Ratna's days passed much more pleasantly. When she had a crush on someone at school, school became much more exciting. Every day, all Ratna thought about was how to get closer to her idol.
One of her ideas came from the TV drama she liked. When she was watching the drama, her mind often wandered.
"Sometimes we never know if what happens in the drama can happen in real life or not," Ratmi commented while watching TV. On her lap was a big pot of popcorn, her own creation.
"Yeah, in dramas, you have to declare your love so you don't regret it," Romi replied, taking some popcorn from the pot too.
"Is it okay for a girl to confess first?" Ratna asked curiously.
Ibu Sari, her Mom, who was hand-stitching Ratna's torn shirt, glared, "A girl confesses first?"
"It's the modern age, Mom. Now girls chase guys," Ratmi said with a definite tone.
It was from the TV drama that Ratna learned that sometimes we have to be brave enough to confess our love, rather than regret never expressing our true feelings. In her heart there were two names that confused her: Harold—naughty but handsome, and Rey—popular, handsome, and friendly. Ratna wanted to know who was truly right for her.
So that night, Ratna gathered her courage to write a love letter.
In her room, she tried to write the letter. After finishing one, she read it carefully, then frowned, shook her head, and threw it in the trash. This went on several times. Until finally...
"This love letter is for the person I love. I will always miss you. Sweet regards, Ratna."
The next morning, Ratna arrived at school early. She slowly kissed her love letter—as if giving it a charm to ensure everything went smoothly. Carefully, she placed the letter in Harold's desk drawer, then sealed it with tape. After that, she walked to the quiet class next door and placed a similar letter in Rey's desk drawer.
As school entry time approached, Harold arrived, carrying his backpack on his left shoulder, busy chatting and laughing with his friends.
When the class started, Harold finally opened his desk drawer. His forehead furrowed as he read Ratna's love letter. He almost tossed the love letter into the air. Harold's expression turned to disgust. He angrily crumpled the letter. Harold felt increasingly insulted by the love letter.
"Doesn't she look in the mirror? Who does she think she is!" Harold screamed inwardly.
Ratna watched Harold from her desk, her face immediately turning red, a mix of shame, disappointment, and pain. There was a dull ache in her chest. She wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.
But not with Rey...
When he found Ratna's love letter, Rey smiled happily. Rey was used to receiving love letters from girls. For Rey, the love letters were like an outpouring of emotion from his fans, and Rey enjoyed receiving gifts from his admirers.
During recess, Rey came to Ratna's class, a broad smile on his face, waving a letter that looked exactly like the one given to Harold.
All eyes stared. The girls whispered, giggling softly.
Harold, who saw it, could only glower—the letters were identical!
Harold usually didn't pay attention to Rey; Rey wasn't even in his vocabulary. But this time, Harold noticed Rey's presence because Rey was approaching the strange girl—tall, athletic, handsome, and generous with his smiles.
Rey stopped in front of Ratna's desk,
"Thank you, sweetie," he said with a soft, sharp gaze and a friendly smile.
This morning Ratna had almost regretted it, but now... her heart was racing.
Ratna's heart instantly blossomed, her face flushed red, a smile spreading across her face. Rey was happy, Ratna smiled back. His hand made a Korean drama-style heart gesture. Then Rey turned and left Ratna's class. Ratna was stunned, watching Rey walk away, her heart feeling like it was about to drop out.
"Rey is so nice to that weird girl," whispered a student near Harold.
"Rey is already handsome, tall, and friendly. I heard his grades are good too," said another student.
Harold stood rooted to the spot. He was truly enraged hearing that. Anger welled up in his chest. A feeling of rivalry in gaining popularity.
---
All day, Ratna couldn't stop smiling.
Every time she remembered Rey's gaze, her heart fluttered again.
The words "Thank you, sweetie" kept ringing in her ears—like a favorite song on repeat.
It got so bad that when Mr. Subrata, the math teacher, was explaining things at the front of the class, Ratna was busy drawing small hearts on the corner of her book.
Helen, her deskmate, was happy to see her.
"You have a crush on Rey, don't you?" she whispered.
Ratna quickly closed her book.
"Shh! Not so loud!"
"Geez, your face tells the whole story." Helen chuckled, "Seriously, if he replies to your letter, there's hope!"
Ratna could only look down, her cheeks blushing.
In her heart, she knew it was just a polite smile from Rey. But for some reason, a small hope was quietly growing.
---
Meanwhile, in a corner of the canteen, Harold sat restlessly, playing with his juice straw.
His eyes stared far away, but his mind was full of the morning's events.
The annoyance hadn't gone away—especially since Rey came to the class and everyone was talking about him.
"How could Rey accept a letter from a girl like that," he muttered softly.
His friend, Tino, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow.
"A girl like what?"
"Well… Ratna. Weird. Unpopular. Aloof. But brave enough to write a love letter."
"Hmm… maybe that's what makes her different," Tino said, calmly drinking his juice.
Harold snorted. "Different isn't always good."
But deep down, Harold knew Tino might be right.
Because since morning, Ratna's face hadn't left his mind.
Every time he remembered how the girl looked at him with awkward but sincere eyes, something felt strange in his chest.
Not disgust… but something Harold himself wasn't ready to admit.
On the other hand, Harold, who was usually loud and full of jokes, started to change.
His friends were puzzled why he was often silent, often looking towards Ratna for no clear reason.
Sometimes, when Ratna walked by, Harold would instinctively look down.
Then he'd pretend to be busy on his book or doing something else.
Why am I thinking about her?
It was just a stupid letter…
But the more he avoided her, the more Ratna's image appeared in his head. And Harold began to realize that perhaps the feeling of disgust was just a shield.
A shield for something more complicated—curiosity.