At Least I’M Free
XXVI

"Come kids, make a group of 2 people each!" Pinta is a biology teacher standing in front of the lab.

Meanwhile, the students who had put on the white coat started to go back and forth looking for a partner. Unexpectedly, Lilya left her group of friends and rushed over to Mira.

"Yuk group!" Take Lilya with a bright smile.

Mira glanced at the newly arrived Lilya beside her suspiciously. Of course more than anyone he least wants a group with the girl. Moreover, the friends who used to surround him were now staring dislikely from another corner of the room.

"Lo wants revenge for that time? Want to get hold of me?" Accuse Mira who was immediately answered with the head of Lilya.

"Bad prejudices aren't good, you know." Lilya then raised her hand. "Mom! I'm a bunch of Mira guys!"

Everyone's attention was on him. Including friends of Lilya who seemed shocked half to death.

"Well, yes" the teacher allowed.

Lilya nodded while glancing at Mira. While Mira who basically does not like to deal with teachers and fuss about things like this, she finally has no choice but to accept Lilya as her group friend.

For a while they did their job without a hitch. Until Lilya opened the conversation about things that some days bother her.

"Why do you call me a 'clown'?"

With his hands still busy mixing the solution of the substance, Mira replied. "Obviously, because you try hard to please everyone. You just want to be able to meet them."

Lilya listened while speechless. He couldn't deny it but...

"That's anyway?" Murmured Lilia who suddenly climbed onto the practice table.

The uproar had brought everyone's attention to him again.

"I'd like to apologize before, but..." Lilya then pointed at her friends one by one. "Dina, I don't like your habit of talking about people's ugliness in the back! Yesa, you stink! Rina, the cheat guy!"

It did not stop there, Lilia continued to discuss her honest opinion of the class children. While Mira is moaning, surprised not playing, she does not expect that a perfect student like Lilya will recklessly say things that will definitely destroy her school life.

But of course it did not last long because the teacher immediately pulled Lilya down and dragged her to the BK room.

Since that incident people have started to stay away from Lilya. Some of them even asked the girl to apologize. Even so Lilya did not care, in the end only those who could truly accept what was would remain friends. Including Mira.

"Nih tickets to watch the silat championship for tomorrow," said Lilya while thrusting a piece of red paper. "Doain hope I get to the final."

"Why love me?" Mira received the ticket while frowning. "Since when are you silat?"

"Since SD. Oh yes, I have tried to love some people, but they are on nolak," said Lilya while laughing blandly, "lo dateng ya..."

Actually Mira is not a problem, anyway all he needs to do is sit and watch. But what makes it unpleasant is the fact that people have ignored Lilya since the events of that time. Just to prove to himself that Lilya is not a clown as Mira says, she is willing to lose everything.

Mira took a long breath. "Judek. Tomorrow right? I came here."

"Asikkk!! Someone finally came!" Lilya cheer, although the next day Mira hanninya not really so come...

Strangely when the game is over and Lilya declared qualify for the final round. He gets a chat message from Mira that contains a photo of a female WC at school.

Feeling that something was wrong, Lilya immediately came to school while trying to contact the inactive HP Mira, and actually when she arrived at the women's WC, Mira was there. His body lay unconscious on the floor with a pool of water mixed with blood. As Lilya approached, there were many cuts and bruises all over the mira.

"It was just an accident. Not bullying. After all, there are no witnesses nor strong evidence" said the teacher of BK while 3 former friends of Lilya used to try hard to hold back laughter.

"Why don't you guys do that? Mira told me everything. You're mad at him because he made me change?" Ask Lilya to the 3 people when they went outside the BK room.

"Since when did you become a nyolot kek gini?!" Asked one of them while pushing Lilya's shoulder.

"Lagian lo denger itself, it was just an accident. If so, then we are the culprit," he whispered as he approached Lilya's ear.

"Salah lo yourself yes, we have been shy to the class children. Gini deh consequently, but all this time we have been good also lo.." with a humble gaze the girl crossed hands in the chest. "Si Mira, the boy even prostrated himself for mercy. Make it hard."

"Stttt!!! Hey no, don't go on a date. Udah mending we just pull it," prevent the others while holding his friends and turn away without knowing that the anger of Lilya is boiling.

"Oi where are you guys? How rushed?" Call Lilya cheerfully. Unfortunately, when they turned their heads, Lilya's fist was ready to be thrown into their faces.

Not stopping there, with a wide smile painted on his face, Lilya continued to beat the three mercilessly. Kicking, punching, twisting, he wasn't even so aware of what he was doing until the teachers came to stop him. Naas, the three men were already unconscious with a lot of bruises and blood pouring from his body and face.

The incident really made one school stir, until the news spread quickly outside the school. As a result, Lilya was discos for a week until the decision between removing it or not was decided by the principal, and because of that incident also Lilia was removed from her silat paguron and failed to participate in the final preliminary round.

Even so, there was not the slightest bit of regret in Lilya's heart. What he does is what he thinks is right. Even so, others do not think similarly.

It was a bright night full of stars. Mira sends a long message that, if abbreviated, contains her apology for what she has done before, to destroy the life of Lilya and make her bear everything alone. At the end of the day he wrote,

"...gue promise gaakan turn on lo again..."

Again a bad feeling moved Lilya to immediately go to the hospital where Mira was treated. However, when he reached the gate, a crowd of people surrounded the hospital park. As Lilya approached, she saw the fish pond was red, with a figure like Mira being carried by officers on a stretcher.

For a moment Lilya froze, afraid of her own prejudice. But in the end he ventured, and accidentally met Mira's mother when she entered the hospital. When asked what happened, Mira's mother simply replied hysterically,

"In the jump... he jumped...!!"

It was only later discovered that Mira was trying to end her life. Fortunately he fell into a fish pond so his life could still be helped, even though his head suffered a severe injury due to impact.

Doctors say Mira is in a coma, and there is only a 10% chance of the girl waking up without permanent disability and memory loss.

Lilya was interrogated by a detective named Samsul several times, who handled the case because of a message sent by Mira before she jumped. Because it is still traumatized, Lilya can only answer makeshift questions with a feeling of emptiness.

After that somehow the news about Lilya who beat 3 friends to critical and made another suicide spread throughout the city.

Unable to stand the abuse of neighbors, and the various schools that rejected Lilya as a new student, finally the family had no choice but to move to the next town.

The incident always haunts him every night, and because of the guilt Lilya always comes back to the hospital to visit Mira who is still asleep. Fortunately, Mira's family was quite understanding. They were even grateful because Lilya was willing to defend Mira and defend her when she was bullied at the school first.

Even so, Lilya still could not forgive herself. So even with the 'justice' he upholds, he feels helpless.

"What is justice...?"

Lilya always asks that question every time she visits Mira.

Silence has always been successful in silencing him.