FRIENDSTHAT

Episode 2

January 2004

“Where is Damu?”

“Ask to break up knowing my hamster stay in school.” Ditto's answer made Ayu laugh. Ditto shook his head faintly at the actions of his best friend. A few days ago he left Damu's hamster at school. It is also impossible to keep the animal.

The next day, when Damu finds out that his hamster was left alone at school, the girl gets angry and eventually they break up. He said he could not stand the chuckle of Ditto— which was initially considered cool, also because Ditto did not have enough affection for the hamster he gave.

“Laughter, Cha. Sampe lo satisfied,” quipped Ditto while leaning against the studio wall while waiting for his other friends to come.

“OK, I don't laugh anymore,” said Ayu after successfully defusing his laughter. He looked around, his bandmates had not come much. New Doni who is struggling with a book that contains a collection of hits songs in this year and Ivan who is playing his guitar in another corner of the studio. “Kids on where? Tumben late.”

“Amost soon also on nongol,” comments Ditto. “Denger-denger, lo now same artist huh?”

Ayu nodded. “That's it, it's almost five months.”

After that their conversation turned in another direction, such as Ayu's class which often fussed in certain subjects because the teacher rarely entered, or the brawl last week that made the streets near their school closed because of the large number of police and people who disperse the brawl.

But behind all the talk Ditto realized, Ayu never really talked about her new boyfriend with Ditto. Just a quick glance at the traffic. Which even his name alone sometimes Ditto forget.

One thing Ditto learned, Ayu's relationship age does not seem to be long. That girl never really told him.

Before long the studio started to get crowded with their bandmates. Currently they have to practice often to prepare for the band tournament that they will soon face.

***

Ditto's memory floated back at the beginning of his introduction to Ayu.

“There are no people?”

Ditto turned his head, finding a girl whose hair was one-painted was looking at him with her big eyes. The girl pointed at the seat beside Ditto who was still empty.

“Still to.”

“Gue sitting here yes.” And without waiting for Ditto's approval or rejection, the girl was already sitting next to him.

Ditto knew who this girl next to him was. Some of the people he passed this morning said that a girl named Ayudia would enter this school as a new student. Ditto certainly had a television in his house, so he knew exactly who was sitting next to him.

But, it turns out that the girl is not exactly like the one on the glass screen. This girl .. is more than what Ditto saw on television.

“Gue Ayu,” said Ayu, disperse Ditto's daydreams and he thrust his hand at Ditto, who was immediately replied by a clumsy handshake.

“Gue Ditto.”

After the introduction and MOS had been completed, it turned out that both of them entered the same class. Their homeroom teacher told them to sit with the opposite sex, because if girls sit with girls, they will definitely gossip. If a guy sits with a guy, it will definitely make a troublemaker. Ditto and Ayu who since MOS had sat down both immediately welcomed the order happily.

Be, during first class they sit together.

Ditto knew for a long time that Ayu was a tomboy. Every time Ditto played football with other students on the field, she played with him. His cute and messy style like a guy makes it really easy for the girl to mix with him and his other friends. At the end, Ayu so feared by many people because of his style ‘thugs really’.

But Ditto didn't bother about it. What kind of Ayu, he will remain friendly with her and .. he can never take his gaze away from the girl, even though the girl never realized that Ditto always looked at her with a different gaze.

***