Mia enthusiastically walked over to Stela. The girl was carrying two cups of teh tarik, her friend's order. Vero wasn't at school today. She and Loen had gone out of town with their parents.
Stela herself had no intention of leaving her chair. She was focused on doing the homework from Mia's book. No, more accurately, she was copying it. The word cheating seemed a little too harsh. The girl had forgotten because yesterday, she'd spent all night looking for a part-time job.
"Here," Mia said, holding out Stela's drink.
"Thanks."
"I saw R in the cafeteria earlier."
Stela looked at Mia while sipping her tea. She'd definitely heard that sentence. But what did it have to do with her? Why did her friend feel the need to report it to her? Stela refocused on her book. She ignored Mia, who was still standing in front of her.
"So?"
"That means he's all better, right?" Mia said again.
"None of my business."
Stela pretended not to care. Her eyes weren't focused, darting everywhere. She wasn't being completely sincere. Since yesterday, the girl had wanted to check on R, but once again, she'd had to look for work.
Stela had exchanged messages with Dean to ask about R's condition. Not because she cared that much, but because she felt partly responsible. There was no denying that the guy had gotten sick partly because of her selfishness.
Hearing that R had come back to school relieved her. That meant his illness hadn't been serious. He'd only needed to spend one night in the hospital. Now Stela could focus without thinking about that guy anymore.
"What do you mean, none of your business? You spent the whole night alone together. How could it not be your business? Vero said Loen went to visit R at the hospital several times," Mia asked.
The girl immediately dragged her chair backward and stared intently at Stela. The classroom was still quiet, with many students hanging around in the cafeteria. She could interrogate Stela freely. Her friend had been incredibly tight-lipped. She hadn't told Mia the slightest thing since yesterday. Mia had learned about it from Vero, who had only heard vague details from Loen. Mia needed clarification.
"He was the one who insisted on sleeping on the porch. I didn't tell him to. Besides, whether he gets sick or not, I don't care. None of my business," Stela replied as indifferently as possible.
"Then how did he end up at your house? I was only allowed to drop you off under the bridge," Mia teased.
"That—"
Mia smiled triumphantly. Her eyes blinked rapidly, making her look ridiculous. She raised her eyebrows as if she'd just won the lottery. The girl leaned closer to Stela and looped her arm through hers.
"You went out alone together, didn't you? Then he walked you home? That's it, right?"
Mia's eyes sparkled. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Stela's nervousness. The girl gave in. Maybe the best solution right now was to tell her friends. Though, honestly, she was afraid. Sharing information with friends could backfire. They could easily become formidable enemies once they knew so much about her private life.
"I ran into R at Indomart by accident. He offered me a ride. So I accepted."
"Are you sure that's all there was to it? What about him staying on the porch?"
"R already knew where I lived before I even gave him directions. Obviously, I panicked. How could he know? I've been doing everything I can to hide in a tiny alley like this, and he still managed to get information about my house so easily." Stela paused, then continued, "R felt guilty because he'd indirectly put me in danger. He stubbornly waited for Dean and Loen to reply about where they'd gotten my address. And that was how we ended up like yesterday."
Mia instinctively clapped her hands. This was the first time she'd ever heard a story about R's good side. The guy almost never showed guilt. Maybe he never had before. R had never apologized to the students he bullied, either.
"That kid can be a real man, huh?" Mia said admiringly.
"That's normal, isn't it? He really was in the wrong, right?"
"No, this isn't normal. This is R, Stel. R feeling guilty isn't normal. He really does like you. I think."
R played with the basketball he'd brought. The afternoon sunlight felt warm, as if it were restoring his body after it had been cold and stiff. Luckily, the blazing heat had passed, so it wasn't tormenting him too much. The guy enthusiastically dribbled the ball back and forth. He looked completely healthy again, back to his old self.
Not much was different. Only Loen was absent from basketball practice. The spectators' cheers were the same, too. Even though this was only practice, their fans were incredibly loyal.
They were still warming up. Their coach was also still busy enjoying a bottle of isotonic drink. R's gaze shifted to the front row of the spectators' bleachers on the left.
Stela. The girl was playing with her phone beside Mia, while her friend was busy shouting Kenand's name, her boyfriend. R smiled happily when he saw the girl had come to watch him. Call him full of himself. But R couldn't think of any other reason Stela would have come here. Though he knew Mia was the one who had forced her to come.
The guy deliberately threw the ball toward Stela. He ran away from his teammates toward it. Consider it an alibi, or maybe a trick. The ball was clever, too—it stopped right in front of Stela. The girl stared at the ball as it approached, then shifted her gaze to R.
"Aristoteles learned the meaning of true love thanks to an assignment from his teacher. He had to find the most beautiful flower in a vast flower garden, with the condition that he had to walk in a straight line."
R began telling the story. Amazingly, Stela listened closely. She even took off her headset.
"In the end, he came home empty-handed. Aristoteles said, 'I couldn't get it. I actually found it, but I thought there might be something even more beautiful ahead. When I reached the end of the garden, I realized that the first one I'd found was the best, but I couldn't go back.'"
R paused. He picked up the ball in front of Stela and moved closer to her. The cheers of several girls watching his performance began to grow louder when R brought his face close to Stela's.
He turned toward Stela's ear and began to whisper, "Now I'm learning from that mistake, too."
"What are you talking about?" Stela replied indifferently.
R straightened up.
"Maybe there's someone out there who's prettier, sexier, richer, and more of everything else. But I've decided to stop here, right in front of you." R winked at Stela, then returned to the basketball court.
Stela walked quickly after realizing that R was following behind her. She regretted staying to watch the game until it ended. As a result, the guy had been able to catch up with her. Damn it, Mia had canceled her promise to walk Stela home just like that because Kenand had forced her to go home with him.
Stela knew better than to insist. She also realized that Kenand didn't like having her around Mia.
"Hey, wait!"
R started calling out to Stela. He'd followed her from behind for several steps. Stela stopped for a moment and looked back at R. Then she quickened her pace, as if signaling that she didn't want him following her.
Unfortunately, R wasn't that perceptive. He wasn't willing to let Stela go that easily, either. The guy began running to keep up with her.
"I said wait," R called.
The guy managed to grab Stela's hand. The girl only stared at their joined hands. R was still panting, trying to steady his breathing.
"Let's go to the park first," R invited.
"Ugh, why?"
"Just come with me." R tugged on Stela's hand and walked toward the place he'd mentioned.
"Hey, hey!"