The weekend had finally arrived.
For the first time after several days filled with class schedules, assignments, and faces that were starting to feel familiar, Gilang felt like he had a little time to breathe. There were no classes. No assignments due first thing in the morning. No professor suddenly handing out extra work before class ended. There was only his mattress, his phone, and the intention to do absolutely nothing.
Gilang was still lying down when a notification came through on his phone.
Raka.
“Get up. Come outside.”
Gilang frowned.
He typed a short reply.
“Where am I supposed to go?”
The message hadn’t even been read when an incoming call appeared.
Gilang sighed before answering.
“What?”
“Get up first.”
“I’m already up.”
“If you’re up, take a shower.”
Gilang let out a quiet laugh.
“Why are you the one managing my life?”
“Because if I don’t, you’ll still be in bed until this afternoon.”
Gilang fell silent for a moment.
He had a point.
Raka was one of the few people who had known him for quite a long time. They had met during their first semester, when they were both still confused by the college campus and often walked into the wrong classes.
At first, they were just seatmates. Then they became eating buddies. Assignment partners. People to complain about professors with. And without ever really planning it, their friendship had lasted all the way to their sixth semester.
“So where are we going?” Gilang asked.
“Just out. Nisa’s coming too.”
Gilang immediately sat up.
“Nisa’s coming?”
“Yeah.”
“What time?”
Raka laughed on the other end of the line.
“See? You only get motivated when Nisa’s coming.”
“Don’t make things up.”
“Just take a shower. We’ll pick you up.”
The call ended.
Gilang stared at his phone screen for a few seconds. Then he got up from the mattress. There was actually nothing special about that day. No big plans.
They just wanted to go out, find something to eat, maybe walk around for a while, and head home before dark.
But sometimes, the simplest days were the ones people remembered the longest.
About an hour later, Gilang was already standing in front of the house. A motorcycle stopped in front of him. Raka lifted the helmet he was carrying.
“Get on.”
Gilang took the helmet.
“Where’s Nisa?”
“In front of the convenience store.”
They then rode down the road.
The weekend air felt different. The roads were busier than on ordinary days. Several college students stood around in groups along the roadside, while restaurants were starting to fill with young people taking advantage of the day off.
Before long, they found Nisa.
She was already standing there with her phone in hand.
As soon as she saw them, Nisa immediately put on an annoyed expression.
“You guys took forever.”
Raka pointed at Gilang.
“Him.”
Gilang immediately turned toward him.
“Don’t slander me.”
Nisa laughed.
“We just got here and you’re already fighting.”
“That’s how we’ve always been,” Raka replied.
They finally walked together.
There was no serious conversation.
They talked about little things that were actually unimportant.
Their college assignments.
Their classmates.
The professor who was notorious for giving out terrible grades.
The food everyone was talking about on social media.
Every now and then, they laughed over nothing more than a simple joke.
Gilang mostly stayed quiet and listened. He laughed along from time to time.
Then he happened to see a little child walking while being led by both parents, and he suddenly remembered his own family—his parents, his older sibling. Gilang had lost them all when he was still very young.