The class was noisy as usual because two classes had been combined. The students were allowed to choose their own seats. Ratna chose to sit in the front row. Her eyes searched for the handsome figure curious about this one girl—Ratna.
The girl, with the most clueless fashion sense he had ever seen. Honestly, Rey truly didn't understand why Ratna seemed to have no style at all. His feelings were a mixture of pity, curiosity, and confusion every time he saw her.
Ms. Sofi entered the class. Her face looked a little tired today.
"Kids, today we're learning music theory. Here's some new additional theory, okay. Please take notes," said Ms. Sofi.
Her gaze briefly fell upon Ratna. For some reason, there was a feeling of pity in her heart. This child is kind, she thought. Yesterday, she was the only one who didn't laugh at me.
"Ratna, please write this on the board," Ms. Sofi requested, handing over her notebook.
Ratna got up from her seat. Indeed, it was common for students considered smart to be asked to write on the board because they could catch up on notes by themselves.
The class suddenly fell silent as everyone was busy taking notes. Ms. Sofi sighed in relief. The last class she taught was chaotic, but today… it was a little quieter.
She looked at Ratna again. This girl is actually pretty, she mused. But her thick glasses made her face disappear. Her clothes were loose, her skirt was below her ankles, and her socks… above her knees but not quite touching them. Like a race. Truly an odd style. But she was quiet and polite.
Ms. Sofi took a deep breath. She wanted to praise Ratna, as an expression of thanks and also a subtle jab at the naughty kids who had bullied her yesterday.
"Ratna is already pretty, smart, and pious, isn't she," praised Ms. Sofi, breaking the silence.
"Ugh, acting all pious! Hey, boys, don't go for Ratna! She's like a weirdo!" Harold suddenly yelled.
Everyone in the class was shocked.
Ratna looked down, her blood boiling. Her face was bright red, her ears hot. She wanted to fight back, but she really didn't know how. So Ratna just kept writing, pretending not to hear.
Rey, who was sitting not far from her, was also surprised. His attention immediately turned to Harold.
Harold was tall, handsome, fair-skinned, and his face resembled a movie actor. Rey didn't understand why a girl as innocent as Ratna could be attacked by Harold. His feelings were a mix of pity for Ratna and confusion at Harold. But Rey also knew, Ratna was nobody to him. If he defended Ratna, he would just be laughed at by his friends, and Ratna might not even thank him.
However, it turned out not everyone remained silent.
"Harold is the weird one, why attack Ratna? Poor Ratna," Tim muttered softly.
"Maybe Harold secretly has a crush on Ratna?" Rey half-joked, smiling meaningfully.
Ms. Sofi felt the same way. She regretted that her praise had instead triggered ridicule.
"No, she is not. Ratna is not weird. She is a good child," Ms. Sofi said in reprimand."Harold, watch your words."
The class suddenly fell quiet. Harold, who had been ready to mock further, finally shut up. In his heart, he felt satisfied because he had succeeded in embarrassing Ratna. For some reason, every time he saw the girl, Harold always felt annoyed.
Yes, he was disappointed. Disappointed that there was a student who wasn't united in defending him back then, and now that overly pious girl often stole glances at him. That made him furious.
Actually, Harold was the same as Rey: tall, fair, and had a nearly perfect, defined face. All the girls fought to be his friend. Everyone praised him.
Initially, Harold didn't care about Ratna. But ever since he had trouble with the teachers a few days ago, for some reason, every time he saw Ratna, he felt disgusted. To him, Ratna was self-righteous. And in his mind, no one was allowed not to support him.