RUN WITH ME
CHAPTER 19: GOSSIP

The horse-haired girl walked down the corridor with a radiant face. He several times greeted students he knew and returned greetings from students who knew him. In accordance with the motto, Monday should be greeted brightly so that the next days can run brightly as well. Yeah, who else would a human have such a motto besides Arunika? In addition, there are other factors that make her look more full of smiles. Finally after that miserable week, Arunika regained her full hours of sleep. No more waking up at three o'clock in the morning due to that damn dream, all thanks to his consultation with the psychiatrist and maybe because he spent the end of the week well— with Gavin. So focused on the pleasure of being able to go back to sleep eight hours a day, Arunika was not aware of the whispers of the students every step of her way.

If Arunika welcomes her new week with a smile, then not with Gavin who gives a 180-degree face from Arunika. The man set foot in school with a pretty bad heart weather due to not being able to eat his favorite breakfast, cereal, due to out of stock. The waiter who is usually in charge of recording and buying food ingredients every month is sick so replaced by another waiter. However, the sick waiter forgot to tell his friend, cereal should always be included in the monthly purchase list so that finally this morning the stock of Gavin's favorite cereal ran out and he could not eat it. For Gavin, cereal is very important in starting his day.

Already in a messy mood because he could not eat breakfast cereal, a pair of Gavin's ears had been swayed by a little by hearing his name mentioned in the whispers of the students along the corridor. Gavin exhaled a rough breath and walked quickly towards the classroom, he could not stand it anymore.

"Yes, Gavin! How was your Monday morning?" greet Maverick as he watched Gavin walk into the classroom, before realizing the man's sour face. Floyd first noticed the unusual expression so he slouched Maverick— Maverick's hand out of class with Gavin and Floyd, but he liked coming to class.

"bad. Very bad," Gavin replied as he slowly threw his bag at the table, then sat down in his chair and placed his head on the bag with a gaze toward the window.

"Why?" ask Floyd. Despite only being friends for two weeks, Floyd first saw Gavin show his mood blatantly. So, he thought the man was really going through a very annoying thing.

"I couldn't eat my favorite cereal this morning because I was out of stock" Gavin replied in a voice like he had just lost all his savings. Floyd and Maverick looked at each other, then tried to hold back their laughter. They saw a side as well as a new fact of Gavin today, who turned out to be very fond of cereals.

Maverick patted Gavin's shoulder while trying to keep his laughter from leaking, while Floyd managed to get rid of his laughter and rubbed Gavin's milk chocolate hair.

"It's okay, Vin. Surely tomorrow there will be more of your favorite cereal," said Maverick trying to calm the sullen face. The tranquilizing sentence actually made Gavin immerse his entire face in the bag. Floyd stared intently at Maverick, while he shook his head in panic with his hands crossed into an X in front of his chest. Floyd realized again that there seemed to be something else that made his mood worse.

"Vin, there's another problem besides cereal, huh?" ask Floyd to guess. There was no reply from Gavin for a few seconds, before the head nodded slowly.

"My ears were itching because my name had been mentioned in their whispers ever since" Gavin murmured in a muffled voice, but could still be heard by his two friends. The two were silent for a moment looking at each other, then Maverick realized something so he moved his lips silently at Floyd.

Floyd squinted his eyes to read the lip movement and he got one word, Arunika. Only then did he understand why Gavin who had been bad mood became more bad mood again.

"You heard the rumors, huh? About you and Arunika?" Guess Floyd again. Gavin's bad mood is really something for Floyd and Maverick, looking like a sulking child not being bought a toy by his parents. And now they both look like adults trying to make him stop sulking.

On the other hand, Gavin who was still in the same position was confused, so from earlier his ears were buzzing because rumors surfaced about him and Arunika? He raised his head, causing Floyd to release his handrails in the friend's hair.

"Gossip about me and Arunika? About what?" gavin asked confusedly at his two friends. Seeing the confusion that was not made up, the other two men there suspected that Gavin did not know at all.

"It's actually word of mouth, I know because this kid told me, '" Floyd pointed to Maverick as he said 'this kid'. Maverick hit that finger softly, making Floyd glare at him.

