Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Inez could feel what Cakra was going through. She understood how he felt. With a small smile, Inez gently patted Cakra's back. Intending to calm the boy down. Realizing Inez's stroke made Cakra startle for a split second, but the boy let it go. He felt better.

"I understand what you're feeling."

"You don't understand, you don't experience it directly."

"At least I still have a heart, so what you feel I can also feel. I'm sure your grandmother won't be angry with you if you tell the truth. Your grandmother would believe what you say. Your grandmother knows better who you really are, Cakra. Without saying anything, your grandmother would already know that there's nothing wrong with her grandson."

"Why are you saying that?"

"Trust me, your grandmother won't be disappointed or angry with you." Inez assured. "I guarantee it."

Cakra let out a long sigh. He admitted that what Inez said was true. The boy secretly published a faint smile. "You're right, grandma isn't mad at me."

Inez beamed. "That's right, don't think about what's wrong first."

"I've experienced something a bit like this. Want to listen?"

"As long as it makes you comfortable after the story, I'll listen," Inez replied while carving a beautiful smile. She tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

Cakra nodded in understanding, while staring forward and far away, and the boy began to compose sentences in his cranium. Until finally the words slipped out, leaving Inez transfixed, her eyes not leaving Cakra's face.

"I moved here because I had a problem with my old school." Cakra paused for a moment, recalling the piece of memory that he really wanted to bury deeply and not remember anymore. He smiled bitterly.

"I was accused of doing something wrong that I didn't do at all. Just like what I'm going through right now. The difference is, this cigarette problem I can still overcome and accept sincerely. Whereas the problem I had to endure was..."

Out of breath, the boy took in as many breaths as possible, gathering them in his lungs. His voice sounded more and more trembling and soft. He closed his eyes and looked down at his shoes—the shoes Inez had given him, to be precise.

"I really don't have anything, I only have my grandmother. I'm different from those who just tell their parents when they want something. Whereas I have to make my own efforts to buy the things I want, even if I have the time and money. The needs of the house are more numerous and take precedence. I'm not saying that, Nez, but ..."

Cakra pressed his lips together, his hands clenched tightly, and his eyes began to heat up. Inez was silent even though she saw Cakra, who was wrestling with his mind. More precisely, Inez was confused about what to do. She was too afraid to say anything, at least for now. Until finally Cakra turned to her, looking at her with eyes that looked red.

"I'm poor, but that doesn't mean they can just blame me for stealing that expensive watch. I'm not a thief, but the presence of that expensive item in my bag got me kicked out of there. Not everyone who has nothing would do that."

There was a long pause after that, until Cakra spoke again, continuing his unfinished sentence. "Don't wonder why I got kicked out of there over a watch," he said with a bitter smile. It was as if he knew what Inez was thinking right now. "Rich people can do anything with their money. I was the one who had to suffer the consequences. I don't know who deliberately put the watch in the bag, but whoever he was, I hope he now realizes that what he did was a mistake that he shouldn't have made."

"Not only was I expelled, I was even beaten up by the gang of the person who owned the watch. It's all about money and wealth." Cakra glanced at Inez. "And you have to be careful in socializing, I know you're a wealthy person, but remember, Nez, many people who want to be friends with us are just taking advantage of us."

Inez felt the pain of hearing Cakra's confession. The boy was too small to carry that much weight. There might even be a lot of things that Inez didn't know about Cakra's life. That boy was so good at showing that he was fine.

"No one wants to be friends with a poor person like me, they look at me like I'm a useless pile of garbage."

"Don't say that," said Inez, for the first time in Cakra's entire conversation. Inez let out a short breath. "There are still many people who want to make friends regardless of where they are from, as long as they think we are good people, they will want to be friends. Trust me."

"But not at my old school," said Cakra. "If you're poor, you'll be severely bullied. It's really cruel, as if the wealth they use is the result of their own hard work. I'm a bit sad to see it, but I can't comment, it's not my life either."

"How can you be that strong? If I were you, I'd probably kill myself already."

Cakra chuckled. "Coward," he said, shaking his head.

"Seriously!" Inez replied, shaking her hand. "I can't bear it if I'm hated by so many people. Especially being isolated, I can't stand it. But you're really strong, I salute you."

"Don't you ever praise me like that, how many times have I told you?"

Inez immediately replied, "Yes, sorry, not on purpose. So what's the rest of the story?"

