There Arya was crying uncontrollably, her body swaying violently every time she gasped for breath, her eyes were bloodshot red because uncontrollable tears were flowing down her cheeks. He imagined that all this time Wenda had been approaching him just to take advantage of him.
Wenda very bravely insulted Arya in front of all her classmates, her voice was loud and pierced her heart like a sharp knife, Arya felt her face burning hot, shame and anger combined to form a storm of emotions that almost made her faint.
But suddenly she heard strong and steady footsteps approaching her. With great surprise, Arya turned her head, her eyes were still filled with tears and her face was still wet with tears.
"How come a man cries like a child? He's afraid of people seeing him, right?" Said a voice from behind Arya, but behind the words there was a tone of concern that could not be hidden. As he said that, he handed him a clean handkerchief that still smelled of perfume
"Thanks, Rev..." Arya said in a voice that was still a little shaky, taking the handkerchief from Reva while trying to wipe her tears and her stuffy nose.
Reva is the child of the richest person in the city where they live, but she is not at all like the children of other rich people who are always arrogant and look down on other people. He wants to be friends with Arya as she is - never asking for things or comparing their positions.
Only Reva and Joni want to truly be friends with Arya. They never looked at who Arya was and what her background was – didn't care that she had to work after school, didn't care that her clothes and shoes were always simple, and never hurt her with harsh words.
Arya was still deep in thought, her chest felt tight and heavy because she still clearly remembered Wenda's insult. Life is really unfair! he thought with emotions exploding in his chest. Having just lost his beloved grandmother who was always his place of refuge, now he has to accept a very painful insult from someone he once considered a close friend. Pain and anger writhed within him, making him want to scream out all the injustice he felt.
"Wow, Ar... you weren't stressed at being rejected outright by Wenda, were you? Even though you were so good to her!" Reva said while smiling sweetly, but behind that smile it was clear that she was displeased with Wenda's treatment. He leaned closer, wanting to offer support even though he didn't know what to say.
In fact, Arya and Reva have been true friends for a long time. Since they were in middle school, they have been very close – often sharing food, helping each other study, and even facing problems together at school. However, when Arya began to have a relationship with Wenda, for no apparent reason, Nellie began to distance herself from Arya. He slowly distanced himself, leaving Arya feeling confused and a little hurt at the loss of her best friend.
"Just relax Rev, I realize who I am to him? I'm just an ordinary person whose life only depends on my own hard work! For my daily needs I have to work in the fields, my skin is also black from being exposed to the sun every day, what does Arya, a villager, mean to conglomerate kids like you who live in luxurious houses and have everything you want?!" Arya said in an increasingly loud voice, her face full of long-suppressed pain and anger. His hands tightly gripped the handkerchief that Nellie had given him, until his skin color turned pale.
Reva was a little surprised to hear Arya's words, which thought that all rich people were the same as Wenda. Anger started to rise inside him, his eyes narrowed and his voice became colder than usual.
"Arya, so you think I'm the same as Wenda?! Even though I've always been there for you, right?! I've come with you to work in the fields when you were in trouble, once shared my pocket money when you didn't have money for food, and once defended you when someone hurt you! Isn't that clear enough that I'm not like her?!" Reva said with emotions starting to rise, her hands clenched into fists and her face turned slightly red with anger.
"Heheheh, sorry Rev... maybe I said something wrong..." Arya said in a slightly lower voice, feeling embarrassed because she said hurtful words to her best friend. He tried to calm himself down, then with some hesitation said,
"There should be, except for Reva, who is incomparably beautiful, plump and sexy..." The words just came out of his mouth, making his face immediately turn bright red with embarrassment.
For some reason, Arya felt like she couldn't bear to see Reva's face angry at her and tended to give in even though she had actually liked the girl for a long time. He knew very well how far the distance between him and Reva was, like heaven and earth were impossible to meet. The feeling of inferiority that had long existed within him emerged again strongly, making his heart feel heavy and painful.
"Vacation in the next 2 weeks, where are you, Ar?" Reva asked in a voice that had begun to subside, slipping next to Arya and looking at her with a look full of hope. He wanted to know if Arya would have time to relax even a little.
"If you don't work, you'll have to fish to sell fish, where else are you going? My life is like this - I have to fill all my time with work so that Aunt Aida and I can eat!" Arya replied in a tone full of despair, her face showing how tired she was of life always being like that.
For Arya, there is no time to relax or have fun. He realized that if he didn't work hard, where would he get the money to meet his living needs and that of Aunt Aida, who had taken care of him for a long time after his grandmother died. A great sense of responsibility makes him always have to work hard, even though his body is very tired.
"There really aren't any holidays at all, right Ar?! Just take a trip to the beach once in a while... I can take you and Joni, you know! You can eat grilled fish, play in the sand, or just enjoy the sea breeze! It'll be really fun!" Reva said with her typical sweet smile, trying to give him a clear code that she wanted to spend time with Arya. His eyes shone with hope, hoping that Arya could understand and accept his invitation.
However, Arya never realized Reva's code. His mind was only focused on the work he had to do and the promises he had made.
"Gosh, Rev! I already have a promise with Juragan Untang to help harvest his vegetables today! If I'm late, he might get angry and might not want to ask me to work anymore!" Arya said in a hurried voice, her face full of worry. Without thinking any further, he immediately got up from his seat and ran as hard as he could towards the school parking lot to get his bicycle.
At school, only Arya rides a bicycle to school, while the other friends use motorbikes or cars. In fact, Joni has often invited Arya to ride a motorbike together, but Arya always firmly refuses. He felt more comfortable using his bicycle, which had accompanied him for a long time, and also didn't want to bother his friends with any requests.
After leaving the school gate, Arya pedaled her bicycle as fast as possible, her breath was short and her face was full of determination to get home as quickly as possible and then go to Juragan Untang's field. Feeling rushed and a little angry at himself for not being able to accept Nellie's invitation made him pedal his bicycle faster.
"Assalamualaikum, Aunt Aida!" Arya said in a slightly breathless voice when she entered her simple but neat house.
"Waalaikumsalam, Ar... just got home, huh? You seem really tired..." Aida said in a caring voice, seeing Arya who was sweating and her breathing was still not calm. He was arranging the food on the dining table, and the aroma was already delicious throughout the house.
"Yes Aunt..." Arya said in a weak voice, put her bicycle in the corner of the house and then approached the dining table.
"What's wrong with you, your face looks really sad and as if someone is bothering you. Tell Auntie, but you eat first, Auntie has cooked the village fried rice that you like and also fresh vegetables from her own garden." Aida said with a warm smile, handing Arya a plate full of food. He knew that Arya must be facing problems, and wanted to help in any way he could.
"Yes Auntie, thank you very much... but I have an appointment with Juragan Untang to harvest his vegetables. If I'm late, maybe he won't pay me or won't even ask me to work anymore!" Arya said in a voice full of worry, already starting to take the spoon and eat quickly.
Arya is a person who is very responsible for his promises - he never once disappoints the people who have entrusted him with work. For him, people's trust is a very valuable thing and cannot be played with.
"You just eat slowly first, then after that you leave. If you eat quickly you might get a stomach ache, you know, and if you get sick who will work to help both of us?" Aida said in a firm but loving tone, patting Arya's shoulder gently.
"Okay Auntie..." Arya said, not wanting to argue, but she still ate quite quickly because she was worried she would be late. In his heart.