Paper Dove

It's like cutting a cloud

" Waaaaahh is crazy…. Juan was intent yaaa. terintiat very much ", Elsa screamed frenzied in the toilet.

" How dong El... want to not want but afraid... later if I am in the tease so chubby how? ", I was pacing back and forth restlessly near the sink waiting for the bell to come home. 

" Gini, you go back first. Grade 3 children will like the old time to go home because it must be gathering first. You go first, pretend to be sick", Elsa gave input. 

" Oh yes. Thanks yeah. You are the TOP best friend", I gave a thumbs up to Elsa.

" I will support you against the evil one and his gang", Elsa said determinedly.

Elsa and I fuss over strategizing while walking towards class. 

And reality doesn't go according to plan. Juan is actually waiting at the school gate with his gangmate. 

" Duh. When we climb the back fence of the school so we can escape? Later if found out the teacher can be our brother", I peeked out from behind the wall with Elsa behind me. 

" I'm confused too. How dong. I don't have any more ideas. Uh but how come Adam wasn't there? ", elsa turned her head to count the number of Juan's minions.

" Who are you looking at?", someone whispered from behind Elsa as she peeked in. 

Elsa squealed a little along with me who was startled without a sound. 

" Wow.. wow...Secret hah", Elsa answered quickly "can not use samlekum or greeting. Don't be surprised dong", Elsa sewot looked at Adam.

 Adam stood behind us. I poked Elsa's hand, preventing her from waving the war flag to Adam. 

Adam nodded in understanding "aah. samlekum. Excuse um. You guys are peeping on my friend huh? , Adam is looking at the gate.

" No. no. Nududuk ya ", Elsa denied full of courage.

Adam lowered his face slightly towards Elsa who was the same height as me "Fight ya, little pedes also you".

Elsa mengos "Yuk Dewun. We're going home", Elsa pulled my hand. 

Adam laughed and shouted. "Juuuuaing" Adam's blaring voice made all the students near the school gate turn towards us.

Elsa and I are both stuck. We accelerated but Juan looked at me and came straight over.

Shit... shit..shit..I cursed in my heart.

Juan smiled at me "Yuk", Juan stretched out his hand. 

I shook my head quickly while tightly holding Elsa's hand.

" Em…. This.. Dew. Sick... severe anyway", Elsa stammered to me. I was next to Elsa holding a stomach with a face that was forced to be clear.

" Oh yeah? I'm taking her to the hospital" Juan still stretched out his hand. 

" Em.. that's. Dew is afraid of needles" Elsa said again, it's very noticeable she's not an expert in lying.

Juan lowered his hand and nodded in understanding.

" Elsa... I borrow your friend for a moment, okay? I'm not okay. You go home with Adam yes", Juan smiled as he spread his charm to Elsa. 

For a moment Elsa hypnotized the charm of Juan. I quickly pinched Elsa's hand hard enough to wake her up from that nondescript hypnotism.

" But sister."., Elsa regained her senses but Adam pulled Elsa's bag making my arm slip away. 

" Yeah…. I'm also afraid", Elsa whispered loudly enough to make Adam smile amusedly. 

I snatched because my friend was taken away. Juan put a helmet on me. 

" Come, trust me" Juan extended his hand to me in doubt. 

I did not welcome his outstretched hand, he looked disappointed as he dropped his hand on empty air. When I turned around I held the end of his uniform. Juan looked to the side of his shirt. 

" I'm more comfortable this way" I said slowly.

Juan smiled "okay can".

Then I walked beside him. I feel my back is hot because in the eyes of many people, especially Sarah and her gang.

Holding Juan's shirt was the right choice, at least they wouldn't grab me for touching Juan. 

'Death to me tomorrow. out of the lion's mouth into the crocodile' , my mind.

Then we climbed on Juan's bike and passed away leaving the cynical gazes of Juan's heart fighters who always failed. 

***

On the bike I asked in a loud voice.

" Where are we going?".

