Flashback to yesterday, at one o'clock in the afternoon, during cultural arts class.
All the students in the class were waiting for the cultural arts teacher to explain what assignments needed to be made and collected next week. Everyone was listening intently. Of course, no one wanted to miss the information, and anyway, it should not be missed or something unpleasant would happen.
"The task from me is quite easy, I'm very sure you can all make it," said Mr. Hockey, a fifty-year-old cultural arts teacher. His thin hair has begun to turn white, his body is short, with glasses perched on his nose.
"What's the assignment then?" The class leader raised his hand. Asked out of curiosity. Also impatient, of course.
"Oh yes, I will explain. Your task is to make handicrafts. Whatever it is, it's up to you. Easy, right?" Mr. Hockey smiled happily. "I don't think there's any need to ask, it's already clear, right? If anyone is confused and still doesn't understand, please raise your hand."
Kenya raised her hand high into the air. "Is this really free, sir? Whatever it is?"
"Yep, just like what you just said. It's all up to you, according to your own creativity and ideas. And I'll wait for the results next week. Is that clear?"
"Clear sir!" replied all the students, sounding so loud, compact, and full of high spirits.
"Alright, that's all you have to say." The teacher with the glasses then returned to his seat. A few seconds later, he said again, "Oh my gosh, you missed a little information. And this is important. Everyone listen to your explanation."
The cultural arts teacher, who was known for being kind, polite, and not stingy with grades, stood up from his seat again. "This is not an individual assignment, but a group assignment. One group has two members. And since the number of children in this class is odd, there will be one group with three members."
"Are the group members self-selected or hand-picked?" One of the students asked. Voicing the hearts of his friends who thought the same.
"What do you think?" asked Mr. Hockey to his students. He looked at them one by one.
The question of course reaped a variety of answers. The class immediately became noisy.
"Just choose yourself, sir, to make it easier," said a girl with shoulder-length hair who sat near the door.
"Yes, I agree. If you choose by yourself, it won't be fair, most of those who feel smart will choose smart members, and those who are stupid and feel unfavorable won't be chosen. It's really not fair!"
"Agreed!"
"Self-selection, but more freedom and freedom!"
"In that case, it will be clear which group of smart people is the outcast group. It's not fair! Better to choose one."
"It's not a task that's too brain-draining to think about. So it has nothing to do with whether the students are smart or not. It depends on our creativity. So it's the same thing, it's better to choose your own."
"I don't agree."
"But I don't agree with that choice."
The class was very noisy. Making Mr. Hockey confused himself with the noise created. The graying teacher scratched his head.
"Everyone be quiet!" Mr. Hockey clapped his hands quite loudly and long, and the excitement that was created has now begun to subside.
The class was now as quiet as ever. Mr. Hockey gave a long sigh before finally saying, "I know that everyone has different opinions, but we have to decide one thing. And one of you will decide, I will appoint you."
"One of us?"
"Yes, I will choose one of you," said Mr. Hockey as he raised his hand, choosing which student to choose. Until finally he had found the desired candidate.
"You!"
Mr. Hockey's index finger pointed at a stocky student, who was sitting alone. The student looked shocked when he was pointed out. Who is that student?
Yep, you guessed it, it was Uti.
"Me, sir?" Uti pointed at herself, still in shock. The girl looked at her classmates, who were looking at her.
"Yes, you. What did you choose? This two-member group assignment was chosen by you, or you chose it yourself."
Some of her friends tried to get Uti to speak through lip movements, but no sound emerged. Uti knew this and was well aware of it. But she wasn't going to follow what her friends said. Uti had to decide for herself, what she wanted, what she wanted.
"I would rather choose Mr. Hockey," Uti replied, making some of her friends who disagreed with this one suggestion immediately sigh with disappointment, unlike all the students who agreed with Uti's choice of answer, who looked happy with faces beaming with happiness.
"Okay, the answer has been decided. I will choose the group members for you, guys."
