That morning, Wendi woke up before his alarm went off. The first thing he felt wasn't sleepiness, but discomfort in his body.
He stayed still on the bed for a few seconds.
His hands moved slowly.
Then he moved his legs too.
There was a stiffness that made him furrow his brow.
"It's still there," he muttered.
Wendi took a deep breath.
Over the past few days, he'd started getting used to it. But getting used to it didn't mean he wasn't worried.
He got up and got ready for school as usual.
In front of the mirror, he fixed his hair while studying his own face.
"Don't be dramatic."
He tried to smile.
"I'm just tired."
He'd said that line too many times already.
And every time he said it, Wendi hoped it was true.
When he went downstairs to the kitchen, Dad was already sitting there drinking coffee.
"Morning."
"Morning, Dad."
Dad watched Wendi walk toward the table.
"Still?"
Wendi stopped.
"Still what?"
Dad pointed at his leg.
Wendi immediately knew what he meant.
"A little."
Dad nodded slowly.
"You've had your follow-up, right?"
"Yeah."
"And?"
"Still waiting for the results."
Dad was quiet for a moment.
"Don't overthink it."
Wendi gave a small smile.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Because you really do overthink everything."
"Yeah, fair point."
Dad chuckled.
Wendi rarely saw Dad laugh like that first thing in the morning.
The mood at home felt lighter.
After breakfast, Wendi left for school.
That day, he tried to go through everything normally.
He didn't want every day to be filled with fear.
As soon as he arrived at school, Dimas came over.
"Morning, Mr. Famous."
Wendi furrowed his brow.
"Famous for what?"
"Famous because everyone knows you're sick now."
Wendi stared at him.
"Who told them?"
Dimas raised a hand.
"Not me."
"Then who?"
"People saw for themselves."
Wendi sighed.
He didn't like being the center of attention.
Not because he was embarrassed.
But because he was afraid people would start treating him differently.
"Don't tell me they feel sorry for me."
Dimas looked at him.
"They care about you."
"What's the difference?"
"If they feel sorry for you, they see you as someone who can't handle things."
Dimas patted Wendi on the shoulder.
"If they care, they just want to know you're okay."
Wendi fell silent.
Dimas joked around a lot.
But when he was serious, his words always hit home.
In class, a few friends greeted Wendi like they normally did.
Nobody overreacted.
Nobody treated him like he was different.
And that made Wendi feel a little relieved.
During class, the homeroom teacher came in carrying several sheets of paper.
"I have an announcement."
All the students immediately paid attention.
"Next week, there's going to be a school activity."
Several students cheered at once.
"What is it, ma'am?"
"An off-campus activity."
The classroom instantly grew noisy.
Dimas turned to Wendi.
"You have to come."
Wendi raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Because you're definitely going to say you're not coming."
Wendi smiled.
"Not necessarily."
"Well, that's progress."
The school activity got everyone excited.
Wendi included.
It had been a long time since he'd stopped thinking so much about his problems.
But when he left school, the pain returned.
This time, it was bad enough to make him stop walking.
He stood in the empty hallway, waiting for it to ease.
Suddenly, someone spoke.
"What's wrong?"
Wendi turned around.
It was Aldi.
"I'm fine."
Aldi immediately smiled.
"You still answer like that."
Wendi chuckled.
"You noticed too?"
"It's obvious."
"That's bad."
Aldi sat on a bench near the hallway.
"You don't always have to say you're strong."
Wendi looked at him.
"Why is everyone saying that lately?"
"Maybe because everyone can see you're pushing yourself too hard."
Wendi fell silent.
Aldi continued.
"I used to be like that too."
"Like what?"
"Pretending everything was fine."
Wendi was curious.
"Why?"
Aldi looked straight ahead.
"Because I didn't want my family to worry."
Wendi immediately felt like he was hearing his own story.
"And then?"
"Then I realized that the people who love us are more afraid when we stay silent."
Wendi didn't answer.
It turned out he wasn't the only one who had ever felt that way.
That afternoon, he went home with a different perspective.
At home, Mom was folding clothes.
"You look like you have a lot on your mind."
"Mom."
"Yeah?"
"Is it wrong if I worry too much?"
Mom stopped folding.
"No."
"Then why do I feel like I always have to stay calm?"
"Because you're scared."
Wendi fell silent.
"Scared of what?"
"That things will change."
That answer left Wendi speechless.
Because it was true.
He was afraid he wouldn't be able to be the Wendi he used to be.
Afraid he'd have to give up the things he liked.
Afraid of disappointing the people around him.
That night, Wendi opened his calendar.
There was the date of his next checkup.
Only a few days away.
He stared at the date for a long time.
He'd never cared about his hospital appointments before.
Now a single date was enough to fill his mind.
His phone chimed.
A message from Naya.
Naya: Don't stay up too late.
Wendi replied.
Wendi: Yeah.
Naya: Seriously.
Wendi: Yeah, Teach.
Naya: I'm better than Dimas.
Wendi laughed.
Wendi: Not really.
Naya: Don't forget to smile tomorrow.
Wendi stopped typing.
He looked at the message for a few moments.
Then he replied.
Wendi: Thanks.
That night, Wendi lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
He still didn't know what would happen after the test results came out.
But for the first time, he didn't feel like he had to run from reality.
Maybe something really had changed in his life.
But Wendi was beginning to realize something.
Change didn't mean everything was over.
Sometimes change was just life's way of teaching someone to pay closer attention to themselves.