SERINA: I'M AN EXTRA
OLYMPIC DAY

Right now Arka and I are in a car driven by Mr. Bagus. On the way to the place where the science Olympics will be held. The atmosphere in the car felt very quiet and quiet, only a few times heard the sound of a horn that was deliberately nice sir sounded when there was a vehicle driving recklessly or overtaking by not obeying the rules on the road

Arka and I were busy rereading the material we had learned during the whole week yesterday, while Pak Bagus focused on the streets of the city that was already very dense even though the sun had not fully revealed its rays to the earth. Drive at moderate speed to ensure that two passengers who will soon struggle to make the name of the school arrive safely at their destination

Sometimes I nudge Arka's shoulder, asking for answers to questions I don't understand or just to confirm the answers to the questions I've been working on during the car ride

The location is not too far from our school building, it may only take about forty-five minutes until the car that Pak Bagus drives successfully passes through the main gate of the campus building and is neatly parked on one of the building's parking lots to be used as a race venue later

I closed the thick bendel that had never escaped my hand or my attention during the journey in the car. Put it back in my favorite blue backpack before getting out of the car. But I haven't opened the car door yet, Arka blocked my hand. I saw that he was opening the black backpack he had on his lap and pulling something out from inside

“Nih drink first let's not tense. Have breakfast before you leave?” Arka asked and looked at me very gently, while her hand thrust out my favorite strawberry-flavored milk box

I just nodded, taking the strawberry milk box out of his hand. Then stick a small straw attached to one side of the milk box on the hole at the top

Arka widened her smile even more when she saw me drinking her strawberry milk, while her hand nimbly closed the zipper back of her backpack. Plunging the backpack in both hands while gesturing me to immediately go down and follow Pak Bagus who had first got down from the car

“Arka, Serina, later the time because it has been shared and the time of work has begun, you guys directly for the task according to expertise as you have agreed during the simulation yesterday ya” said Mr. Nice to me and Arka while walking into the building where the race will be held. Arka and I nodded compactly in response to the message from our exclusive guidance teacher over the past week

Seeing me and Arka who just nodded in response, Pak Bagus resumed his words “Don't panic! Do the questions that you consider the easiest first, do not waste time because it is fixated on one difficult problem so that it ignores the problems of the other”

“You must also carefully enter the formula or number. Do not rush, understand very well the type of problem you just executed to enter formula”

“Inget! It's a real race, not a simulation. Once you answer one of the wrong questions, you will immediately get a minus point. So it is better if you are in doubt just emptied”

“One more pesen father, try to spare you ten minutes before the work time ends to crosscheck each other's answers to the questions you answered each”

“You've had breakfast, right at home?” asked Pak Bagus after realizing that along the way to the floor building that level I brought a box of strawberry milk given Arka a few moments ago that I had drunk half in my right hand

In response to Mr. Bagus' question directed at me and Arka, I just nodded while squeezing the milk box that was in my hand. Evaporating the nervousness that had been restrained even more powerful when seeing the number of participants who will participate enliven the race activities later

Realizing my change of attitude, Mr. Good then approached me. Several times patting my shoulder while returning to give me a feeling that instead of making me improve even more tense “Nevent need to be nervous, the important thing is that you trust each other and kompak”

“You are proud students of our school alma mater, you were chosen because you are capable and great. So do not worry, if you are focused and careful, we will go home with cup”

Arka nodded steadily, while I just fell silent not responding. My eyes kept going around observing one by one the students who were passing by in the building. Everyone wears a different alma mater. Carrying a small note in his hand while his mouth muttered inexplicably what spell. There are those who sit while listening to explainer videos via cellphones connected to airpods that they may get from the stand, or there are also those who sit on the floor while eating breakfast menu. I guess they were participants who came from out of town

Mr. Good opened his slempang bag. He took out two mini bottles of mineral water that he had brought from home. Pouring the bottle to me and Arka “Nih you guys drink water first so as not to strain”

Arka received both bottles from the hand of Mr. Bagus, opened one of the bottle caps and handed it to me

I smiled as I received the bottle of mineral water from Arka's hand. The anxiety that had always filled my body faded a little from seeing the smile and sweet treatment that Arka gave me. No need to thank me, I immediately gulped the water to the toilet. Squeeze the bottle and throw it in the trash can not far from where I am currently standing

Looking at me and Arka who might have looked a little calm, Mr. Nice again opened the voice “You wait here first yes, I want to meet the committee first to take the participant number”

After getting a nod from us, Mr. Bagus began to step his feet towards one of the rooms in the building. The room with the door leaf given a marker from a white sheet of paper with the registration of participants attached there

I breathed a heavy breath. Taking my body to sit on one of the benches in front of a room where Arka and I were standing right now. Arka sat next to me. Remove the backpack from his back and then put it into his lap

“Ser you don't get nervous huh. We can, we have often studied and simulated about during the last week” said Arka calmed me after he managed to sit his body on the bench next to me

