Reflections
The General's Promise

This is a memory I wish I could forget. Maybe I should be honest, even though it won't be

changing reality...Yeah, I bullied Rico. Back then, when we were in Junior High, I was one of the causes of misery in his life.

Life in Junior High seemed to be centered on achievement, and it made me feel excited. I want to be the best in everyone's eyes.

The first time I met Rico, I didn't pay much attention to him. We were one class, but he was one of the students who was quite quiet. Her untidy hair, slightly tangled clothes, and her rarely speaking to anyone made her look translucent.

At that time, the classroom atmosphere was very quiet, with a whiteboard containing math problems that had just been completed. The classroom atmosphere was so peaceful, others were busy doing their tasks.

When I looked at Rico from his stool which was a few seats in front of me, my mind started to drift apart. He sat alone, as usual. Her shy face always caught my attention, and I felt that an idea had come to my mind that I should not have followed.

"Rico, why are you always alone? Don't you have any friends?" I said in a mocking tone, breaking the silence in class.

He looked at me, his face reddened. "I have friends" he replied trembling.

"really? Who's your friends?" godaku is further away.

He felt extremely cornered, like a rabbit being surrounded by wolves. "Some classmates," he said slowly.

"Oh yeah? I don't even know who they are. I think you have no friends" I said in a condescending tone.

Rico looked increasingly depressed. I could see how low his confidence was. This seductive act gives me its own satisfaction.

"Come on, tell everyone who your friends are. Don't be shy, because you have to be able to socialize. It's for your own future lo." I sneered with a laugh.

One day, in the middle of a math lesson. I saw Rico concentrating on the matter given by the teacher. He was immersed in his own world, it seemed like I knew what I was going to do.

"Sst, look at him" I said to my friend, Lisa, who was sitting next to me. "See Rico over there. He's a freak, isn't he?"

Lisa looked at me in wonder. "What are you planning?"

With a stupid smile, I replied, "I'll give him a chance to become more popular."

Slowly, I took the calculator out of the bag and threw it right at Rico's desk. The calculator hit the table hard and created a sound loud enough to catch the attention of our classmates.

Rico immediately raised his head, feeling uneasy with all the gazes fixed on him. His hands trembled as he grabbed the calculator and looked around, trying to figure out who did it.

My friends and I pretended not to know anything, we tried to appear innocent.

"Who did it?" ask Rico to anyone who hears.

Some classmates laughed and hinted at me with their index fingers.

I said in a cynical tone, "Maybe you don't have to be alone too often, Rico. You need to learn to socialize."

Everyone laughed, including Lisa who actually disagreed with what I was doing. Rico looked extremely embarrassed, his face flushed red, and he was back immersed in his textbook.

One day, as usual, I got involved in an inappropriate act. Rico, as always, was the main victim of what I did. That morning, my mood was so bad, and I felt the need to let go of that frustration on someone. And Rico is an easy target.

We sat not too far from each other. I decided to start this game by dropping his books that he had neatly arranged on the table. His books were scattered on the floor, he looked surprised.

"Hey, why are you doing that?" Rico asked with a surprised face, trying to gather his books.

I smiled, happy to see the discomfort on his face. "Maybe it's because I'm tired of people like you who are always quiet and passive. You think, by being a nerd and always sitting in the corner of the classroom, you could be something?"

Rico, still shocked by my sudden actions, tried to explain, "I just love to learn and don't like problems."

"You don't know anything about real life, Rico. You have to know how to adapt. Maybe if you stop being a nerd and try something different, your life could be more colorful."

I proceeded to tease Rico, while he could only ponder with a puzzled expression. Our classmates began to notice what was happening.

Back then, I felt as if power was within my grasp, and I continued to bully Rico without guilt. Meanwhile, Rico could only feel a sense of shame and uncertainty. Maybe he doesn't know

what had triggered a drastic change in me, but back then, I was just a Junior High school student who wasted it all by doing a very stupid act.

Class is over, my eyes are on Rico. This is a good opportunity to tease him. I pouted slowly, waiting for him to notice my attention. When her eyes finally glanced at me, I smiled sweetly.

"Have you ever felt that it was all in vain? Read a book every time, like your brain

is it the source of all knowledge?" My words while winking with provocation.

I didn't give him a chance to answer, "You know, there's more to life than textbooks and Olympic games. You should've tried to have fun."

Of course, I mocked him.

"Why are you always so serious like this, Rico? Try it, for one day, forget the books and let's have fun!" my word.

He still looked confused and hesitant. But I know, I'm not gonna stop.

"You know, Rico, lives only once. You don't want to regret it when you get old because you were too serious in your youth, did you?" I continued in a seductive tone.

He shook his head slowly. "I just want to achieve my dreams..."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Rico. We're young, so enjoy your life." I paused for a moment, then added, "But maybe you're just too stupid for that, huh?"

I smiled with satisfaction at Rico's red face. It was a small satisfaction in my heart.

It happened in a classroom lined with wooden benches. That day, as usual, Rico sat alone in one corner of the classroom, while I was with my friends huddled next to the teacher's desk, all the while

laughing at friends who are the target of our jokes.

"Have you seen Rico?" lisa said, with a look of disdain.

I followed his gaze towards Rico, who was focusing on his book. His messy black hair covered most of his face, and his eyes were always fixed on his thick books.

"We can do it again, you know," Lisa said.

I laughed at Lisa's advice. Quickly, we planned a way to disrupt Rico.

"Okay, you can all guess the answer to that math problem" I said in a teasing tone.

“Rico, if given √2010 + √2000 = a. Value √2010 - √2000 in a form what is it?”

We started bullying Rico with questions about math. Everywhere, he always read math books. Rico tried to answer with great effort, but I kept commenting on his answer, telling him to repeat if it was wrong, and laughing at him when he was wrong.

"Really, Rico, you're really stupid" I said in a low tone.

I just laughed out loud, still not believing that that person was me. His math skills were common, but he was a good kid. He doesn't deserve to be treated like this.

One day, while Rico was sitting alone in the cafeteria, I saw my rainbow. I approached him with definite steps.

"Hey, Rico," I said in an arrogant tone.

He raised his head and looked at me with a confused look. As usual, he was not used to being noticed by me.

"What are you doing here alone? Don't have any friends?" godaku while laughing cynically.

He just kept quiet, seemingly not knowing what to answer.

I continued, "You know, Rico, there's a national math olympiad next week. Of course, you'll never know about that, right?"

He was still silent, his face looked even more moody.

I continued to play him, "I'm sure you won't be able to answer the questions that are there. Mathematics is not for fools."

Rico finally spoke up softly, "Sorry, I'm not that good at math."

He just lowered his head and did not answer. And I kept talking. "Why are you doing this to me?" he said in a low voice that trembled.

One day, in the middle of a math class, our teacher asked a pretty tough question. I quickly got it right, like I always do. While Rico, who was sitting right in front of me, looked puzzled.

I couldn't resist the temptation to bully him. "Rico, this is so simple. How can you not know?" I said in a derogatory tone. "It's basic math, isn't it?"

Rico just humbled himself, turned his face away from my sight. His voice was weak as he replied, "I... I just need more time."

Laughter explodes in the classroom, everyone laughs at Rico. But somehow, when I saw Rico fall like that, I felt something was wrong.

After the lesson was over, I approached Rico, while still being condescending. "Rico, you know, you should be better at math. Do you read his book almost every day? I don't know how you can be so stupid."

But this time, I felt something different in him. He who usually only answered with a faint smile, this time looked at me with eyes filled with anger.

Of course, I didn't stop. But I wish that time, I did.