Joy: A Hope's
Chapter 25: Harboring the Sense

In the break-up hours after this morning, the interaction between Joy and Aletta, as well as Arga, became minimal. Joy knew she was wrong. The mood is bad and does not want to be disturbed. However, ignoring his friends was also not a justified act. Things are late and sanctioned, in fact the mistake is purely from yourself. If only he hadn't stayed up all night, it would have never happened.

Joy doesn't have to engage awkwardness with Arga, her countryman. Aletta was still smiling cheerfully and perceiving him with various topics of discussion. But now, even glancing at her was Aletta reluctant.

Joy accidentally runs into Aletta in the corridor. Joy had just come out of the toilet room, while Aletta herself was about to go to the cafeteria with her female friend. The laughter still exists. The smile was still beautiful. However, everything fades when her beautiful eyeball meets Joy's black bead. Joy saw clearly how quickly Aletta's facial features changed.

Just glancing at each other at a glance, Aletta threw away face with an expressionless face. As if they were nobody before. They said they didn't know each other. Aletta takes her female friend away past Joy just like that. Without leaving a word. The warm greeting he often threw was not Aletta.

Joy thought Aletta was angry for just a moment. Maybe going home from school will turn around as before. Aletta would scout Joy at the school's front stop waiting for public transport and keep her with Alan, Aletta's older brother. However, it turns out all that was just Joy's expectations. Reality slapped Joy deeply without mercy.

At that time the bell went home and rang loudly throughout the school. Joy blocks Aletta's way in front of the class as the girl is about to leave. A thin smile curved across her lips as a faint wrinkle appeared on Aletta's forehead.

“Aletta, I want to talk to you for a minute,” said Joy started the conversation.

Aletta. He walked past Joy's body. Just one step back he stopped. Not her will, Joy blocks Aletta's wrist.

Through the tail of her eyes, Aletta glanced at the huge palm that was gripping her wrist tightly. “Sorry. But, I'm in a hurry!” concluded firmly.

The first rejection from Aletta. Joy swallowed her hard spit. It felt like the entire nerve in him was not functioning properly until it was limp all over the body. Part of Joy's inner self is turbulent not necessarily just because of the sentence of rejection. Joy doesn't realize Aletta has made it out of her grip and gone.

The man was pensive in place. The mind drifts out of nowhere, which is definitely not being with its body. Viewed the rest of Aletta's departure with a gamang. No Joy knows that Aletta's anger is not just centered on Joy's indifference. But, more than that. Surely Aletta does not like to see Joy's closeness with Rani.

That's just the beginning. Because in the days that followed, Aletta was increasingly unattainable by Joy. The more Joy approaches and wants to fix everything, the further Aletta stretches the distance. Until slowly over time, they began to be foreign and accustomed to themselves.

A dozen. Being in the same room. In fact, being in the same neighborhood. Not impossible, not greeting each other or worse not knowing each other.

From that incident, there was one thing that Joy picked up. No matter upset with yourself, just do not have an impact on others who have nothing to do with the cause of the frustration. Because when you come back and want to take the main route from the shortcut you had chosen, the person you left behind will not stand in the same place again. He will go his own way, assuming all of you are done, and only a story of the past that he does not want to remember let alone repeated.

Although some fools choose to stay, still survive and willingly hurt many times without knowing the pain. In the end they will lose and go carrying a wide wound if the same mistake is repeated over and over again. In fact they are not as bright as they seem, but they are testing themselves to where the limits of patience are and when it will end all that.

***

“What relationship are you with Rani?”

That question Arga asked before the teacher in the first hour of teaching. It seemed like they did not bother waiting because from the news brought by their class president just now that the teacher in question would not enter today. I don't know what the obstacle is, the class president didn't mention. Shitty indeed. About him one of the sources of information from the teachers, he was willing to give half information.

Actually Arga had wanted to ask that question since, but he was waiting for the right time. Seeing that Joy has no busyness and the condition of the class is busy with personal affairs, Arga thought this was the time.

