Our High School's
He's Starting to Like her..

Aya did not go straight home. Today he has to take turns with Haira to help his father and mother work in the store. They agreed to take turns guarding the shop once a week, and today it was Aya's turn.

Aya's parents were not wealthy people. They only had a cake shop to sustain the lives of the five of them. Aya is the eldest of three children. His youngest brother is currently still sitting on the bench of Junior High School. Their age is not too far away.

Their home can be said to be simple. The only legacy of his father's parents. Not too big, but comfortable enough to live with five people.

In terms of education, Aya is more fortunate than her two sisters. He was able to attend a fairly elite school, because when he entered High School, his father and mother got severance from where they worked before. But when Haira entered High School, she preferred to attend other places that are not too elite. This is because Haira is pursuing one of her favorite majors at the school, Bakery. He wanted to continue his father's business and open his own bakery.

The sky began to drizzle as Aya arrived at her father's cake shop. He moved to the dressing room and wore a bakery apron. Actually, he's been a little tired these days. But the schedule of the store must remain he lakoni.

"Well, mom and dad are going to Auntie Dewi's house, the new bread and cake is already in the oven. You know how to turn off the oven, right?"

Aya answered her mother's words with a nod because her mouth was already full of a piece of bread. He was too busy dealing with Daffin and Arka to forget his lunch.

Yes, Arka.

Aya's mind recalls the incident earlier that afternoon when she met Arka. The man who claims to be Daffin's older brother. According to Aya, Daffin is not at all similar to Arka. But maybe it happened, because she also does not look like Haira who looks more white and beautiful.

Aya's thoughts about Arka began to drift when the sound of the oven alarm rang, the sign of the bread her mother baked was ripe. Along with Aya who lifted the bread from the kitchen, he was surprised to find Arka already standing in front of the cash register where customers were ordering.

"Hey.."

Arka waved her hand and smiled widely, wide enough that her dimples came out saying hello.

"the arka? What are you doing here? Wait, how do you know I'm here?"

Arka who was originally standing, immediately sat on one of the chairs closest to him.

"You're following me from school?" Aya looked at him suspiciously.

"Daffin who knows"

Hearing Arka's reply, made Aya scrunch her forehead. From where Daffin can know the address of the cake shop, while he only knew Aya for two days.

"You don't have to be surprised and surprised. There's a lot you don't know in this world"

Arka sipped the coffee she took from the showcase cabinet in the corner of the room. He laughed looking at Aya who kept looking at him with an intimidating look.

"I've been told by Daffin to keep you here" Arka who felt the base of the bed was enough, his expression turned more serious.

This time Aya fell silent and stopped her activities wiping the glasses and dishes. Daffin told Arka to take care of him? Make what? Wait, why? Aya asked in silence.

"Here, I'm clear"

Aya stepped closer to Arka's table and sat down in front of her. He still did not say a word since Daffin's name was mentioned.

"So Daffin told me about you guys in the gym hall yesterday. He's afraid they're gonna find you and admit to strange things. That's why he told me to take care of you" explained Arka while again chewing on the brownies Aya brought.

"Why are they looking for me? They didn't see us there yesterday"

Arka swallowed her brownies before returning to talk. Then he told me something that Aya didn't know about yesterday at the sports hall. They are not just four, but five. The three people who were standing were beating the one who was covered in wounds, and there was one more person who was outside. And it was that person who saw Daffin and Aya while coming out of the hall, as they passed each other in front of the building. Daffin, who initially thought he was just an ordinary student, began to suspect that he was following Aya when he came home from school this afternoon. Hence Daffin called Arka to take his place trailing the man.

"So that guy's still around here?

Arka shakes.

"I told him to leave earlier"

Aya again squinted her eyes, looking at Arka suspiciously.

"Rare you just told to leave?"

Not without reason Aya asked that, because Arka and Daffin did look like children who prefer to talk with muscles than the mouth. He suspected Arka beat up the people who followed him, because Aya saw there was a slight scratch on Arka's face. While Arka who understood the meaning of Aya's question only replied with a shot of her shoulder with a smile.

