A Step to Meet a Friend

How to Meet a Friend, 6

...Of the many people without me knowing it is you who are around me....

...***...

Raga plays her phone in class because it's currently a break. Raga remembers that due to Bagas and Bayu's frenzy, they sent something to Clara through her account. Raga had already sent an apology there, but Clara did not read Raga's private chat and it was seen that Clara was offline. Raga thinks it's possible that Clara is sleeping and Raga decides to see Clara later.

Class Raga is very noisy especially during the break. Most of his friends choose to eat, chat, and play in class. Even so, sometimes he was too lazy to shop in the cafeteria and just leave something to one of his classmates who went to the cafeteria.

"Ci.," called Raga to the female student who was walking with her friends.

He's Cici, one of Raga's classmates. Cici turned her head and could be seen her friends nudging her while chuckling. Raga doesn't care about that. Raga got up from her seat and approached Cici who was standing in front of the classroom door.

"Lo's going out, right? My nitip is like regular, batagor and iced tea." Said Raga took out a few pieces of money in her wallet and gave them to Cici.

Cici nodded with a timid expression. Raga turned back to her seat. Without Raga noticing the faint hue appeared on both of Cici's cheeks. Shy and his friends tease him. Then they went outside the classroom to the cafeteria.

*

"This..," Cici handed Raga a black plastic bag.

Raga raised her face at a glance and refocused her phone because she was playing games with her friends.

"Put it there." Raga said as she pointed at her desk with her chin.

Cici nodded in understanding then placed Raga's order. Cici glanced at Raga's serious face then twisted her body back to the bench.

"Ci, thank you." Raga cried before Cici reached his stool.

Cici glanced at Raga.

Raga was still focused on her phone then she smiled meaningfully and sat on her stool.

"Ga, Lo attack the top turret, I'm under noh opponent mak Hilda..," muttered Bayu busy pressing his phone screen.

They are currently playing a game, Mobile Lagend. Raga uses a Hero assassin so she can quickly destroy the turret.

"Akh, who makes Mage. Very stupid anj*ng ..," as Raga when helped uh even run away he was in a gang all-out with the enemy.

"Hehe..," laughed Abdi who wore the Hero Mage with an innocent expression at all.

"Lo anyway, why interfere. I make Pharsa can run away. His blood is not exhausted. Lo tumbal aja haha..," continued Abdi.

"Damn." Raga.

They focus on playing until they end up losing. Raga breathed a sigh of relief as it was fortunate that they were playing in classic mode today. If in rank, can go down the star.

Raga out of the game.

"Well, you're sparing Ga?" Ask Bayu.

"Yes, my cellphone battery is dying." Reply Raga put her phone in her pants pocket.

"Ooh..," replied Bayu and Abdi in unison and then started their game again.

Raga took out the batagor she had left from earlier on the table. He bit the corner of the batagor wrap and took out the contents and ate it. Raga was busy enjoying her meal while glancing outside the classroom to see the students passing by.

'Deg's'

Raga sees Clara and her friends walking through a corridor near her class while chatting. Raga pecked at the instant she saw a smile on the corner of Clara's lips.

'Ah, fuck. What-what the heck I..,' Inner Raga resuscitated.

Raga has never been together. He was still busy playing so his mind had not yet reached that direction. Raga shook her head then turned her face, took the iced tea, and drank it.

'Why the hell am I, gini. Kayak marathon only.' Think Raga.

"Why Lo Ga? Healthy?" Ask Abdi who saw his friend's strange gurgle every once in a while and continue playing.

"Don't know me. It's hot in here. I'll go out first." Raga got up from her seat.

Raga brought her food waste plastic and put it in the trash.

"Ga, yok. Come along. Exclaimed nih..," cried someone wearing sports clothes in the field.

Raga knows. Raga is not very close but in fact Raga does have a lot of friends throughout the class. The one who called Raga was Geri.

Raga nodded and joined the field with the other class. The other class students laughed at Raga's cute behavior when jumping towards their rubber.

"Gue come along until the bell comes in." Exciting Raga spirit.

Without Raga knowing, Clara watched him play on the field while sitting on the canteen bench.

*

Raga was walking on the sidewalk while listening to a song with Earphones perched in her ears. Raga wants to go to the library after school. Raga is alone, not with her friends. Not that Raga did not want to invite them, but that was the type of Raga friends who were most anti-visit rooms filled with books. Seeing one book alone is dizzy, let alone tens or even hundreds of books. Raga shook her head when she heard the chattering of her friends.

Raga is actually lazy to the library but because there is a duty from the history teacher, he needs to find a book to add references.

Raga walks into the library while showing her identity card and membership. Raga has a library membership card because her parents took care of it. The reason is so that Raga can learn more. Raga's parents want Raga to be a smart and successful child in the future.

The raga surrounds the entire shelf looking for a section of the history bookshelf. Raga finds him and searches for the book she needs. Raga read every title and publisher's name on the cover of the book there. Raga found the book she was looking for and picked it up. Raga smiled with satisfaction and decided to leave. But just a few steps, his step stopped on one of the shelves with a non-fiction label.

'It's not wrong to borrow a novel here.' Inner Raga.

Raga put her foot on that shelf and looked for an action novel. He read the cover title of the book one by one.

'Deg.'

Raga turned her head because someone had just passed her shelf. That man is the same as Raga. She's Clara.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Clara was about to rush away.

Raga immediately stopped him by holding Clara's shoulder. Clara twisted her body and Raga released her grip with an awkward expression.

"Anu, about yesterday..," nervous Raga.

Raga recalls yesterday's incident and wishes to apologize to Clara resolving the misunderstanding between the two of them.

Clara looked nervously returning Raga's gaze.

"Sorry, it's actually my prankster friend." Raga.

"Eh?!" Clara surprised.

"Yes, sorry. Makes you misunderstand." Raga.

"Ah that. Ja. It's okay." Clara replied awkwardly.

Raga rubbed the nape of her back neck which showed that she was really nervous at the moment.

"Emm..," Raga seemed hesitant to say it while Clara lowered her head in embarrassment waiting for every word that came out of Raga's lips.

"Only?" Ask Raga.

Clara automatically raised her face and their gaze met. Clara turned her face as she turned towards the economic label rack. There Clara's friends were whispering to each other seeing Clara chatting with Raga.

Raga looked at him.

"Oh, are you the same friends? New book?" Raga.

Clara nodded, "I-iya."

Raga nodded back at Clara, "Em, then I'll go first."

Raga raised her right hand excuse me for passing Clara. Raga was confused what to say again because before Raga never had this big deal with women. Raga continued on without any intention of looking back.

'Ah, what's wrong with me? Shit.' Inner Raga.

...-TBC-C...