As the moon softly bid farewell to the sky, the sun rose with a warm, welcoming light. Birds left their cages, instinctively searching for food for themselves and their loved ones. As for human children—ha! Most of them had to go to school to learn.
"Dream High."
Yunara paused, staring at the name board for a moment before stepping onto the school grounds.
"Good morning, everyone. I hope you're happy to see me again,"
She greeted with a warm smile. Her kindness radiated, stirring something deep inside the students' hearts. It was a new experience. After a long time, they felt like they might actually enjoy school again.
"Before we start, there's something I need to say. Each of you has so many skills and interests. That makes you unique and remarkable. Keep nurturing those while you study."
The students exchanged bewildered glances. Did they hear that right?
"Alright. Now, I have an assignment for you. I want you to write down your thoughts on a poem. It's called 'May You Never Be Perfect' by Quincy. First, listen as I read it. Then, I'll hand out printed copies for reference. Here we go..."
Yunara took a deep breath and adjusted her voice before reading:
"To the me that once was and the me that will be
May this letter remind you to pause and breathe
May you silence the noise and the voices inside
May you never be perfect, but always be kind.
May only some of your wishes ever come true,
like the ones that will bless, not just benefit you.
To each door with your name, may you never be blind.
May you never be perfect, but always be kind.
May the words meant to bleed never cause you to fall.
May your souls and your souls never wear down at all.
May you sleep ever deep, then rise always on time.
May wherever you go, the moon guide you and shine.
May you look to your past with soft empathy.
May you live in the present ever patiently.
May you strive for your future so excitedly.
May your heart find sweet serenity.
May your time be so full that regret cannot find
Even one ounce of worry or doubt in your mind.
To your truest of selves, may you be so aligned.
May you truly achieve all your dreams all combined.
There are so many blessings I wish I could give
But they echo the same thing that I wish you to live.
And no matter what comes, do your best, you'll be fine.
MAY YOU NEVER BE PERFECT, BUT ALWAYS BE KIND."
The class listened intently as if wrapped in a warm embrace. Yunara noticed a few glistening eyes and smiled gently.
"Now, take your time. Write down what this poem means to you. Here are the printed copies."
She handed them out and stepped outside, walking along the corridor. Inside, the students sat quietly, emotions swirling.
The poem felt like a message meant just for them. And now, their teacher had given them space to process it. They weren't sure how to react - but slowly, they began to write.
Later, Yunara returned and glanced inside. A warm smile lit up her face as she watched them work.
---
"Rain, how's the preparation going? You're the leader. I need you to help me make this happen," Ken, the music teacher, reminded him.
"Everything's set, Mr Ken. But there's one problem. We need a female teacher to come with us. Otherwise, the principal won't give permission for the girls to leave school."
"Did you ask any of the female teachers?"
"Yeah, but... none of them agreed."
"Why not?"
"Because of me."
"Huh?"
"They think everything I do is worthless. They don't trust me as a leader, and they say we're wasting time when we should be studying...especially with exams coming up."
Ken frowned. "What about the other classes?"
"They're fine. A few girls from those classes are joining, and their class teachers agreed to go with them."
"But you have to go on a different day, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"What about your class teacher? She can't just ignore this. I'll talk to her."
"No! I mean...our class teacher changed yesterday. I haven't asked her yet."
Ken sighed. "Then go and do that. You have to be there the day after tomorrow for sure."
"Yes Mr Ken"
---
After the conversation, Rain found himself lost in thought. Would she agree? The other teachers had been so dismissive... Would she be any different?
"Hey, Rain boy. What's with the sighing?" Dion slid into the seat beside him.
"Oh, Dion. It's about the competition."
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah, but there's a problem."
"What's that?" Dion asked, leaning in.
"There's no teacher from our class to accompany us. The principal said we must have a female teacher, aside from the music, sir, because only a few girls in our class are in the orchestra. The other teachers I asked refused. They say we're wasting precious study time with exams coming up."
"But this is your last competition before university."
"I know....At this rate, I'm going to miss Dylan even more. If he were here, things would be easier."
"Yeah. Our star boy. He was an exception to all the rules." Dion couldn't help but smile at the memory. Then, after a pause, he asked, "Did you ask Miss Yanvi?"
"Should I?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"But… what if she rejects me? She's my last hope." As he spoke, Dion noticed the glistening in Rain's eyes—a quiet testament to his deep love for music and his hope.
"You should try, buddy. If you don't ask, you'll never know. Maybe this time, you'll get a good answer." Dion patted his shoulder and walked away.
---
Knock, knock.
The soft sound barely caught Yunara's attention.
"Yes? Come in."
A tall, handsome boy entered, though today he looked like a lost child rather than his usual confident self. Yunara regarded him warmly and gestured for him to sit.
"Rain? What brings you here?"
"Miss Yanvi... I need to talk to you about something."
"Go on."
"There's a big music competition starting the day after tomorrow at another school. Our class is participating in the orchestra. But... we need a female teacher to come with us since a few girls are involved. I already asked the other teachers, but none agreed. So... the music teacher told me to ask you.....Would you ..would you be willing to come with us?"
Yunara nearly laughed at the careful way he chose his words. From what she'd heard, Rain wasn't usually this polite. He was the type to get frustrated quickly—to give up when things didn't go his way. And his voice—well, she'd heard that he rarely thought before speaking when he was angry.
"I'd love to go with you."
"Oh. I get it. It's okay, Miss Yanvi, you don't have to...wait, what? You... agreed?"
Rain looked completely stunned.
"Ha!" Yunara raised an eyebrow playfully, clearly understanding his shock.
"You really agreed? Oh... uh... thank you! Thank you, Miss Yanvi!"
For once, Rain was speechless—for a good reason. After a moment's pause, he gently excused himself and stepped out of the teacher's room.
Once outside, he let out a deep, relieved breath. Wow… it really was that simple. A small smile crept onto his face as he quickened his pace, eager to reach the music room.
---
That evening, Yunara went to the music room to check on the preparations. As she entered, she saw someone adjusting the instruments.
"Excuse me."
The person turned around. "Yanvi...? Am I seeing things, or is that really you?"
"Oh, Ken. After all this time."
"Time? Are you kidding me? It's been a decade! Since you disappeared."
Yunara smiled slightly as she walked closer. Ken glanced around, out of habit.
"You alone?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I'm just used to seeing you with... someone always around." He spoke casually but then realised he had crossed a line. Yunara averted her gaze. He understood.
"Anyway, you here for something?"
"Rain told me about the competition. I agreed to go with them, so I came to check on the preparations."
"Oh! So you're the new teacher he mentioned. I forgot to ask for a name. I didn't even know you were teaching here. Guess this school's bigger than I thought."
"I started two days ago. Understandable."
"When did you come back?"
"Less than two weeks ago. Had to sort some things out first."
Ken sighed dramatically. "Good to see you again, my friend. Pleasure working with you."
Yunara laughed. And Ken noticed something had changed. Her smile. Her eyes aren't shining like before.
After discussing the preparations, she left the school with a whirlwind of emotions—joy at reconnecting with a long-lost friend, and a deep, poignant longing for someone else as memories flooded back, threatening to spill into tears. It was a bittersweet mix of happiness and the ache of remembrance.
-------------------