"Back to the original topic, what you said is true. My grandmother trusts me more than anyone else. She really loves me. I thought she'd be angry when I told her I'd been dropped from school, but she smiled and didn't mind. She told me that it was fate, and she didn't believe the accusation that I was a thief. I was touched that my grandmother said that, I've disappointed her so much. And this current problem makes me feel a little anxious. I'm afraid my grandmother will be angry ..."

Inez patted Cakra's shoulder. "I know that what you've told me isn't much, there are still a lot of problems that you're facing. I just want to say one thing, don't give up and keep being Cakra. Don't ever change. I'll try to be there for you, Cakra."

"Don't be friends with me, Nez, it's dangerous." Cakra's face now turned serious, the boy looked at Inez without blinking, looking very focused.

"What are you talking about, it's not clear, you know?!" Inez waved her hand in front of her face while laughing crisply.

Cakra was still watching Inez with his mouth clamped shut. "I'm seriously talking like this."

"No!" Inez glared. "What kind of ridiculous request is that?"

Cakra shook his head uncomprehendingly, a low sigh escaping his mouth and nostrils simultaneously. "Don't come near me, Nez, I beg you. I'm afraid I'm a bad influence on you."

Inez said it firmly. "You're actually a good influence on me, Cakra. I'm the bad one, not you."

Cakra replied without thinking. "I don't want to be the subject of people's gossip."

"Why? Are you afraid we might be dating?"

Cakra shook his head. "I'm tired, Nez, I'm tired of people talking. I'm sick of it all. Everyone has a peak of patience, and mine is slowly ebbing away. Even now, I still hear other students talking about me and Rian because we fought."

"By saying that, do you think I'll just do what you want?" Inez laughed. "Not at all, Cakra. If anyone talks behind my back, I'll come forward and be ready to tear their mouths apart!"

Cakra was silent.

***

Ghea moved her feet in a quick motion as she continued to grumble. She had been pacing around for half an hour looking for Inez, but her best friend hadn't shown up at all. How could she not be annoyed? From the student restrooms, cafeteria, library, school hall, and laboratory room, to the school rooftop, she didn't see Inez at all.

Ghea was worried, afraid that something bad would happen to her best friend. Trying to be more patient, Inez now walked resignedly to her class. Perhaps Inez was already sitting in her seat. Although Ghea wasn't sure about that.

Since being called to the counseling room for bringing so many beauty tools, Inez had not informed Ghea. The girl with round glasses had called several times, but it ended in annoyance. Inez left her cell phone under her desk.

"Inez, where are you exactly? Don't make me worry like this!" Ghea spoke to herself as she walked. "There's no way you'd kill yourself over that, right?" Ghea shook her head quickly, trying to get rid of that thought.

"There's no way Inez would kill herself over this, I can't think too far!" Ghea let out another long breath. As she stood in the doorway of her classroom intending to enter, Ghea bumped into Melisa, her classmate.

"Did you meet Inez?" asked Melisa while raising her eyebrows.

Sighing rudely, Ghea shook her head lazily. "No, I've looked everywhere, but Inez isn't there. I'm tired, I feel like I'm going to break my leg."

Melisa chuckled. "You're the one who didn't look carefully enough!" She accused Ghea as she clicked her tongue and folded her arms across her chest.

Ghea's lips curled forward a few inches. "I've searched all over the school, I've checked everything. Inez isn't there. Why are you nagging me?"

"Are you sure you did everything?" Melisa laughed. "What about the back garden? Did you check it?"

Ghea's eyeballs rounded, and she stared at Melisa without blinking. Ghea's shocked expression proved that the girl hadn't set foot there yet.

Melisa's lopsided smile formed. "How is it? Did you check there? Not yet, right?"

"Inez there?" Ghea asked back. "Did you see her in the garden?"

"Yes, I accidentally saw her before I went back to class," Melisa replied.

Ghea looked so happy, a big smile playing on her cute face. "Inez, why were you there anyway!" she said. "I almost thought she committed suicide."

"What? Suicide?" Melisa was startled by Ghea's remark. "Try filtering your mouth when you talk, you'll end up getting beaten up by Inez if she hears you say that."

Ghea grinned at the horse, revealing her eyes that formed straight lines due to squinting, as well as her neatly lined teeth. "Yes, I didn't think of that intentionally. I wasn't looking for it."