"According to the rumors, you were dating Arunika because there was one schoolboy, from second grade IPA like her, who saw you and Arunika walking together in the CFD area yesterday. He can even explain the clothes you wear, Arunika uses red shirts, white cargo pants, black-and-white shoes, and black hats. Then you wear long sleeves in dark green, ivory white trousers, and white shoes" continued Maverick, which made Gavin speechless. All the descriptions of the clothes are correct, from top to bottom. Seeing the inevitable Gavin, Maverick and Floyd realize that there seems to be a part of the rumor that is true.

"So, which part of the gossip is true?" ask Floyd who made Gavin's daydreams fall away.

"But of course we're not dating. Come on, we just got acquainted two weeks ago," continued Gavin with a tired face. Why can these people assume that humans can date after fourteen days of acquaintance? Yes, there may be something like that, but not in Gavin's case.

Maverick and Floyd quickly believe that because they see Gavin as not easy to fall in love. That's why they don't care much about the rumors.

"Then, how were you with Arunika yesterday?" ask Maverick to relax.

Gavin paused for a moment and replied, "we met at the tomb." Maverick and Floyd scream in confusion with their heavy voices, leaving the entire class attention on them. But before long the class students ignored him, while the two young men were still inexhaustible with Gavin's answer.

"From all these places, why a tomb?" timpal Maverick scratched his head slowly. Gavin laughed at the reaction.

"We also did not expect to meet at the tomb, from so many places. But Arunika came there to commemorate her grandmother's death five years ago, whereas I just wanted to let go of my relatives who died ten years ago." Of course Gavin could not explain clearly about his mother so he slightly changed his name.

"Cordid brother?" ask Floyd when he hears an awkward word. Didn't Gavin live in Germany and England?

Gavin rounded his mouth with an expression as if he had just realized something, then he rubbed his nape gently. "I forgot to tell you, actually I also have Indonesian blood, coming from a deceased relative. It's just that his German blood is stronger so my physique tends to go there." Again Maverick and Floyd shouted in surprise.

"So you're actually of Indonesian descent too?" Gavin nodded at Maverick's confirmed question.

"I was actually taught a lot of Indonesian words by my relatives, but after he died, no one could teach me anymore so I forgot about him. And maybe because I've been familiar with Indonesian since childhood, my study time has now become quite fast." It was clearly Gavin again who made his two friends nod in understanding.

Maverick and Floyd become curious about things about Gavin that they may not know. Gavin could only answer, as long as it did not offend his mother or the condition of his family. So, let's let the three young men go and turn to Arunika who has just learned the gossip about herself with Gavin, but with a more relaxed response.

"Great also the child, can remember the clothes we wear from top to bottom, I even began to forget yesterday wearing what clothes," amazed Arunika, which even made Hera astonished. Why is this friend so relaxed?

"Why are you focusing on it?" asked Hera while gently hitting Arunika's right arm perched on the head of the chair—Arunika sat in the side row of the classroom wall near the window and now her sitting position was sideways with her back against the wall.

"Why should I confuse that rumor? Not true either. Gavin and I accidentally met at the funeral because I was visiting my grandmother and she was visiting relatives. Then I, at first he actually, brought breakfast. Then I took him around town because he hadn't been observing this town at all and I was sent home by him. It was yesterday." Finally Arunika explained her activities yesterday briefly, making Hera nod in understanding.

"Nothing special about yesterday's trip?" Fishing Hera while raising both eyebrows. Arunika who heard that fell silent and went back to recall Gavin's involuntary behavior yesterday that rubbed her hair. Not only that, when the two of them ate ice cream, the man again unconsciously removed the ice cream stain that was stuck in the corner of Arunika's lips, making the woman threatened to keep a distance with Gavin if the man later returned to do strange things. It was only after that Gavin stopped acting strange and Arunika thought of it as a joke.

Arunika regained her senses from her daydream and put on a relaxed face while raising her shoulders indifferently, "nothing." Hera was less trusting of that answer because of Arunika's long-term dependence. But had not had time to tease his friend, the bell rang and a few seconds later the first subject teacher entered the classroom so Hera canceled her plan.

...⁕⁕⁕...