# Chapter 4
Since that day, Aletta's life was no longer as peaceful as it used to be. Almost every day, Bagaskara always found a reason to talk to her. Even though he never got an answer, the young man seemed unfamiliar with the word surrender.
That afternoon, Aletta chose to spend her break in the school’s back garden. The place, which faced a small lake, had always been her escape from the crowds.
Sitting alone on a wooden bench, she watched the ripples move slowly across the water in the wind.
Clutched in her hand was a sheet of paper showing the results of her daily Economics test.
Her grade was nowhere near satisfactory.
Aletta let out a quiet breath. Her fingers crumpled the corner of the paper as all the words that had haunted her thoughts for so long echoed in her mind again.
“Stupid.”
“Idiot.”
“You’ll never be able to do it.”
She lowered her head. She had studied late into the night more times than she could count, but the result was always the same. As if nothing she did was ever enough to prove that she was capable.
A few tears slowly slipped down her cheeks. Aletta hurriedly wiped them away, but they kept flowing beyond her control.
Her chest felt tight.
She was tired.
Tired from giving it everything she had, only to be disappointed by the results every time. Tired of constantly being compared to other people. And most painful of all, she had begun to believe that everyone was right—that she really wasn’t as good as they were.
Her gaze returned to the graded paper in her hand.
“Maybe... I really will never be able to do it,” she whispered, her voice nearly drowned out by the breeze sweeping across the lake’s surface.
“I looked everywhere for you, and it turns out you were here.”
The voice made Aletta flinch. She hurriedly wiped the tears from her cheeks, then folded the test paper and hid it behind her book.
Without wanting to speak, Aletta immediately stood and prepared to leave the garden.
But after only a few steps, a hand caught her wrist.
Aletta turned instinctively. Her gaze met Bagaskara’s hazel eyes.
“Let go,” Aletta said softly. It was the first word that had finally left her lips since they met.
Bagaskara looked slightly startled. The corners of his lips lifted into a faint smile before he slowly released her.
“Well, I finally got to hear your voice,” he teased.
Aletta turned away again and started to leave.
“The more you reject me...” Bagaskara’s voice brought her to a brief stop.
“...the more I want to get to know you, Aletta.”
Aletta didn’t turn around. She continued walking away from the garden, her expression still blank, even as an indefinable feeling began to stir in her heart.
Meanwhile, Bagaskara only watched the girl’s back as she moved farther and farther away. For the first time, he had managed to make Aletta say a single word. To him, that was already a small victory.
With a smile that wouldn’t leave his face, Bagaskara entered the soccer extracurricular room.
Nathan, who was tying his shoelaces, immediately frowned in confusion.
“Why are you smiling to yourself, Gas?” he asked suspiciously.
Bagaskara set down his bag, then said excitedly, “I... finally heard Aletta’s voice.”
Nathan fell silent for a few seconds.
“Huh?”
Rafael, who was drinking, nearly choked.
“Seriously?”
Bagaskara nodded firmly.
“Yeah. She talked to me earlier.”
Nathan and Rafael exchanged disbelieving looks.
“Damn...” Rafael muttered. “I thought you were smiling to yourself because you’d been possessed.”
Nathan slowly shook his head with a chuckle.
“You hear her say one word and you’re already this happy?”
Bagaskara only smiled broadly.
“Maybe it’s just one word to you guys. But to me, it’s progress.”
Rafael slapped his forehead in resignation.
“Yep... my best friend’s already falling under the spell of the quiet girl.”
Bagaskara only chuckled. For some reason, he had never seen Aletta smile, but simply hearing one word leave the girl’s lips was enough to make his day feel so much more enjoyable.
Meanwhile, Aletta was in the school restroom. She stood in front of the sink, slowly washing her face before looking at her own reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes looked tired.
She let out a quiet breath, hoping to calm her thoughts before returning to class.
However, the peace didn’t last long.
The restroom door opened loudly, followed by the sound of laughter she knew all too well.
“Oh, look. It’s Aletta.”
Alice entered first, followed by Martha, Pinkan, and Kania. A cruel smile immediately spread across Alice’s face when she saw Aletta standing alone.
Aletta slowly clenched her fingers.
