and idols?"
"Seriously, is their life only about idolizing someone who doesn't even know them, even though they've been fans for years? What's the point of worshipping someone who doesn't even know we exist, when all they care about is the handsome visuals?"
"Yet in a creative industry like the idol world, it's not just visuals that should be highlighted. Their talent—that's what should be the main selling point. But well... fanboys and fangirls sometimes just close their eyes."
A faint twitch emerged in her head, like a small jolt of electricity touching the skin. She immediately fell silent.
"Wait a minute..."
"What did I just say?"
She pressed her forehead, shaking her head slowly while massaging the sides of her head, as if trying to drive away a voice that had suddenly grown there.
"Why do I even care about things like this...?"
"Margaret, you are truly stupid. You pay attention to things you shouldn't think about at all. Ironic, isn't it? You hate those idols, but in the end, you openly end up caring about them."
She slapped both her cheeks—hard enough that the sound was small but firm—like someone realizing they had been holding their breath for too long and needed to return to the surface immediately.
"But if that student named Noor hadn't brought that up, things might have been much worse... and I might have truly lost control."
One more breath, slower, longer; an effort to reassemble the fragments of herself.
"I really should be grateful today."
Her gaze shifted immediately again, directed towards the corner where the puppy had been curled up, its small body trembling slightly under the dimming sunlight.
However, once her eyes landed there, they caught a reality that made the small, budding smile fade: the little white puppy was gone from its spot. There were only small remnants of the sandwich it had bitten, scattered pieces of bread and vegetables on the ground.
"Wasn't it here just now?"
"Why is it gone?"