16 years later Anna had grown into a twenty-three-year-old woman. From behind, her figure was slender and tall. She was now in her final semester at one of the best universities in her city.
Anna continued down the campus hallway, passing students who were gathered together. Then she entered the room on her left. She took the second seat, far away from the other students. Her gaze was fixed straight ahead.
Wow, she was stunning, with flawless fair skin, long hair, and thick eyelashes.
Suddenly, a tall, short-haired girl with narrow eyes came running toward her. "Anna!" the girl shouted.
"What's wrong, Sha?" Anna asked.
The girl's name was Jia Li Sasha, and she was of Chinese descent. She had been Anna's best friend since middle school. Sasha calmly caught her breath. "Anna, you've got to help me."
Anna furrowed her brows, not understanding what Sasha meant. She gently pulled Sasha's hand and urged her to sit down.
"What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?" Anna asked. She touched Sasha's forehead. "Or are you heartbroken?" she teased.
"I'm serious, An. My thesis was rejected by my professor again," she confessed, pressing her palms together. "Please, help me."
Anna was silent for a moment. "But I can't help you much because I'm working on my thesis too. So don't rush to finish it if you can't handle it." Anna patted the back of Sasha's hand twice to encourage her.
Sasha's expression turned gloomy as she pushed out her lower lip, clearly sad. But she wasn't upset with Anna. "I want to graduate at the same time as you, An," Sasha said.
Anna hugged Sasha. "Don't worry. You'll definitely graduate."
At 8:15 a.m., the professor finally entered the room. He was a middle-aged man with a faint smile on his face.
"Good morning!" Mr. Hambali greeted the students, who were all already in the room. His name was printed on the name tag above the pocket on the left side of his shirt.
"Good morning, sir!" the students replied.
"Today is the final class for the students graduating this year. Congratulations to all of you, especially Anna Raehana!" Mr. Hambali announced. He and the students applauded Anna. "She's the only student who graduated, and she's also the top graduate," Mr. Hambali declared.
Anna immediately stood up and smiled. "Thank you," she said.
Anna was an exceptionally intelligent girl. She had always excelled, from middle school through college, and never stopped maintaining her achievements. She constantly received awards from the university, and her education was covered by a scholarship.
An hour later, class ended. Anna and Sasha left the room.
"An, congratulations. I'm so happy for you on your graduation. Even though I didn't graduate with you, I'm proud of you because you earned the highest score," Sasha praised her.
"Thanks, babe," Anna replied. She hugged Sasha. "I'll pray that you graduate next year," Anna said.
Anna was overjoyed. She couldn't stop smiling and thanking God. She hurried home to tell her mother, Sri, that she had graduated.
"Mom!" she called as she ran.
Sri hurried to open the door when she heard Anna's voice from a distance. "Anna, what is it?" Sri asked.
Sri was still beautiful, though she was clearly getting older. Anna looked very much like her mother, especially with their long, thick eyelashes. Sri appeared to be forty-four years old.
"Mom, I graduated, and Alhamdulillah, I achieved excellent results," Anna said happily.
"Alhamdulillah. I'm proud of you, An," Sri said.