" Golo Curu", Juan answered briefly. 

I'm speechless. That's another place. Ever since I was in this town I've never been anywhere but to school and to Elsa's house. For all I know, there is a big park in this city called Motang Rua. That'sallthatis. 

The journey is not too far but Juan had to spur his bike to climb a hill that is quite towering, the road that is not too smooth makes me hold Juan uniform tightly. I don't want to jump off this antique bike. 

I looked at Juan questioningly while removing the helmet. 

" Come" Juan walked first toward the cave. 

" You want to pray?", I asked curiously. 

" Well, will you come?", Juan looked at me. 

" Okay", we walked together towards the cave. 

We stood side by side, I glanced at Juan. He closed his eyes and was silent. I closed my eyes a little confused as to what I should say in my prayer. 

"Hopefully I can return to Jakarta as soon as possible, may my day be good, may my grades be good and may Juan not be evil anymore as I am, let me not be upset every day, not angry and my High School world became bright, as bright as the sky today', I frowned thinking what more plea I should say. 

" Are you praying again or angry again?", Juan whispered near my ear. 

I was shocked and opened my eyes. 

" Lah's prayer", I said quickly.

Juan laughed lightly, then walked away from me in front of the cave. I followed behind him. 

He took a seat on the edge of the hill, I sat next to him.  The expanse of Ruteng spread out in front of us, the houses looked small and the blue sky spread wide in front of us.

" Well guess what, where is our school?", Juan suddenly asked me to express my admiration for this beautiful sight. 

" Where it looks, so small", I said while looking. 

" That, that blue one is our school" Juan said confidently.

" What time?", I said half in disbelief. 

" Yes right", Juan assured. 

" No, no. That's not our school. Small", I said not to accept. 

Juan took something out of his bag and gave it to me. A binocular. 

I received the binoculars while looking at Juan. 

" Do you have anything like this?", I tried to wear it. Honestly, it's the first time I've ever used something like this. " I don't see anything" I said in surprise. 

Juan laughed open-ended "first open the cover or neng". My cheeks are red with shame. " Here I help" Juan added. 

Juan then helped me use binoculars to see things that were far away.

I who basically just tried to be amazed with noraknya. Juan laughed a few times because of my strange comments. 

" You come here often with your friends?", I asked. 

" Yes, but more often by yourself. Now both are the same as you. If I have a lot of thoughts here, if I am tired of interacting with my fellow humans I came here ", replied Juan selow.

I nodded in understanding. Everyone needed a quiet place to calm down, as did Juan who always looked scary in my eyes. 

I lay down on the grass. Raising my hand towards the sky and looking at the clouds through my finger. Juan was lying next to me. He raised his hand to the sky. 

" If you are tired you can see the clouds between your fingers, the white color looks beautiful. Plain clean white, like cotton. But if there's gonna be a storm the color's gonna be a scary gray. Put your finger down, like you're gonna cut that cloud. The clouds between your fingers are very small. You have to think that your problems, your sadness and fatigue are as small as those clouds. And you can handle it. Like a gray cloud, if it rains he will come back pure white", I said with all my heart.

Juan was silent not speaking. But he did the moves I told him, he cut the clouds.

We were silent for a long time, until I thought Juan was asleep. Moments later he sat down and took something from his bag. I'm sitting down. 

" This is for you. Thanks for coming here ", Juan said, handing me a folded green origami paper.

" This is what? Goose?", I asked while looking at the folds of the paper. 

" No. It was a pigeon" Juan said. 

" Oh, you're also great at folding origami" I said as I looked at the green paper. 

Juan smiled and stood up and put his bag to his shoulder. 

" Where are you going?", I asked. 

" Home. You want to sleep here? ", Juan said while looking at me in wonder. 

The cool-ass attitude reappeared, I said in my heart. 

" I want to go home" I stood up and ran over to him. 

" Be careful. Watch out for falling ", said Juan briefly.

" Yeah.. Didn't fall ", I replied.

***