"Ha ha ha!" Rey laughed heartily. That day was his first day back at school after being sick. He was thrilled to hear Helen's story about how she and Ratna had beaten up Harold that time.
The school canteen looked quiet that afternoon. Rey was sitting with Tim, Aryo, Julia, and Helen. The atmosphere, initially filled with loud laughter, turned silent when Ratna appeared in the distance, eating in her usual corner.
Suddenly, Harold showed up—alone. Unusual. He was usually surrounded by his gang. This time, his steps led directly towards Ratna.
Rey's eyes immediately widened, tense. His friends also fell silent, watching from afar.
"What's up with Harold?" Tim whispered, gesturing in their direction.
Ratna was engrossed in her meal and a book when she realized a shadow was standing in front of her.
"Hi, Rey," she greeted without looking up.
But as she raised her head, Ratna was shocked—it wasn't Rey.
It was Harold.
Harold smiled. His face was still charming, but for some reason, this time it made Ratna scared. Maybe Harold was going to take revenge for yesterday's incident.
Harold looked awkward, not expecting to be greeted that way. He took something out of his pocket and handed it to Ratna.
Ratna was stunned. "What is this?" her voice was barely a whisper.
"A sincere apology… here, try this chocolate. It's good," Harold replied, a little nervous. His cheeks flushed, a stark contrast to his pale skin.
Ratna looked at him suspiciously. It was impossible for someone as nasty as Harold to suddenly be nice. There must be a trap. Maybe the chocolate contained something. She thought fast—how to make Harold eat it too.
"Thank you, you're so kind today, Harold," she said sweetly. "I accept your apology, but… let's eat it together, okay? I'm afraid of getting fat if I eat alone."
Harold chuckled. Ratna slowly opened the chocolate bar. In her mind, this was like playing roulette—who knew, maybe Harold would be the one getting a stomach ache later.
From another table, Rey stared intensely.
"What is Harold doing, approaching Ratna?" he muttered. He started to stand up, but Aryo held him back.
"Hold on, Rey. Just watch."
Harold smiled, satisfied to see Ratna accept his gift. It's quite easy to conquer this girl, he thought to himself.
Ratna offered him the chocolate. "One for you, one for me. Deal?" she said, pretending to be casual.
They ate slowly. Some other students started whispering, surprised to see Ratna sitting with the most popular guy in school.
Rey couldn't take it anymore. "Damn it, Harold. Why is he approaching my girl?" he hissed, standing up. Aryo and Tim quickly restrained him.
Meanwhile, Harold suddenly wiped Ratna's lip, which was smudged with chocolate.
Ratna was startled. Her heart pounded hard. What was he doing?
That's when Rey couldn't hold back any longer. He approached them with long strides. As soon as he arrived, he immediately pulled Ratna to her feet.
"Ratna!" his voice was loud. "Don't you dare go near my girl!"
All eyes turned to them. Ratna froze, half-scared to death.
"Rey!" Harold rose, angry.
"Stay away from her!" Rey glared, gripping Harold's collar. A punch landed, hitting Harold's chin.
Ratna screamed. "Rey, stop!" She tried to hold Rey back, standing between them. Harold only gave a faint smile—a smile of victory.
"Your girl?" Harold mocked, wiping his chin. "Funny."
He knew Rey was still weak, but he didn't want to retaliate. One counter-punch could send Rey back to the hospital.
Ratna looked at both of them in a panic. Guilt choked her chest. She didn't mean to make Rey jealous. She also didn't understand why Rey called her his girl—they didn't have any relationship yet.
Tim and Aryo quickly separated the two.
Ratna caught her breath, her face pale. "Rey… I'm not your girl. Harold and I are nothing. He was just apologizing for yesterday's incident," she said softly, holding back tears. "I don't want any trouble here."
Ratna then left the canteen, leaving the four boys in silence.
Rey stared at Ratna's retreating back—sore, jealous, but also afraid of losing her.