My Lovely Busybody Girl's
8 - Ask for Help
Arka was chatting with her friends while smoking in the cafeteria with her two best friends when the tip of her eyes caught the figure of Shaila laughing with her friend.
Inexplicably seeing Shaila's cheerful face like that made Arka relieved, it seemed like the girl was already much better now. Her annoying cherry face was more suited to her than the gloomy face she had seen yesterday.
Arka's eyes crossed with Shaila's round eyes which suddenly turned towards her. As if locked with Shaila's gaze, Arka just stared at the girl flatly, while Shaila had now thrown her gaze in the other direction.
Arka grunting. It seemed that the girl had indeed completely given up on him. Yeah, I do, what does Arka care about her? In the end, the girl was just like everyone else giving up on her.
Arka smokes her cigarette and turns it off under the table. After throwing the cigarette butts in the trash behind Reyhan, Arka got up from her seat. “Gue to class first.”
Reyhan and Zaki raised their hands as a sign of affirming Arka's words.
Arka walked past Shaila's desk without even looking. Because he no longer has any business with the girl. His quiet life as before meeting Shaila came back.
*****
Shaila stood across from her school, waiting for the streets to be a bit quiet for her to cross. Actually, he really did not like to cross the road like this, but how else, the bus he was riding to school stopped at a stop right across from his school.
Indeed Shaila could have taken a taxi to his school and that is the thing he usually does every day, but it just so happens that today the girl woke up too early. So instead of taking a taxi and getting to school too early, Shaila prefers to take the bus and spend her time enjoying the view of the streets of the capital in the morning which is very crowded by vehicles.
Shaila was about to rush across when she saw a mother in front of her school holding a large bag of groceries when suddenly someone with a big black motor stopped and in front of the mother.
The man took off his helmet and was seen chatting slightly with his mother. After that the man in the gray white uniform rode his motorcycle and was followed by the mother who sat behind him with a lot of luggage.
Shaila just stared at Arka who was riding her motorcycle away from the school. What is that guy thinking? Does he know who Mom was? Okay, that's not important. What matters now is that the entrance bell will ring in ten minutes, will the man be able to get to school on time? Shaila shrugged her shoulders, it was none of her business.
*****
The shocking thing that happened this morning still continues to be imagined in Shaila's mind. Of course it was surprising, there was absolutely nothing on his mind that a man like Arka could help such a person, let alone be willing to be late and punished as he is today.
The arch standing in front of the flagpole saluting the national flag laughed and chuckled at each of his friends laughing at him as if he was laughing at someone else.
Shaila just stared at the man, she could not guess what was really on this man's mind. Is it true what Mr. Rashudin said about him that his mischievous nature was just a cover?
The sight of Shaila and Arka meeting, Shaila could see how the dimples disappeared once she saw them. Arka immediately averted her gaze staring at the flag that was far above her.
Shaila let out a heavy sigh, she shouldn't think too much about the man. If Shaila wants to do good, there are still many people out there who need her help, and she will help people who really want to be helped, not a person who does not want to be helped at all and has put himself in destiny like Arka.
*****
“Bro, do you really want to unplug it? Parachute won't get angry?” ask Zaki to Arka who is currently on his motorcycle wearing a helmet.
Parachute is the call of the students of Bumi Putera High School for Rashudin, the name just appeared shortly after Arka heard the name of the teacher of BK, and after that the name became popular and many students who did not like Rashudin came to call him Parachute.
“Will not, the person who was told to give up with me.” Arka turned on the engine. “Hurray this afternoon, game!”
Arka opened her helmet and looked at a tall man who was standing at the front. “Wuih, who is it? Surya the hero Bina Karya nih,” said Arka in a mocking tone.
“Arka, long time no see," said the man named Surya.
The sound of motorcycle horns, cars, angkot to a noisy bus behind him makes Arka act as if he is scraping his ears. “Mending you have your men move aside, here is not the right place for a parade. Don't make jammed my elite school area deh.”
Surya snorted hearing it. “Gue will tell them to step aside as long as we battle now.”
Arka's smile expanded at one corner of her lips. Did this guy in front of her just challenge her? All right, looks like Arka won't be racing this time.
*****
Shaila leaned her head against the back of the taxi she was riding in. It seems like it's been a long time since he came home like this. Indeed, today Shaila chose not to follow volleyball training and tidying up the library because of the state of his body that is not fit.
Just as the taxi left the school area, Shaila was startled by the long queue of slowly speeding vehicles ahead. What the hell is going on up ahead? Tumben once the school area became jammed like this.
As the taxi he was riding drove slowly through the huge pool of motorcycles worth tens of millions, Shaila's eyes caught the motor that was very familiar to him. Shaila opened the glass of the taxi and pulled her head out.
“Neng, don't get his head out. Danger, neng!” taxi driver saw Shaila's action.
Shaila did not heed the driver's words, her eyes were still busy sweeping the group of high school children who were involved in a fistfight in front of the bus stop. Shailla finds Zaki and Reyhan busy beating his enemies.
“Pak –Pak, stop first, Sir!” said Shaila while patting the driver's seat in front of him.
“Do not worry, danger.”
“Just a minute, Sir. That's my temen.”
The taxi that Shaila was riding pulled over and stopped a few meters in front of the commotion. Shaila immediately jumped down and approached the scene despite being called many times by the driver.
After some time circulating her gaze, Shaila managed to find the figure she was looking for. Arka was hitting three opponents at once with a fever without letting the three people touch his face at all, even his face still looks clean from wounds or blood.
Shaila was fixated on seeing how nimble Arka was to dodge and lash out blows to her opponents. He did not even seem to care about the surrounding circumstances that became chaotic because of his actions.
Seeing the Ark like this makes the words of Rashudin again ring in Shaila's ears. What he saw this morning was very different from what he was witnessing right now. What is the true nature of this man? Is what Rasyudin said true?
Shaila no longer wanted to be a dilemma because of her doubts, but what she witnessed at this time was very compatible with what Rashudin said. Shaila was like seeing Arka yelling for help behind her current state of being.
Shaila will not help people who do not need to be helped, but Shaila will help people who ask for help from her. And as he saw, Arka was now asking for his help. And of course Shaila will not ignore that request.
*****
TB