Of all the people at school, that group was the one she wanted to avoid most. Yet somehow, they always managed to find her.
Alice walked over until she was standing right in front of Aletta. Behind her, Pinkan closed the restroom door, while Martha and Kania casually leaned near the sinks, as if they had planned everything.
Alice looked at Aletta through the mirror’s reflection, wearing a sweet smile that felt intimidating instead.
Aletta chose to remain silent.
As usual.
Alice raised her hand and lightly patted Aletta’s shoulder.
But Aletta immediately slapped it away.
“Jeez... this idiot is so aggressive,” Alice mocked, drawing quiet laughter from her three friends.
“Come on, talk. You have a mouth, don’t you? Or are you mute?” Pinkan sneered.
Kania joined in with a smirk.
“Of course she doesn’t want to talk to us. She only wants to talk to a handsome guy like Bagaskara.”
Her words sparked another round of laughter.
Martha stepped closer, then gently pushed Aletta’s forehead with her fingertip.
“You really think you’re so pretty, don’t you?”
Aletta clenched both hands until her knuckles turned white. Her chest rose and fell as she held back emotions that were close to spilling over.
She wanted to fight back.
She wanted to return every insult they had thrown at her all this time.
But she knew she was alone. Meanwhile, there were four people in front of her who were ready to make things even worse if she dared to retaliate.
So Aletta only bit her lower lip, trying to swallow all the pain pressing against her chest once again.
Without warning, Alice grabbed Aletta’s hair and yanked it until the girl’s head was forced back.
“Ah...”
Aletta winced in pain. She tried to break free, but Alice was much stronger. All she could do was grip Alice’s wrist while the other girl refused to loosen her hold.
Alice’s eyes were filled with anger and envy.
“Listen to me carefully, Idiot,” she hissed right in Aletta’s face. “I don’t like you hanging around the guy I like.”
Aletta remained silent, even as pain began spreading across her scalp.
“You think Bagaskara would choose a girl like you?” Alice continued condescendingly. “Wake up. Look at yourself in the mirror.”
Alice pulled Aletta’s hair a little harder, making the girl wince again.
“Stay away from Bagaskara. If I see you talking to him or hanging around him again...”
Alice leaned closer, staring at Aletta threateningly.
“...I’ll make sure your life at this school becomes a whole lot harder.”
Aletta clenched her fists tightly. Her chest was filled with anger, but she chose to hold it back. She knew fighting back now would only make things worse.
Ignoring Aletta’s resistance, Alice pulled the girl’s arm, forcing her body toward the sink.
“Alice... that’s enough...” Pinkan murmured softly, beginning to feel that the situation had gone too far.
But Alice ignored her.
Roughly, she pressed down on Aletta’s shoulders until the girl bent forward, then turned on the faucet.
Cold water gushed out, soaking Aletta’s long hair and uniform within seconds.
“There,” Alice said sarcastically. “Cool your head.”
Aletta squeezed her eyes shut. Water continued dripping from her hair, soaking her face and running down to the ends of her sleeves. She bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears and the humiliation that felt like it was trampling her dignity.
Alice looked at her with a mocking smile.
“Think of this as a lesson. Maybe you’ll learn your place and stop acting up.”
The restroom suddenly fell silent. Only the sound of running water filled the room while Aletta continued standing there without saying a word. Beneath her seemingly helpless expression, a determination that fear had buried for so long slowly began to grow.
Before leaving, Alice gave Aletta one last hateful look.
“Remember what I said.”
Thud!
With one hard shove, Aletta lost her balance. Her head struck the corner of the sink faucet.
“Ah...”
Aletta fell to the floor. Her breath caught as pain radiated from her head. A few seconds later, a drop of blood slowly trickled from her temple, falling onto the cold ceramic floor.
Alice only snorted contemptuously.
“Come on.”
Without the slightest hint of remorse, she turned and left the restroom with Martha, Pinkan, and Kania. The door closed behind them, leaving behind a silence that cut deep.
Aletta was still sitting on the floor. With slightly trembling hands, she touched her temple. When she pulled her fingers away, a red stain had begun to coat her fingertips.
Her eyes closed for a moment.
Not because of the pain in her head.
But because, for the first time, she felt she could no longer bear all the wounds she had kept buried inside alone.