Florianas
Chapter 5: Just Arina's Friend

"Rin!"

Flo knows who's called Arina. But as Arina's traveling companion, he inevitably reflexes to turn to the source of the voice. Netraanya also found Genta in the usual place, accompanied by—kening Flo crinkled faint—Farrell? Well, this is really unusual. A semester went by, not once did Flo see Farrell this early in the school. So the explanation that today's ceremony on Monday is completely unusable.

Arina waved at her two friends before turning to Flo and said, "Sana yuk, Flo?"

Flo shakes. "Nothing."

"Take it..." Arina holds Flo's hand, stopping her from meeting Genta and Farrell.

Arina likes to force her will. Many times this happens, but before Flo always managed to resist. But this time there is something that Flo does not understand until he has no intention to really refuse. He refused just because of habit, but then he let himself be withdrawn Arina.

"Well, what's Flo, in the mulu class?" arina's nagging on the way. "School is not just about learning in the classroom."

Flo heard his best friend's advice. He knows it's true. It's just that Flo always finds it difficult to interact with strangers and in crowded places. According to him, people think he is too stiff and boring. Not cool. So yes, it's better to withdraw, right, than to make people feel uncomfortable?

"What time did you leave so early, Rell?" Once under the banyan tree in front of class X.5, Arina immediately pointed at Farrell with a question.

"Gue kesamangan lo same Genta ngomel mulu, I leave the morning even in the words of kesambet," quoted Farrell. "What do you really want me to do?"

"Ride" said Genta modestly, pushing Farrell down from the chair to the ground.

"Genta! Crazy, are you?!" farrell Protest.

While Arina was laughing loudly, Flo grimaced watching the incident.

"Sit Flo." Genta patted the empty space Farrell had just left forcefully.

"It's crazy to have a friend" Farrell scolded as he stood up, patting his buttocks to clean up the dirt.

Flo shakes. "Not, thank you," he refused.

"Currently," Arina encourages Flo to sit down. "Don't mind Flo. Farrell doesn't mind being driven." He himself also sat down, making Flo inevitably shift more closely towards Genta.

Flo smiled uneasily, covering up her discomfort from sitting so closely with Genta and from Farrell grumbling. Should he just run away?

"Rin..." Flo starts, but stops immediately because his voice is drowned by the sound heard from the school hardener.

"For all the ceremonial officers today, please get ready."

The clapper breathes tired. "The ceremony is still twenty minutes away. Very crafty, anyway!" his weakness. But as soon as he stood, he was about to go to fulfill the call.

As fast as lightning, Farrell pushed Genta away to snatch his place. Farrell's riots made him hit Flo's arm quite hard when he was occupying himself. And when Flo turned to look at the man, he was not at all as disturbed as Flo. Farrell is still busy with Genta, mocking him about Genta's participation in the chorus. Even when the mocked ones had already moved away, Farrell was still clamoring.

"Oh yeah, my God!" Arina jumped to her feet. He took off one of his backpack straps. Open the object and take out a neatly folded cloth. "Gue forgot Airin borrowed the skirt."

"Titip bag jerk, yeah, Flo." Arina simply threw her bag into Flo's lap. "Don't go anywhere," he said, "I'm going for a minute." And he ran away too.

After Arina's death, Flo shifts, leaving a wider distance between herself and Farrell. He was confused to be left alone with Farrell, exactly the same when he was driven home at that time.

"Arina likes it kind of as she likes, huh?" Farrell glanced at the bag on Flo's lap.

"Slightly," Flo's great-grandson.

Restless, Flo plays with his shoes. Patting it slowly on the surface of the ground. When he looked down, he found out Farrell was doing the same thing.

The cold morning wind blows softly. Shake up the branches of the tree that fell on Flo and Farrell. Plied them with dry leaves.

"Yesterday," Farrell spoke again, "go see lo nari in the ballet rehearsal studio."

Flo remembers the incident. The moment when he and Farrell meet face to face. Re-feeling the strange feelings that run through it.

Nodding Flo, it shows that he listened to Farrell speak.

"Gue never liked ballet. Never knew where good. Jumping around, continuing to muter-muter is not clearly making dizzy. Not to mention the music's gnobosenin."

Okay. Farrell just made fun of the thing Flo likes the most. Should he show a little anger and protest?

"But just look lo yesterday, I just realized that ballet is cool," continued Farrell. "It's really cool."

Stunned Flo heard that. It's not that she's never been praised for her dance. Only, this time it felt different. That frankness makes his stomach break. And he was confused as to what to respond.

"Lo is very different pas nari. It's not like you're sitting here right now."

Flo turned his head, finding Farrell who was looking at him fixedly. And his stomach was getting more and more turbulent. Then he hurriedly returned to face the front.

"Lo looks confident, confident. Looks cozy. Not like Floriana sitting next to me now." Farrell paused for a bit before continuing, "So uncomfortable are you, you near me?"

Surprised Flo heard that. He didn't think Farrell thought that.

"No," Flo argued, "that's not it."

Farrell's eyebrows shot up. Awaiting.

"I'm not uncomfortable with you. I am often uncomfortable with strangers. I... I—" said Flo messy. He panicked.

