Ratna pondered. No wonder she hadn't seen Raymond and his friends these past few days. They had been suspended for fighting.
Harold was back in class that morning. There was still a swollen bruise on his lip, and a plaster adorned his temple. Even so, his face remained handsome—it actually made him look even more like a "bad boy." He stopped right in front of Ratna, who was reading a book. Helen, sitting beside Ratna, immediately looked away, loathing the sight of the person she hated most.
"So, this is the girl Rey has a crush on, huh?" Harold mocked, tilting his head.
His right hand casually reached out and touched Ratna's chin.
Ratna looked up in surprise. How dare he touch me?!
She immediately slapped his hand away.
"What do you want!" she snapped curtly.
Harold smirked. Inside, something stirred—something he had felt for a long time but always denied. He knew Ratna wasn't ugly. He knew that beneath the large glasses and loose clothes, Ratna possessed a charm that was hard to explain. But Harold was too proud to admit it.
So, as usual, he chose the wrong path: teasing.
"Why would Rey like you, though? That's so weird," he chuckled.
But his eyes lingered on Ratna longer than they should have.
Ratna stared back, her face flushed crimson. It was a mix of anger, embarrassment, and something else she couldn't name. The classroom suddenly went silent.
"Hmm… but you are pretty when seen up close," Harold murmured, almost to himself. He swallowed hard, realizing the words had slipped out unconsciously.
Ratna felt even hotter. What did he mean? Was he trying to insult her or flirt?!
She clenched her fists.
Harold, however, just laughed at his own confusion.
"No wonder Rey likes you, hahaha!" he said loudly, covering his awkwardness.
"Jerk!" Helen yelled, punching his shoulder.
"Yeah! Jerk, jerk!" Ratna joined in the shouting, hitting Harold with her book.
Harold didn't fight back. He simply lowered his head, enduring the blows from the two enraged girls.
His friends gawked—it was against their gang's rule to hit a girl.
The class erupted in noise. Everyone cheered, watching the spectacle.
Until—
"Stop it!" Mr. Subrata's loud voice echoed from the doorway.
The atmosphere instantly froze.
💫 Ratna's Shadow
Late afternoon turned into evening. The orange light filtered through Harold's bedroom window, reflecting on the mirror that showed his own face—lips still swollen, a plastered temple. But it wasn't the injury that bothered him.
What kept dancing in his head was Ratna's face.
"Insane," he whispered softly, lying on his bed. "Why am I thinking about her?"
Harold stared at the ceiling, trying to distract himself. But the more he tried, the clearer the image became—Ratna's angry, firm, and self-respecting gaze.
The look that should have annoyed him, but somehow made his heart beat faster.
Why is she so captivating, anyway? She's just a simple girl in glasses, so plain, not stylish at all…
He scoffed, roughly pushing the image away as if it could disappear. But every time he closed his eyes, Ratna was still there—with big eyes, thick black eyebrows, and pink lips that somehow looked so soft in his mind.
Harold sat up, looking out the window. The sky was already dark. In the distance, he could hear the sound of crickets and a motorbike passing on the deserted street.
He recalled the incident this morning—when Ratna slapped his hand away, when Helen punched him, when their classmates laughed at the chaos. Usually, he would be furious. But now… he wasn't.
He only felt one thing: Ratna's face, which continued to haunt him.
"She likes Rey," he murmured softly. "So why do I care?"
He offered a bitter smile, closed his eyes, then let out a long sigh.
Yet that night, every time he was about to fall asleep, Ratna's shadow returned—staring at him with angry eyes, then turning away and leaving.
And for some reason, that image hurt more than anyone's punch.