The morning found the grounds of Arunika High School filled with the sounds of vehicles arriving one after another.
Students walked toward the classroom building while chatting. Some were still busy finishing breakfast, while others simply stood in front of the gate, looking for an excuse not to go straight to class.
Everything looked like an ordinary school morning.
Until the sound of an engine came from the distance.
Vroom... vroom...
The sound was different from the motorcycles that usually entered the school grounds.
Not especially loud.
But it was deep and distinctive enough to make several heads turn.
A black classic motorcycle slowly entered through the gate.
Its fuel tank had a classic shape, its handlebars were high, and the back was kept simple. It wasn't one of the latest motorcycles the students liked to show off.
Quite the opposite.
The motorcycle looked old.
But somehow...
cool.
The rider stopped in the student parking area.
A guy got off the motorcycle, removed his helmet, and shook out his slightly messy hair.
His school uniform was neat, but his tie wasn't perfectly straight.
His name was Alvian Agarta.
A transfer student.
And after only a few seconds at his new school, Alvian had already managed to draw almost everyone's attention.
"Who's that?"
"The new kid?"
"His motorcycle is so cool."
"What grade is he in?"
"Damn... he's handsome."
Whispers began drifting in from every direction.
Alvian only let out a quiet sigh.
A scene like this wasn't anything new to him.
He had often been the center of attention for as long as he could remember.
He put his helmet under the motorcycle seat, then walked toward the main building.
After only a few steps...
"HEY!"
Someone shouted from behind him.
Alvian turned around.
A guy ran toward him, a bag nearly slipping off his shoulder.
"You're Alvian, right?"
Alvian raised an eyebrow.
"You know me?"
The guy immediately held out his hand.
"Raka Adinata."
Alvian shook his hand.
"Raka?"
"Yeah. Your classmate."
Raka then glanced at Alvian's motorcycle.
"And that..."
He pointed at the motorcycle Alvian had just left behind.
"...that's insane. You really brought a Chopper to school?"
Alvian smiled faintly.
"Why? Is it against the rules?"
"No."
Raka laughed.
"I just didn't expect a new kid to show up at school on something like that."
Alvian strolled toward the building.
"Better than riding the same kind of motorcycle as everyone else."
Raka followed him.
"So you like classic motorcycles?"
"Yeah."
"Since when?"
"Since I was little."
His answer was brief.
Raka studied Alvian for a few seconds.
"You're not much of a talker, are you?"
"Not when it isn't important."
Raka laughed.
"I think we're gonna get along."
Class XI Social Studies 2
When Alvian entered the classroom, the atmosphere immediately changed.
Several students who had been talking fell silent.
Some turned to look.
A few girls even began whispering to one another right away.
The teacher writing on the board turned around too.
"Ah, you're Alvian Agarta?"
Alvian nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Go ahead and introduce yourself."
Alvian stood at the front of the classroom.
The eyes of dozens of students turned toward him.
He didn't look nervous in the slightest.
"My name is Alvian Agarta. I'm transferring here from Bandung."
Silence.
"I hope we can be friends."
Simple.
No long speech.
No attempt to look cool.
Yet somehow, several girls immediately smiled.
Mr. Arman pointed to an empty seat in the middle of the room.
"You can sit next to Raka."
Alvian walked to his seat.
As he passed several desks, he happened to hear a quiet voice.
"That new kid is so cool."
"I heard he has a Chopper."
"Seriously?"
Alvian pretended not to hear them.
He sat down.
Raka immediately nudged his arm.
"Bro."
"What?"
"You've already got fans."
Alvian snorted.
"I just got here."
"Exactly."
Raka held back a laugh.
On the other side of the classroom, a girl was busy reading a book.
Thin glasses rested on her nose.
Her black hair was tied back simply.
Her uniform wasn't anything special, either.
She hadn't even looked over at Alvian.
Her name was Grace Chintia.
Keisha, sitting beside her, glanced at Grace.
"Grace."
"Hmm?"
"Aren't you curious about the new kid?"
Grace looked up from her book.
"Why?"
"His name is Alvian."
"So?"
Keisha rolled her eyes.
"He's handsome."
Grace went back to reading.
"Oh."
Keisha stared at her in disbelief.
"That's it? Just 'oh'?"
Grace nodded.
"Yep."
"You're weird."
Grace smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
Keisha then looked toward Alvian.
"I think the whole school is gonna go crazy because of him."
Grace didn't answer.
To her, Alvian was just a new student.
Nothing more.
When break time arrived, almost the entire class started buzzing.
Several students approached Alvian.
Question after question came flying at him.
"Where do you live?"
"Where did you go to school before this?"
"Is that motorcycle really yours?"
"How big is the engine?"
Alvian answered only what was necessary.
But one question began to bore him a little.
"Alvian, do you have a girlfriend?"
He turned toward them.
"Nope."
Several people immediately cried out.
"Seriously?"
"You don't have one yet?"
Raka, standing beside him, laughed.
"Don't get excited. He doesn't fall for people easily."
Alvian glanced at Raka.
"You talk too much."
Raka laughed.
Amid the crowd, Alvian's eyes accidentally drifted toward the window.
Grace was eating with Keisha there.
She wasn't looking at him.
She wasn't talking about him.
She wasn't curious about his Chopper.
She didn't care that the entire class was talking about him.
Alvian watched her for a few seconds.
Then he asked Raka,
"Who's that over there?"
Raka followed his gaze.
"Grace?"
Alvian nodded.
Raka immediately flashed a grin.
"Why?"
"Nothing."
"You asked."
"I was just curious."
Raka looked at Grace again.
Then he looked at Alvian.
And smiled knowingly.
"Don't tell me..."
Alvian cut him off immediately.
"I just asked her name."
"Yeah, yeah."
Raka laughed.
But Alvian was still looking toward Grace.
Something about her made him curious.
Not because Grace was beautiful.
Not because she was popular.
But because...
Grace was the only person in the class who didn't pay him the slightest bit of attention.
And for the first time in a long while, Alvian found himself wanting to know about someone.
Someone who didn't even know she was being watched.
Grace Chintia.
Without either of them realizing it, that brief conversation would become the beginning of a relationship that would slowly change both their lives.