Three student stood in front of the class while Mr. Anton explaining the subject. No one is particularly listening to what he has to say. They rather act like it while their mind is hoping that he won't take notice of them and telling them to stand in front of the class for the next sixty minutes. That ultimately became their own undoing as he randomly pick one student to give an answer to the problem he wrote on the board.
She couldn't answer it. His eyes redden, his voice peaked, all the while commanded her to stand in front of the class. He throw the question to the rest of the class, asking if anyone is able to answer the question. Shaking, Bonny raised her hands up and answered the question. Instead of praising him, he shot an angry stare at the male student, asking what were they doing not being able to answer this and instead letting the girl to answer it.
"You are lucky someone was able to answer this, now sit down!"
The class isn't getting any better until the bell rings. The class stayed silent until Mr. Anton actually left the class. Instead of rumble of student talking to each other, it was a collective sigh of relief. The storm has passed, there is no way Mr. Anton would comeback to give one good lecture before the history subject which bored them but maybe better than being stressed for a full hour. The bell rings four times announcing that the school is over. Mrs. Helen let the student go out before her.
It was still a bit too chaotic for him. So instead he look outside the window, waiting for the class to be a bit more empty. Suddenly, somebody tapped him on his shoulder. A girl with long black hair stood before him. Her face was red, her brows knitted, words coming from her mouth were infused with the feeling of betrayal.
"I waited for you. Why didn't you come? Everyone waited you."
"I... was...," 'scared' was the word he wanted to utter but his voice is stuck on his throat
Scared? Scared he was going to hurt them, like to those kids in elementary school.
As the class becoming more and more empty, it only left a few student on cleaning duty, Mrs. Helen, and Aden in class. Seeing there is no one clogging up the door, he brought his bag.
"Aden, may I have your time?" called Mrs. Helen as Aden was about to leave the class.
"Yes ma'am?"
"I forgot to give this class's homework, since I forgot to bring my phone would you kindly notify other student to fill out the quiz on history book, page 68?"
"Sure ma'am."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Also, sorry for being a bit privy, I see that you tend to be alone. You should live your life a bit, make some friends, don't waste your youth."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Good, you may go."
He took a good look at the library before deciding what to do --going to the toilet. It's not often he went into a group --when he do, it was group assignment. He closed the door, opened the zip, and let the water flow. However, just before he shoot it out, hair flowed into his shoulder. He can feel someone's breath on his nape. He turned his face to see a woman right beside his face, startled him.
"What the hell, Rita! I missed!" he stopped before it became even more messy.
"Hehe, sorry. I just can't help to tease you."
Aden sighed, "What are you even doing in boy's toilet?"
"I thought I won't accompany you in library today so I followed you."
"You won't be in library? You can just hover around, you know?"
"Nah, I'm not in the mood. I still can't stand you looking at that girl."
"I told you..."
"I know. Anyway, good luck out there, wink wink."
He closed his zippers after being done with his business. He take one good look at her through the mirror while drying his hand. She waved at him as he go through the door. He took one good breath before stepping his foot into the library.
"There you are, I thought you were gonna run away like a coward!" Rose called out to him prompting Nina to hit her, reminding her that it was rude.
"Man, never thought the day I will be in a group alongside Mr. Mysterious." A guy with short brown hair waved at him. "Welcome to the group! I'm Josh by the way."
He was welcomed by a group of five sitting around a round table in the back of the library. Rose and Nina sat side by side. Left to Nina is Josh followed by a fat guy with darker skin tone and short hair who is now right across Rose and Nina.
"Welcome. I'm Gard. I heard you are a very lonely guy."
"I am, indeed, alone. But I wouldn't call me as lonely."
"But you don't have friend, hm?"
Before he could answer, Rose chimed in, "now he have!"
Gard give a quick glance at Rose before slouch back at his seat.
"Come, come, here's your seat. Reserved only for our new member."
She pointed at the seat beside her where he could sit. The seat, however, was already occupied by a girl. On a closer look, he noticed that the girl wasn't part of them. The girl has a long black straight hair covering her face. Her clothes are tattered. Without even trying to smell it, he knows what was sitting on, supposedly, his chair.
"What's wrong? do you not want to sit beside me?" she chirped as she put her hand on the chair. The girl slowly turned his head towards her. He couldn't sense anything hostile, but a ghost staring at a person is never a good thing.
"Nah, nothing." He proceed to grab the chair's back and moved it away from Rose. The girl turned her head quickly at Aden but before they can make eye contact, he already had his eyes on another chair, brought it to the table where the chair the girl sat on was. "I just wasn't feeling the chair."