Yeah, after almost a week they were quiet. Ah, it's basically Joy who always opens the chat. Arga just followed. Joy is cute and does not want to say hello, Arga can be more than that. That's not a big deal for Arga.

Joy looked at me. His work on writing novels has stopped. Rani's name was brought into the chat, certainly attracting Joy's attention.

“I—“ The lips open slowly and stutter. Shortly returned. It felt quite awkward after being quiet for some days, then suddenly opened a topic of conversation that Joy thought was unusual.

“We have nothing to do. We're just—”

“Long!” sela Arga clearly rejected the reason Joy gave.

Joy frowned deeply. Secretly scrutinized the look on Arga's face immediately crimson like a person who was holding back emotions.

“He gave you water to drink with a smile at that time. I can't believe that there is no relationship between you. Lo dating, right, same Rani?” The gaze of Arga's eyes that were as sharp as an eagle was like that of interrogating Joy. Not only that, the roar of hunting breath increasingly convinced Joy that Arga something against Rani.

“Why do I share my relationship with Rani?” Joy asked back.

The question managed to silence Arga's lips. Shut up now the man beside her. I don't know where the loss of long sentences and cynical tone when talking to him.

Joy tilted her head slightly with a look of intimidation. “You like Rani?”

The eyeballs that ran indeterminately accompanied by a wrong face made Joy giggle amused. Just this time he saw a shy smile on the face of men who more often put on a fierce face.

“So, do you really like Rani? And, jealous to see the closeness of both of us?” Two eyebrows at once raised. The ignorant smile grew perfectly in the corner of Joy's lips.

Not afraid anymore Joy mocked Arga blatantly. Close to Arga like this, it seemed to open Joy's eyes wide that the original Arga was not as scary as people saw. The fierce face seems to be just a mask to survive in a toxic environment so as not to be preyed upon by higher-level predators.

“Iya, I really like Rani. Whyyy?! Lo don't like it because I like the same girlfriend lo?” cerca Arga admits it all.

Silence surrounded them both. Momentary. Joy silently looked in Arga's eyes. Joy had guessed this from the beginning. Arga's face had explained everything. But, hearing the confession yourself from the lips of Arga .. why does it feel so crowded? What's wrong with Joy being selfish and saying that Arga and anyone shouldn't like Rani besides her?

“Gue likes him from the beginning I entered this school. The first day of MOS, I was ogah-ogahan. Because I do not like the decision of my bokap who want me to enter SMK. But, on that day, I doubted my own decision. When I met Rani.” Arga glanced at Joy while showing off a wide smile. The sweet smile that Joy first saw.

“She's a good girl. Smart too. Back then, I was sentenced to senior for being late on the last day of MOS. But voluntarily he came and offered to help me. He was willing to be the same bully material as his classmate at that time because it was considered caper to me. But he doesn't care at all. From there we are getting closer. Many are envious of our closeness. Until one day, I did not deliberately make a problem that made Rani stay away from me. I regret ever wasting a chance with him back then.”

That smile turned into an inexplicable grievous smile. His eyes were so sad as if he truly regretted the deeds he had done like his words just now.

Joy was curious about the problem that Arga meant. However, Joy will not force Arga to tell him about it. Anyway Joy has no right to know all the secrets of Arga's past. They are not just my friends. Not the best friend like Joy had longed for when she first met Arga.

Joy smiled soothingly. Patted Arga's shoulder, then rubbed slowly. “Quiet aja. I'm the same Rani really has nothing to do. We're just a hostel neighbor who's not intentionally familiar. I also do not know why Rani can be as good as me,” said Joy back to tell something that had happened between her and Rani.

Joy felt that Joy did not need to tell anyone her true feelings. He's the only one who feels it. Joy will be quiet to where the world's deadline should know everything. After all, when Joy expresses her true feelings to Rani. Joy doesn't want her love to clap one hand. Joy is not ready to hear the words of rejection from Rani's lips.

***