DINING ROOM, 7:12 PM.
(One month after Kirana and Nico sang together in the garden)
The dinner atmosphere was so quiet. Only the occasional clinking of spoons against porcelain plates could be heard.
I played with grains of rice using the tip of my spoon, rolling them into tiny balls with no intention of eating them.
"Kirana, want more meat? This is the softest part, your favorite," Mom's voice broke through my daze.
"Thank you, Mom. But no need."
Papa put down his spoon, staring at me intently. "Are you sick?"
"No, Papa. Just... thinking."
"Thinking about exams?" Papa asked again.
Gerry cut in with his mouth full of rice. "Not exams, Papa. Thinking about Nico. Nom, nom, nom."
"Huh! What?!" I looked away, annoyed.
"What's wrong, honey?" Mom said, propping her chin on her hand as she watched me restlessly.
I pushed my plate away, my appetite completely gone.
"Mom, Papa. You know what? It's been a month since Nico and Victor have been seen at school."
I looked back at the rice on my plate, which was starting to cool down. "So there's this competition called POPPROV (Provincial Student Sports Week), and participants are selected from all high schools in Bandung. From Aksara High, only two people passed the selection. Nico for volleyball and Victor for basketball.
To prepare for the competition, they're in quarantine at the Training Center for five months. And now... it's only been the first month."
"And you miss Nico?" Mom smiled slightly, teasing.
My shoulders slumped. "I don't dare call it missing you, Mom. Besides... who am I to him? But it just feels strange seeing their desks empty."
I quickly added, "But they still come to school on Mondays and Tuesdays, the rest of the week they go to the Training Center. At least I still get to see him two days a week."
"What about the midterms? Are they still taking them at school?" Papa confirmed.
"They were there today. They came back for exams." I paused. "It's just... Nico got yelled at by the proctor today."
Gerry narrowed his eyes. "Yelled at?"
[Exam Room - Morning]
The exam room was dead silent. Only the hum of the AC and the scratching of pens from the students could be heard. Suddenly, my focus was shattered by a guy hissing from the back row.
"Psst! Psst! Nico!"
In the middle of the silence, the whisper echoed clearly. All eyes simultaneously turned toward the source of the sound.
The guy spoke again, intentionally louder: "Nico, must be nice being you. Only showing up for exams, even though you love skipping school on regular days. Ke ke ke..." Nico only glanced briefly, looking completely unfazed.
Creak.
The wooden chair at the front of the class let out a sharp squeak. The proctor—a middle-aged woman with thick powder like a brand ambassador for amateur cosmetics—stood up and put on a fierce face.
Tak! She threw a marker cap, landing right on Nico's desk. "Come to the front, you!"
The instigator group in the back welcomed this with stifled giggles. Nico put his pen down slowly, then calmly walked to the front of the class. All eyes locked onto him.
The teacher put her hands on her hips. "Is what your friend said true?"
"True," Nico answered calmly. "I'm in quarantine at the Training Center. I have official permission from the school."
The teacher's chin lifted arrogantly. She looked Nico up and down. "You think you're special?"
Before Nico could answer, the teacher cut him off with a shrill voice that contrasted with Nico's calmness. "Listen! Your duty as a student is to attend school properly! Want to ruin your future, huh?"
She paused for a moment. "I'm not against athletes, but I don't agree with programs that interfere with studies! You think you can just do as you please!"
Nico was silent for a moment. His face remained as calm as the surface of water. "Ma'am, if you're angry, that's your right," he said without raising his voice. "But if you object to the quarantine rules, please complain directly to the POPPROV organizers because they're the ones who set the schedule. Not me."
The proctor squinted, her index finger pointing at Nico's face. "Hey! I don't care who made the schedule! If you're in my class, you follow my rules! This isn't about them, this is about you!"
The finger changed direction, pointing firmly at the door. "Get out! Take your things! I'm giving you a zero!"
Tak! Tak! Tak! She slammed the eraser against the whiteboard, making all eyes turn to her. "This applies to all of you. In my class, no one gets special treatment!" she said while looking at us one by one as we looked down.
I couldn't look away from Nico. He packed his books without a sound. No slamming, no grumbling. Just quiet movements as he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked toward the doorway.
How dare she! Nico is working hard to represent our school and our city! Without realizing it, I was gripping my pen so tightly.
Crack! It broke in two.
Nico adjusted his backpack. He stopped right at the doorway, then turned sharply to face the proctor.
"Ma'am. At this school, there are two people in quarantine: me and Victor. If I'm being kicked out for supposedly skipping school, shouldn't Victor also have to leave?"
His voice rang clear in the tense classroom. "Victor is taking his exam in the next room. Tell him to leave too. Right now."
Click.
Mom put down her spoon and wiped her mouth with a tissue. "Did Nico and Victor actually leave?"
"No," I answered shortly.
Once Nico issued that challenge, the proctor's eyes bulged. She glanced around the classroom with barely contained rage.
Then—
"Sit down," she ordered. "This time, I still have the heart not to ruin your future. Consider this my generosity." She immediately busied herself, pretending to check the stack of exam papers on her desk.
