OUTWIT

CHAPTER 1

I gaze into your beautiful eyes
Beneath the twinkling stars
My heart is torn asunder
Between love and secrets...

Galaksi's eyes flicker toward two people laughing together. He's seated on his bed, while the two are on the floor in front of the television. His hand strums the guitar strings skillfully.

I love you...
But you belong to my friend
My heart's dilemma
If only I could speak the truth...

Galaksi falls silent for a moment as his eyes remain fixed on her face. The girl with the sweet laughter and smile is like a wingless fairy, always shining. Her gaze is bright, full of happiness. And Galaksi adores her greatly.

Don't choose him
Choose me, who can love you more than he does....

Now his focus shifts to someone in front of the girl. They are both laughing joyfully. Meanwhile, Galaksi can only stare silently because the one laughing with the girl is his own friend - or more precisely, both of them are Galaksi's friends.

I don't want to take you from my friend
But you know, you can't blame love....

Galaksi knows there's love between his two friends. And his deepest heart also harbors that same feeling.

No, Galaksi isn't standing between them. But he's the one quietly standing behind the girl. Hoping his love will be reciprocated, willing to wait, and always there when she's fragile, so he can embrace her from behind.

You can't blame it....

Maybe that feeling will always remain because fundamentally humans are free to choose whom they love. Love indeed cannot be blamed, as it naturally arises from the heart.

Galaksi isn't wrong to love the girl even though it pains him to see that bright-eyed love isn't for him but for someone else - his own friend.

After Galaksi finishes the song lyrics, the guitar strumming also fades away, coming to a stop simultaneously.

He sighs deeply and closes his eyes. Hoping it's all just a dream, and when he wakes up, that happy laughter won't be there anymore.

And, as it turns out, God grants all his wishes. That laughter is indeed gone from their togetherness.

* * *

The atmosphere in 12th-grade science class suddenly grows quiet as Ms. Zenitha, the Chemistry teacher, is about to announce who achieved the highest score on the Chemistry test in the class. Mixed feelings arise in the hearts of every student present. They're all eagerly anticipating who's going to hold the highest score. After all, yesterday's Chemistry test was extremely tough.

Including Kayla Adara Aviana, a seventeen-year-old girl who's also waiting for the announcement with great curiosity. She's been looking forward to this for a long time. Hoping so much that she'd be the one with the highest score, every time she finishes her prayers, Kayla always makes time to pray for it.

Sweat beads slowly trickle down her temples. Her hands are clasped together, reinforcing her belief and optimism that she'll be the one with the highest score.

"I'm nervous, Ta," Kayla whispers to Tatya, her seatmate.

Tatya turns, smiling reassuringly, and gently pats Kayla's shoulder. "I'm sure you're the one who got the highest score, Kay."

Kayla nods. "I hope luck is on my side, Ta. And my dream of getting the highest score can come true," she says, hoping to convince herself as well.

"You've worked hard, Kay," Tatya says supportively. "You even stayed up all night because of the Chemistry test, right? Just chill, you'll definitely win."