Those who didn't agree with the idea, of course, heard a long sigh. After that, Mr. Hockey randomly named the group members. That's where Uti's answer backfired on herself. The reason was that Uti was in the same group as Novan, something that the girl did not want. She couldn't protest because it had already been decided.
How could you protest? It was the rule that the group members were chosen by Mr. Hockey, if you protested, of course, it was no different from choosing your own members.
When her name was called to be paired with Novan, Uti could only sit limply in her chair. Then, she glanced back, to where Novan was sitting in his seat. And look, he looked so happy, his lips curving upward into a smile so charming that his dimples could be seen clearly. In addition, Novan also raised his thumbs up, showing them to Uti openly.
And Uti couldn't help but stare at Novan with a flat face, before finally focusing on facing forward again. Not to mention, she was already a bit lazy about doing the cultural arts assignment.
Uti didn't hate Novan. If anyone said this, it was very misguided. I don't know, Uti herself couldn't even clearly describe why she was like that.
So that's a flashback to yesterday's events, where Uti was paired with Novan in an art and culture project to create a work of art. And Uti didn't know what she wanted to make. She needed to discuss it with Novan.
And today, right after school, Uti invited Novan to discuss the assignment. Novan of course did not refuse, besides, this is a joint task that must be done together, and being with Uti makes Novan happy.
"Come now, you're coming with me." Uti exclaimed as she waved her hand, instructing Novan to come with her.
Novan was still faithfully sitting at his desk, blinking as he watched the passing of Uti, who had now left class.
"Uti, wait a minute." Novan chased Uti out of the classroom. He was now standing opposite Uti. "Where are we going?"
"To discuss the group project."
"Yes, I know, but where are we going?"
"The library," Uti replied shortly, looking Novan straight in the face. "Why, is there a problem with that place?"
Novan immediately shook his head. That wasn't the problem. Novan sighed softly. He stared at his classroom door, which was still open. "Do you really have to go to the library? Not just in class? The class is empty. All the kids have gone home."
He looked at Uti, who was thinking while holding the strap of her bag. Then she replied, "But I want to be in the library, it's quiet there."
"It's quieter in the classroom because there's no one there, everyone has gone home. We're the only two who haven't." Novan argued. Making Uti immediately bulge her eyes. "How? The library is quiet, but there must still be students there, also one thing you need to know, we can't be noisy there."
"But I feel comfortable in the library. What's wrong with that? Are you scared there?"
"No Ti, it's just a library, what's there to be scared of? I don't like studying or reading books, but I'm not allergic to places with lots of books. Now do you understand?"
Uti let out a super-long sigh, and the girl took a step closer to Novan while girdling her waist. "So if you're not afraid, why are you arguing? Why don't you just do what I say? It'll be quicker, right?"
Not wanting to discuss this matter, which seemed to have a long tail, Novan chose to give in. He smiled and nodded. "Okay, whatever you want, let's go to the library now."
"Okay, let's go." Uti immediately turned around, the girl walked straight with a gaze that did not move from the front. Novan, meanwhile, stole a few glances at Uti.
"What's wrong with you?" Uti, who realized that Novan had been staring at her, then counterattacked, with the girl staring at the tall boy beside her with a blatant stare.
"It's okay."
"You were just looking at me, I realize that."
"I can't look at your face, then?"
Without looking at Novan, Uti shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, it's up to you. Those are your eyes." Uti quickened her pace, saying, "Let's hurry up!"
While Uti's pace quickened, Novan slowed down. The boy sucked his lips, he didn't know when he felt that he was attracted to Uti.
After that, Novan kept pace with Uti, who was already moving forward. The school library was not far away.
"Ti, I have a question."
"If you want to ask something, it's best if you ask it directly; there's no need to ask permission first. Can you?"
"Oh okay." Novan smiled slightly.
"So? What's your question?"
"About last night, when you called me. There's no way you forgot, right Ti?"