"Huh? Why did she suddenly change her mind?" Mom furrowed her brow in confusion.
"She couldn't do anything, Mom," Gerry interrupted. "Victor was in a different room, not under her authority. So Nico gave her a logical framework: If Nico gets harassed while Victor is let off, that's called double standards. Nico exposed that inconsistency."
"Simply put," Papa added, "in any organization—school, athletics, or military—hierarchies exist so that 'subordinates follow central policy.' But she wanted her own authority."
Papa tightened his jaw. "That's usually the classic way for inferior people to boost their own prestige. Putting others down to make themselves look like they're in control. Pathetic."
I grabbed my orange juice from the table and took a sip. "I just... don't get it. Nico is representing the school. Shouldn't he be supported?"
Gerry laughed softly. "You're too naive, Kiran. They're not always worshipped like celebrities. Sometimes they're easy targets—teachers who feel their authority is being undermined, or jealous classmates. This kind of thing has been happening since my generation."
Gerry leaned back in his chair with a cynical smile. "If I had to guess... that instigator in the back was also an athlete, right? The difference is... he didn't make the cut."
My eyes widened. "You're right! He's a soccer player who failed at the final selection! How did you know?"
Gerry shrugged, then reached for his glass. "Too easy to guess: If I can't have it, neither can you. Failed people usually like finding company to fall with."
I suddenly chuckled. The sound broke the dinner table's silence, drawing curious looks from Mom, Papa, and Gerry.
I stared straight at Gerry. "How stupid of me? I actually felt sorry for Nico over something so pointless."
Gerry raised an eyebrow, waiting.
"When Nico returned to his seat, he deliberately went the long way, passing by that instigator. He stopped right behind that guy's chair."
Gerry's pupils dilated.
"Nico placed both hands on the guy's shoulders and squeezed them gently. The reporter suddenly went stiff, his face turning pale. Then, Nico whispered in his ear."
"'Too bad. I would've actually enjoyed leaving this boring class. Victor too. Next time, learn how to instigate properly, okay?'"
"After that, Nico released his grip. He patted the guy's shoulder twice, like he was encouraging an old friend, then went back to working on his exam as if nothing had happened."
"The room fell completely silent, but I could see the other students' shoulders shaking, desperately holding back laughter."
Gerry was silent for a moment before finally bursting into a short laugh. "Crazy. Nico is the type of wolf that doesn't bark. But when he bites? He aims straight for the jugular."
Gerry leaned back, grinning with satisfaction. "I'm starting to like this kid."
Papa just cleared his throat, but I caught it. The corner of his lips lifted slightly. An indirect acknowledgment?
"So," Mom teased, propping her chin on her hand, "this is why Mom's daughter has lost her appetite? Because she can't stop thinking about the 'wolf' who's in quarantine?"
"What are you saying, Mom? I was just telling a story!"
"Yeah, yeah. Now finish your food," Mom replied with a chuckle.
I started poking at my rice again. "Mom, you know what?" my voice lowered. "Lately, the Class President has been acting... weird."
"Weird how?" Mom finished her last spoonful of rice.
"Ever since Nico went into quarantine, he's been very... nice to me."
"Nice how?" Gerry cut in. He propped his chin on both hands, ready to hear the hot gossip.
"He helps me with cleaning duty since Nico isn't there on Thursdays. Helps me carry stacks of textbooks to the library. Sometimes..." I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual, "he puts cold drinks on my desk. He says it's to help me stay focused on studying. But I've politely declined, of course."
Papa narrowed his eyes. "So Papa's little girl has some charm after all. You're a teenager now, Kirana."
"Wh-what?" I blinked, genuinely not understanding where they were going with this.
Gerry immediately jumped in. "You don't realize it? He likes you, idiot!"
"Huh? Really?" My mind suddenly went blank.
"Oh my god, are you innocent or just slow?" Gerry rolled his eyes. "And he's making his move right when Nico isn't around? Hmm... opportunistic. This is interesting."
I fell silent. The class president? Likes me? The image of his friendly smile suddenly flashed through my mind, making my cheeks feel warm.
"So? What's your decision?" Gerry pressed in a challenging tone.
I bit my lower lip, unsure. "I don't know. Maybe... I want to see how Nico responds. All this time, he's been like the sole ruler of the 'chessboard.' I want to know, if someone else suddenly joins the game, what will he do?"
Mom looked at me gently but firmly. She stroked my hair softly. "But remember, Kirana. You are not a trophy for them to fight over. Mom wants you to be a player that they never expected to be there. Understand?"
I fell silent, absorbing her advice. Not a trophy? But a player?
Slowly, I reached for my phone and turned on the screen. My eyes landed on the calendar. Monday. Two more days... two days until that "wolf" returns to school.
I stared at the row of numbers in silence, speaking silently to the figure far away.
Nico... do you have feelings for me?
🪧 Hi everyone. Thank you very much for your time and interest in this work.
Before you continue, I would like to share a small note about the language used here.
I understand English, but I can't speak it well. This content is translated from the original Indonesian 🇮🇩 into English 🇬🇧 using translation tools, so please excuse any minor mistakes. However, the original work is from Indonesia and is 100% original my work. — KiraNico