Rose almost burst to laughter, held back by the rules where people can't be too loud. Gard raised his eyebrows while Nina and Josh were looking puzzled. The group just let that go and continued about what happened in their class and about the day they had. Gard simply tell everyone that his class is pretty ordinary. Nothing unusual happens. Same with Josh, although he detailed what was his class doing.
The conversation starts when Rose start talking about what just happen with Mr. Anton. Everyone groaned in unison. The moment his name dropped... no, the moment Rose started talking about their class having the worst day in a week they knew where it was going. If it were with other people, they would gossip the hell out of him.
"It's that time of week huh?" Gard complained. "It just doesn't make sense someone can be as angry as him."
"How can he still teach like that? Who here hasn't filed a complaint?" Josh fed up with Mr. Anton's schtick. "Gard, you are part of student council, you should be able to reach out to other teachers."
"We did. We are just waiting for the response."
"They better did it fast."
"But still," Nina chimed with a bit of hesitation in her voice, "how can he be like that? I heard he was a brilliant teacher."
"That's what the other teacher said to us too," replied Gard. "They can't discredit what achievement he had with this school. He outright brought this school debate team to win national championship."
"Well, regardless," continued Gard, "we already said that he need to be held accountable for what he is now, not his past achievement."
"Nothing is immortal anyway," Josh chimed in, "everyone will fall eventually."
The somber atmosphere was something Aden wasn't expecting. He hasn't said a single word about the matter mostly because he doesn't have one. Although, even if it wasn't about Mr. Anton, he wouldn't be speaking anyway. He tried to grasp what is this group like. The one where Rose and Nina tend to be with is more ... normal. They act a lot like any other student which make it hard for him to fit in since he isn't normal.
However, he couldn't read this group at least not in this stage. Ironically, he had a hard time fitting in.
"What about ghost?" Rose asked with a high spirited voice as if the conversation was never somber. "Isn't ghost immortal?"
Gard just shook his head hearing that question. Josh on the other hand would answer it, "depends on what you mean by immortal. To say that they couldn't die would be weird since they are already dead. They could pass on to afterlife no? Does that constitute as death, making them not immortal?"
"That is if ghost exist," Gard just casually dismissed his point.
"For the sake of argument, let's say they exist. My point still stand, it depends on do you constitute them passing on to afterlife as death? If so, then I wouldn't say they are immortal."
"What if ghost is just a product of human's mind?"
"Like hallucination?"
"No, that's too narrow minded. Imagine, ghost is always a product of the past. Ideals abandoned by people. Old rules that no longer able to catch up with modern world. They will only live as long as people acknowledge them."
"I don't get that... what do you think Aden?" Rose turned to Aden. "Do you have anything to say."
Aden took a bit of time to think. Ghost is real. The fact that there is one sitting on an empty chair staring at him is enough for him to believe it. But for those who can't see? For those who are unaware of a life beyond, these are just something to theorize.
"I think... both of your points are focused too much on human as the center of it all. I think ... whether they are immortal or not doesn't matter. Just because they left the earth, doesn't mean they cease to exist. and just because people don't think about it, doesn't mean they are gone."
"You are saying that ghost actually exist?"
"Yes. They are real."
At that remark, he could feel the stare that aimed at him cooled down.
"You too?" Rose held his head with one of her hand. "You boys are so confusing."
"To be fair," Josh said with pride on his voice, "I also don't understand what I'm saying."
The group laughed a bit too hard that the librarian had to warn them. They continued in whisper until it was the time for the library to close. Aden didn't say much in the group but he very much enjoyed listening to them.
The sky was beginning to dim when Aden was standing on a bus stop. Although, there is no bus that use this ever since the highway was made. It went through the highway that pierce the hill that blocked two very busy city. Taking this city as route is just a roundabout that took too long to get to the other city.
Aden raised his arm as a green minibus was approaching. It was a heavily modified Daihatsu Gran Max Minibus. The minibus stopped in front of him. The sliding door was removed with a folding door. The seat was removed and made so that people sit face to face to accomodate more people. On the side of the car written word, 'Angkot' which means public transportation.
He sat near the door as his house isn't too far away. After five minutes of feeling the wind washed up against his face, he get down in front of the alleyway to his house. Unlike yesterday where he went from the other side of the alley, he went from the alley entry facing the river. The reason was the dilapidated house he passed yesterday. Something didn't sit right with the house and he isn't eager to find out what's happening with it.
"Welcome home, sweetheart. How's your school?" her mom greeted him enthusiastically while holding a spatula.
"Nothing much."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Well, get ready for dinner. I have special one for today."
"Thanks, mom."
He went to his bedroom, throwing his bag on the bed. He unbutton his uniform, took his towel and clean himself. As he were showering, he were thinking how he would've responded on every conversation his new group has. He mostly just sat there listening to their conversation. Would've it been more fun if I chimed in?