"Oh, about that, of course I remember. Why?" asked Uti, this time glancing at Novan.
"Did you really call me last night just to discuss Mr. Hockey's assignment?"
"If not that, why would I call you? Your questions are weird."
"That's exactly it, you're weird, Ti."
"I don't understand what you want to talk about."
Novan exhaled slowly, then he started to get to the point. "You bothered to call me last night just to discuss our group assignment, even though we can discuss it when we're at school, like now, for example. So, I think you had other intentions last night."
"So according to you, when I discussed the assignment last night, it was just my alibi? Not what I really wanted to talk about?"
"Yes, you could say that too."
"What were you thinking then?"
"I feel like if you just wanted to hear my voice, you wanted to talk to me last night. You didn't want to discuss your art and culture assignment, that's just your excuse. Right?" Novan pressed, "I'm not wrong."
"I don't know what kind of demon possessed you, but you're suddenly talking incoherently like this." Uti lightly massaged her forehead. She shook her head quickly, unable to wrap her head around Novan's complicated way of thinking.
"Just admit it, I don't have a problem."
"Whatever you want, Van, I don't care."
"I assume it's true that last night your intention was to talk to me. Right?"
Uti immediately shot a super sharp glare at Novan. Then, a second later, she chuckled sarcastically. "You're ridiculous, you talk as if I like you."
"What if it's true, Ti?"
"And I'll deny it, I have no feelings for you. I don't have any feelings for you. Come on, you're just my classmate Novan, nothing more than that." Uti clicked her tongue. "Stop talking unnecessarily, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I don't know if you've eaten anything until you've been talking incoherently."
"Then I'll prove that you really like me, Ti."
"Whatever you say, I don't care."
"I'll prove it Ti."
"Yes, just try it. I won't like you. There's nothing special about you that makes me interested, Van. You're just my classmate, and we're not really close," Uti replied plainly.
Novan stuffed his hands in his pants pockets. He finally chose to remain silent, or rather, not discuss the matter anymore.
After that, the two of them finally arrived in front of the school library. Unfortunately, it was already closed.
Uti chuckled softly as she shook her head. "Because of you, who kept talking to me, the library is already closed."
"Is it because of me?" Novan pointed at himself. "There's nothing to do, Ti. The library is closed because it's late afternoon, it's time to go home."
What Novan said was true, but Uti still wanted to blame him. "Still, if you hadn't protested and kept talking, we would have arrived before the library closed."
Novan had one answer for that, and he immediately argued. "Even if we arrive on time, it's possible that we'll be kicked out because it's closing time. Not to mention that what we want to discuss is quite a lot and time-consuming, right? I still think Ti. And you can't just blame me."
Uti waved her hands in front of her face. "So, what now?"
"How about going to my house, Ti?"
"I can't, it's late in the afternoon, and I also have my own business. I have to help my mom."
"Can you talk about it now? Or just tomorrow? Tomorrow is a red day, tomorrow is a holiday, right? How about we just finish it tomorrow? If we start in the morning, surely we'll finish Ti?"
Uti thought it wasn't a bad idea considering there was plenty of free time tomorrow. "Okay, I agree."
"Does that mean you're going home now?"
"Yes, what else can I do?"
"Do you want me to take Ti?"
"I brought my own bike, thanks."
"I'll go back then, I'll let you know through my phone." Uti waved her hand slowly and hesitantly, before finally leaving Novan's presence.
Meanwhile, Novan himself was still rooted to the spot. Was it just his feelings or was it real that he had just seen Uti smiling at him. Even though it was just a small smile, Novan felt like he was about to fly into the sky.
Novan still stood where he was. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and Novan would be alone with Uti.
And one more thing, Novan should thank Mr. Hockey for putting him in the same group as Uti. Although the girl was often bitchy and quite blunt with him, Novan had no problem with it. Gradually, Novan was convinced that Uti would like him.
Novan would prove it. We'll see.