Melisa sneered. Then she grabbed Ghea's arm when the girl turned around to leave. "Do you want to see Inez?" she asked.

Ghea nodded. "Yeah, what's wrong with that? Want to come too?"

"Better not!" said Melisa.

Ghea's brow furrowed deeply. "What the hell? I want to meet her too, I want to nag her!"

Melisa rolled her eyes. "Before you can nag her, you'll get nagged by her first. And you better go to class, Inez will be back soon."

"Why are you forbidding me?" Ghea looked suspicious. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm even more curious if you're forbidding me to go like this. What's going on there?"

With a short snort from Melisa's mouth, the girl released Ghea's arm. "Whatever you want, go if you want to go. I'll let you know."

"Okay," Ghea broke off. She had already taken a few steps, but she stopped and turned around. She looked at Melisa again, and Melisa, who knew Ghea was looking at her, returned a confused look.

"What?" she asked. "Ask for company?"

"Thanks for the info, I'll give you a cheat sheet if you have an assignment." Ghea smiled.

Melisa was wide-eyed. She knew Ghea was one of the smartest students in her class, some were even smarter, but she was stingy. They had to beg for answers, and even then they didn't necessarily get them. But Ghea was different. She was smart, but not stingy with answers.

"Are you really? Watch out for me, I'll pay you back later."

"Don't worry, I won't forget," she said. A second later, there was a cheer from Melisa, who thanked her. Ghea didn't reply, instead, she walked quickly to the back garden, making sure that Melisa's words were proven if Inez was there.

And sure enough, Inez was there. Ghea immediately increased the speed of her footsteps to get there faster. She was ready to explode. When she got closer, Ghea realized that Inez wasn't alone, her best friend was there, along with a boy who made Ghea widen her eyes and smother her mouth.

Why was Inez with Cakra?

Ghea couldn't stop grumbling. As soon as she got closer, she called out. "I searched all over the place until my legs were sore, and here you are, dating. WHAT?!"

Hearing a scolding that suddenly sounded. Simultaneously, both Cakra and Inez turned their faces to look at Ghea.

"Ghea?"

Ghea stood in front of Inez while bending her face and chuckling. She looked at Cakra and Inez. "Are you two here together again?"

"Yes."

"No."

Simultaneously, Inez and Cakra answered Ghea's question. The two teenagers immediately looked at each other. Ghea, who was confused, could only snort.

"Which one is right? Are you dating or not?"

Cakra answered quickly. "No," he said flatly, his gaze directed at Inez in an unfriendly manner. While Inez just grinned.

"Now I'm going to ask you for an explanation—why are you here together? What did you do?" Ghea, who had a god-level curious spirit, interrogated Inez and Cakra again. She squinted her eyes, making Cakra uncomfortable being stared at like that.

"Don't think about it," said Inez. "We're being punished by the Sultan to clean up this field that's as big as your sin," she said.

Ghea gave a small nod as she swept her gaze across the park. "That's why when I came here, there was something different, you two were cosplaying as cleaners."

"Hey, you mouth!" Inez pointed it out.

Ghea just grinned. "Don't feel bad, Nez, we're just joking."

"Whatever you say," Inez replied indifferently. "Then why are you looking for me?"

"I'm worried about you disappearing like that, I've been nervous all alone. But I found out you were here."

"You can worry about me too," Inez laughed. Then she got up from her seat and looked at Cakra. "I'll go back to class first, okay? Are you done?"

"Hm." Cakra muttered soberly without looking at Inez.

Inez walked closer to Ghea. "Come with me to the cafeteria, I'll treat you later."

"Really?" Ghea looked bright.

"Yes, really."

"Yes!" Ghea cheered excitedly.

Inez chuckled.

"Cakra's not invited, Nez?" Ghea whispered right in Inez's ear.

Instantly, Inez turned her face towards Cakra. "Do you want to come with us to the cafeteria?"

"No," replied Cakra, briefly.

Inez nodded, she couldn't force him. "Okay, I'll go first then." Inez immediately pulled Ghea's hand away from there.

Just a few steps away, Cakra's voice suddenly interrupted them both.

"Inez." Cakra stood up from his seat, and he looked at Inez flatly.

"Yes?"

Cakra's sweet smile formed, and his dimples were immediately visible. "Thank you."