Farrell laughs. "Yes, yeah. Know how. I'm just kidding."

Kidding around? Flo's heart slipped. So this is all a joke? Including that compliment?

"But about lo cool, it's serious. I'm not kidding. It was my first time enjoying a ballet show after over ten years crammed into my sister's lame show."

Without being able to Flo hold it, his smile expanded widely.

"Sister Farah is also cool" he asked for the senior.

Seriously. Brother Farrell is good. Farrell may be just making fun of him because it's his brother. The relationship between brothers is like that.

"Gue's never said it yet?"

"What?" tanya Flo plain.

"Lo looks beautiful with a smile."

***

My land is my land that I love..."

An Indonesian Raya song performed by a choir group roared with a red and white flag to the top of the pole. All the participants of the ceremony performed a respectful attitude, Flo was no exception.

Although his respectful attitude was correct, Flo's view deviated from the object it should have been. His eyes were fixed on a figure in the western row. While he himself was at the end of the north line. Flo is not alone, there is Farrell who started the show to look at each other.

Not just staring, since then Farrell continues to mutter the same word as a voice. The word Flo caught as 'smile', which he ignored completely, was afraid of being wrong.

Flo knew it was hot this morning, but her sweat was running out. Whether this was just his feeling or it was, he felt that Farrell's gaze made the air feel much hotter. Until he sweats like this. It was like the sun was two.

Why did Farrell see him like that once anyway? He made various assumptions in his mind. If Farrell keeps going on like this, Flo's gonna have a hard time controlling his feelings. He was afraid of getting caught up in expectations and then falling in love, and ended up heartbroken.

"Sst... Flo... Flo..."

Flo who was daydreaming immediately regained consciousness hearing the whisper. He looked at the friend by his side. A pair of eyebrows raised.

"Hand.." murmured his friend.

The hand? Flo cringing. When he paid more attention, he saw his friend had not put up a respectful attitude. He turned, looking around.

Holy hooch!

Flo quickly lowered her hand. Even the Indonesian song is not heard. Where did he put it anyway?!

As Flo looked towards Farrel again, he found the student giggling. Flo closed her eyes, trying to hide herself from embarrassment.

I am so ashamed, God....

***

Sweat has not dried after the ceremony, Flo has been told by the class president to take an English exercise book in the office. Fate of being class secretary. Though he never volunteered, the whole class deliberately sacrificed him because no one wanted to go back and forth to the teacher's room, taking care of absences and the classroom journal, he said, or record all sorts of things on the board. In short, no one wants to be a classmate, especially everything is too busy teaching. If he wasn't shy, Flo might not be too burdened, but because he's shy sometimes it's too hard. Especially if there are times when he must stand in front of the class deliver the message of the teacher or give assignments. It feels very uncomfortable.

Flo turned at the intersection towards the teacher's room, and immediately turned back when she saw Kak Varel walking away from his destination. He has so far managed not to meet the student and he does not want to fail today. It still feels very embarrassed to cross.

Too busy dodging, Flo almost hit the person in front of her. He looked up, finding Farrell standing very close to him. He retreated.

Bruk!

Flo turned his head as his back violated something solid. And, gosh, he's dealing directly with the person he's avoiding.

"Sorry," Flo's great-grandson.

"No pa-pa," Brother Varel responded, relaxed. "Other times be careful," he added. And just like that, he passed after receiving Flo's little nod.

Flo's eyebrows raised. So all this time he was assuming excessively? Even Brother Varel may not remember it, just like the other students.

Flo's shoulder went limp. He's too confident. It feels so ashamed of itself.

"Lo doesn't like that Varel, does he?" farrell asked in a reproachful tone, following Flo's direction while shaking his chin.

Flo surprised. He looked at Farrell. Did he put on the look of falling in love? Not likely.

"No," Flo firmly broke down.

Farrell nodded. "Good." Then smiled charmingly, showing a pair of sweet dimples.

Flo frowned in wonder. "Good... Why?"

"Yes... That's fine," Farrell replied, explaining nothing. "Eh, aren't you going to the teacher's room?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"Yes, it's already."

"Mmmm..." Flo muttered clumsily. "Yes, it's already." He also turned around. Breezed away toward its original destination.

Flo sighed, easing her breath that felt less stable. Set it slowly, making his heart rate normal again.

"Flo," Farrell's voice greeted.

Flo's steps stopped. His heart rate is out of control again. Breath hunting. He has no problem with breathing, right?

Flo. "Why?"

"Next week I have a hangout plan with Genta Sama Arina, you want to join?"

Gasped Flo. He never felt friends, especially close enough to Farrell or Genta, it was strange that he was suddenly invited to hangout with them.

"Let Arina have a friend" Farrell added.

Okay. Now strangely cancelled. It's for Arina, there's nothing strange about that. For Arina.

"I'll tell Arina if I want to." And Flo just passed by. He's not disappointed, is he?

Flo shook his head. What right does it have to feel disappointed? There's none. It's just a question of how it controls expectations and the heart.

Don't be easy baper Flo...

***

Flo's modelled, I'm the baper.

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Annyeong 👋

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