***

After a 10-minute wait in the alley, Daffin heard a laughing sound from the back of the building. He walked slowly with his curiosity starting to appear. And after the laughing voice stopped, another voice cried out while asking for help.

Daffin saw Dipa curled up below with a body full of wounds. He cried and begged not to be beaten again by two people who stood with sticks in their hands.

"DIPAA!!!"

Everyone looked up at Daffin standing up. And it was not Daffin who called Dipa, but Haira. He stood beside Daffin without being noticed by him.

"aa..Ai.."

Haira immediately approached Dipa and helped her up. Then he swept her away from the two who knew who it was. As they tried to block Haira, Daffin stepped in. Letting Haira and Dipa be behind him.

"WHO TIMES? MOVE OVER!!!

The two people who beat Dipa are definitely thugs. Seen from their deformed look. Pierced ears, tattoos here, disheveled hair, and shabby-looking clothes.

"Don't use acquaintances, mending you two leave here or I call the police" hardik Daffin calm down.

But it seemed like the two thugs were unwilling to easily let Dipa go. Finally, even the fist cannot be avoided. Armed with his martial skills, Daffin managed to subvert the two thugs, although he himself was also injured. And those thugs ended up unconscious in the back of the building.

Haira, Daffin, and Dipa immediately left the place for Dipa's house. Luckily Dipa's parents were still outside the city, so they could safely treat her injuries.

"Why did they hit you anyway, Dip?"

Haira's voice trembled. He tried to hide his worries. Haira and Dipa have been close for a long time, since their Junior High School established a relationship STM aka Like But Shame. They like each other, but there is no word of commitment. They were too embarrassed to say the words 'shooting' to each other'.

"Don't.."

"..they're Ketapel"

Hearing Daffin's words, Haira looked slightly surprised. How can Dipa get involved with Ketapel. Is Dipa made a pigeon? Butwhy? The thought kept Haira out of focus until the antiseptic drug she had applied on Dipa's hands spilled over.

"Da..Ai.."

Haira regained her senses and immediately cleaned Dipa's hand and then made her. With a spell she again asked Dipa about what happened. About whether Dipa is a pigeon. Did Dipa take the medicine. And all that was Haira's doubt that night.

***

Arka helps Aya clean up her shop after the clock shows at 9 p.m. Aya who initially felt uncomfortable with Arka's presence throughout her working hours, finally let Arka stay in the store until it closed.

"You have no other job? Don't do those tasks?"

Arka ignored Aya's question, she just shrugged her shoulders and rearranged the chair on the table. Aya clucked and shook her head, she had just realized that Arka was one of the many students who did not want to mess with school affairs.

The two of them walked towards Aya's house shortly after finishing closing the shop. Throughout the journey they remained silent. There was only the sound of footsteps from their shoes rubbing against the asphalt. Aya felt this atmosphere would make her even more awkward. He racked his brain to find the right topic of conversation.

"Abis graduated where you're going, Ar"

The topics were standard, but Aya could not think of any other topic.

"Hmm.don't know yet, Ay.."

Either because the air that night was a little cooler than usual, or just Aya's feeling alone. Suddenly Aya felt funny when Arka called her name like that. Of course his nickname often makes people misunderstand, thinking it stands for "honey". That silly thing made him smile to himself.

"You're saying I call you baby, right?" babble Arka while holding back her laughter.

Aya thought Arka could hear the contents of her head. He also felt dejavu when Arka teased him like that. And the shadow of Daffin who teased him this morning finally answered Dejavu Aya. She wondered why she and her sister always thought as they pleased.

"Based on guys, same thing"

Hearing Aya's complaint, Arka laughed out loud. He liked Aya's expression a lot when she teased him. And slowly but surely, Arka looked at the face of Aya who was still upset with her.

He started to like the long haired girl.