"ANDOOO…!!"
Dina's scream echoed through the classroom, which had already been noisy for the past five minutes. The sounds of flipping sheets of paper, chatter, laughter, and even the repeated sound of cell phone ringtones all blended together. There was no teacher that day—Mrs. Rini had called in for a family matter—but she had left 20 chemistry problems due the next day.
Dina had been working on the assignment for almost an hour, with just one more problem left before the world decided to play a prank on her in the form of spilled orange juice.
Her chemistry assignment turned into a yellow-orange abstract art in three seconds.
And of course, the mastermind was the only human who had made Dina's patience thinner than a tissue.
"Sorry," Ando said casually, even though he had clearly just slaughtered someone's chemistry assignment. Instead of helping clean up, he simply walked away, sipping the rest of his juice.
Dina stared at her soaked book and resisted the urge to throw it at Ando's head.
"He must be jealous because my assignment is almost finished," she muttered, "and he hasn't even started yet."
Icha—who shared a seat with Dina and was a silent witness to all the Dina-Ando drama throughout the school year—patted her shoulder gently.
"Come on, Din. It was an accident."
"Accident?! He clearly meant to spill his juice on my book." Dina grumbled again. "It would have been better if it was water, just dry it. This is orange juice! Even if it's dry, the residue will still be yellow."
Icha held back a laugh. "Just copy it again. It's due tomorrow. There's still plenty of time."
"I have no choice. I really hate piling up work," Dina complained, still trying to wipe her book with a tissue.
Pluk.
Something landed firmly on her forehead. An eraser—covered with abstract scribbles.
Dina closed her eyes. Counted to three. Then—
"ANDOOOOOO!!!"
Ando just grimaced, looking more amused than guilty. "Oops. Sorry again. Bram threw it too hard."
Bram, behind him, was already laughing until he was coughing. "I swear I threw it gently, Din. It wouldn't have hit you if Ando had caught it properly."
Several students joined in the laughter. Icha was even banging her fist on the table in her laughter. Only the victim wasn't amused at all.
She grabbed her long ruler and rose from her chair. Ando, seeing signs of retaliation, immediately took a running stance. And a second later, the class was entertained by a chase between Dina and Ando.