I again exhaled a rough breath, raised my head that had fallen and turned towards him “Ka, but I was really scared. Afraid that there will be a lot of traps. You know for yourself if I often get stuck in the model about soan fitting simulation yesterday”

Arka slightly twisted her body to face me “Neas not afraid, do you know her with me. Later in the last ten minutes we crosscheck each other so as to correct each other if there is still a wrong answer”

“Part of us chosen by the school to participate in this race is not without reason Ser, we were chosen because our school believes that we can, we can afford. If the school only believes in your abilities, your own time does not believe in the same ability?” said Arka while holding a sweet smile on her face. A smile that managed to make one small indentation was present on his left cheek. Sweet, very sweet. Just looking at the human smile in front of me at this moment alone had made a few percent of my anxiety disappear like being exposed to magic

But unfortunately, the magic only lasted for a few moments. Because after returning to circulate my gaze and see how many and busy the opponents that I and Arka will face in a while longer, the anxiety that had reduced back increased to double “But the participants were many Ka, I was afraid that my ability could not defeat them”

Still with the same position, Arka again opened her voice in response to my panic “Ser, we race to become champions. Make it the best, not to beat them”

I shook my head, disagreeing with Arka “ But to be a champion we also have to defeat them Ka”

Arka stared fixed my bead, one of his hands he stretched to hold my hand “Bener, but our intention and purpose should we set to be number one. Not to defeat hundreds of participants who will later become our rivals. That way our load will feel lighter Ser, because our goal is only we set for harumin alma mater school”

I was about to respond back to Arka's words, until I saw Mr. Good was walking closer to us with two id cards that were held in his hand right after Arka managed to finish his sentence. Hand over the id card to us and lead us to the room we will use to fight against in a few moments

***

After searching and finding our race room, Arka and I are currently sitting side by side on one of the seats in the room. Located in the second row of the third row from the front of the room. I inhaled a deep breath and slowly let it out through my mouth. Raise both hands before saying any prayer that I remember to be given smoothness by God during the work on the given problem later

After finishing saying all the prayers that came to my head, I glanced at Arka. Staring at Arka who just turned the black polpen using his fingers since he got into the room and sat on the bench next to me. Although not shown clearly and clearly, but I am very aware that at this time Arka is also feeling anxious as well as nervous as I had until now felt

Feeling that we currently have the same worries, I then patted her shoulder slowly to make her turn my head. He gasped, a smile that of course he forced not to look anxious in front of me. I smiled, held slowly to give support and confidence to Arka as well as to myself that we can conquer every problem that will be contested and come out of this room as champions

Arka widened her smile even more, nodding before exhaling her coarse breath and turning her head back to stare ahead. Staring at four organizers wearing dark blue suits were busy doing the presence of participants and checking the security of the seal about to be tested

After successfully passing all participants in the room, one of the committee lifted a sealed envelope containing a sheet of questions from the table. Showing us that the seal is intact and undamaged before tearing and removing the problem sheet inside

The seal has been opened, and the matter sheet inside the large light brown envelope has also been removed. The three women who had just stood quietly while watching their friends unseal the envelope containing the matter began to split. Share questions and answer sheets each one sheet on each table in reverse

“For the problem sheet that is currently on your table each of you still cannot be opened until there is an instruction to do the problem from the bell that will sound a few minutes more. While waiting for the bell to ring, the teams can sterilize their respective tables by placing a bag that they carry in front of the room and emptying the table or drawer of a notebook or any item except pencils, he said, pen or pen. To calculate later will be distributed committee, so for those who still hold the counting paper brought from home can be directly put back into tas” one of the four committee in charge of guarding the room that is currently me and Arka occupying re-open the sound, making the anxiety that I had been holding back from before, increased many times over. I felt the sheet of questions that were now in front of me, wondering what kind of problems I would face in the next few minutes

I turned back to look at Arka who was currently closing her eyes. Both hands he clenched, maybe his anxiety at this time he could not bear so he chose to pray and ask for help to god like this. while at the moment I feel my feet cannot stop shaking against the anxiety under the table there

“Arka, we can be number one?”

Not giving an answer, he just looked over with a smile. His right hand he extended to rub the tip of my head while exhaling slowly “Can, we can definitely Ser! Although our preparation is only a week, but we have tried hard. We are even willing to stay up all night to read the material and do exercises about”

“We can go home from here with a cup?” tanyanku again while holding Arka's right hand which still patted the end of my head slowly. I don't know what answer I want to hear from Arka's mouth, which for sure right now I just want to hold the tag tightly. Channeling conscious anxiety so I try to resist and replace it into a comfortable and soothing feeling

Arka nodded back. Not responding to my questions with words. He was still smiling, as he exhaled his coarse breath he stared intently at me. Once again he nodded, signaling that it was not the time for us to be anxious and calm

The bell had rung, the conscious committee brothers just stood in front of the room began to spread and went around to all corners of the room. With a strong bite on my lower lip, I began to open the matter sheet in front of me. Look at the details of what is waiting to be done. Read it at a glance before dividing some of the questions to Arka to do

“We can!”