Senior High Year

prologue

Azin nervously gripped her bike handlebars on her first day of senior high. A wave of anxiety washed over her as she realized her name wasn't on the student list posted in any of the classrooms. During the flag ceremony, she stood on the second floor of the TVL building, hoping the ceremony would end soon.

When it finally did, she rushed back to check the list, but her name was still missing. She found the teacher who had compiled the lists and asked about her room assignment. "You're in TVL 6," the teacher replied. "Oh, thank goodness! I thought I wasn't enrolled," Azin exclaimed, relieved. "See you around," she said, heading towards her classroom.

The teacher was already discussing classroom rules as Azin entered and took a seat in a random chair. From the back of the room, she heard whispers: "Langga," "Shesh," "Hi langga." Azin felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "Damn, these guys are attention-seekers," she thought. The teacher quickly hushed the boys.

After the academic class, Azin joined her junior high friend, Dina, in their Technical Drafting class. While the teacher was taking attendance, Azin noticed a boy she hadn't seen before. She glanced at the name list and thought his name was Karl. After class, Azin walked to the plaza, hopped on a tricycle, and headed home.

"First day wasn't bad," she mused, listening to music on her way home. She couldn't stop thinking about the boy from her major class. Three weeks later, she finally asked her friend, Buelly, about his name.

"Oh, that's Nike," Buelly replied. "I totally misunderstood," Azin laughed.

"Come on, let's go to the canteen!" Buelly urged.

As Buelly asked their other friends, Jem, Menion, Jean, and Huri, about Azin, she noticed a group of boys laughing at the back of the room. Azin recognized one of them as Jeo, the boy who had been whispering to her on the first day. Annoyed, she called out, "Everyone, please be quiet. It's snack time. Keep your voices down."

"Okay, V-Press," one boy replied. "K langga," another chimed in. Azin gave them a withering look. "Let's go, Azin," Buelly said, pulling her towards the canteen.

"Where are we going?" Menion asked.

"Canteen," Jean replied.

"Okay," Menion agreed.

After their snack, they returned to their classroom and listened to the rest of the discussion. As the academic class ended, Azin went home.

"First day and third week of school was kinda nerve-wracking," she thought. "I'm not sure if I made any friends yet. I'm such a shy person."