The girl in a hijab was walking in a hurry as though being chased by a robber or a wild animal. No matter how fast she walked, she was getting late again. It had been countless times. Being late was not something she wanted or the thing she was proud of. Her teachers fathomed her situation which forced her to work before going to school.
As the only child, she had to help her mother sell the vegetables in the market every day. Getting up earlier and going through the narrow muddy alley to the market in the dark had been her routine for the past two years. It happened exactly after her father was imprisoned for stealing their neighbor's hen. It was only one hen but he had to suffer from five years of jail.
She was a half-sprinting, passing the houses after houses in a slum area. Sometimes, her feet tripped over due to the pebbles spreading over the street to her school. She lived in the village where you would not see the asphalt road except the road connecting to the city.
Once in a while, she had to tidy her hijab with one hand as the breeze played the cloth covering her head. Another hand secured her old unzipped bag as she could not afford to buy a new one. Her mother's income could only cover their basic needs.
It took about a half-hour to get to school from the market. The sunlight had burned her face to scorch. It indicated that the class might have started. She quickened her pace. She might not be able to arrive on time but at least she still caught the English class. English was her favorite subject among all the subjects she had to study. With good English skills, she could travel all over the world. That was what she thought about even though she was not sure if she could go to university.
"Ayu...." Someone called her name out from behind. She turned around and jolted back to see who it was. A tall boy with brown skin and brown eyes wearing a smile on his face just jumped off his bike. He was Ali, her friend as well as her neighbor.
"Why are you here? You should have been at school." Ali was pushing his bike toward her instead of answering her question. He closed their distance so that that boy was only two meters away from her. Ayu did not deny that her heart was always pounding every time their eyes met. She could not interpret what kind of feeling she had for Ali.
They had known each other ever since they were children. They grew up together. However, Ali's mother was always against their friendship. She argued that Ayu was not on their level let alone her father was a gambler, a thief, and a prisoner. Her mother also used to be a whore before she married her father. Meanwhile, Ali was the only son of the Imam of a big mosque in the village. His parents were religious and respected in the village. His mother limited his interaction and access only with those she considered as "religious people".
In his mother's eyes, Ayu was not more than a vile girl just because of her family background. Wearing a hijab was merely her way to get around Ali. That was what Ali's mother ever told her. Her words jabbed her heart. Ayu was trying to stay away from Ali yet all was futile. Ali was always around, helping her with any school tasks and even with her work sometimes. Ali was different from his parent. That boy was a kind-hearted person. He always treated other people with respect and acted politely on any occasion. Besides, he was the smartest boy at school. All the students wanted to be his friend.
"Let's go to school together," Ali tapped the seat at the back of the saddle, signaling that he offered her a ride. Gazing at the seat in confusion, she did not realize that Ali had grabbed her bag and fastened it on one of the handlebar grips. Hesitantly, Ayu proceeded to the rear seat. The bike took its leave and sent them to the school.
Ali and Ayu were in the second year of senior high school. They had always gone to the same school since they were kids. It was undeniable that their friendship was strong. Ayu was just silent along the way to school not because she did not have anything to say but because she felt uncomfortable with their situation. What if Ali's mother found out that they went to school together? That woman would come to her house again and humiliate her and her mother like she did yesterday.
"Are you still there?" Ali asked as he was curious that Ayu was just quiet. She used to be talkative if they were together. She was not a type of cheerful person indeed. However, that girl liked talking too much whenever she was near him.
"I am," she replied reluctantly.
"Do you have a problem?"
"No," she was just not in the mood to talk.
"You must be hiding something from me," Ali kept pursuing. "Is it about my mom?" She was a little bit shocked yet she managed to conceal that.
"No, I am just tired. Just drop me before the school gate."
Ayu immediately proceeded into the school gate as soon as Ali braked the pedals of his bike. That girl left him behind without a word. She did not even turn to Ali just to say thank you. They were not in the same class. As a smart student, Ali was registered in the top class while Ayu was in the regular class.
Ayu doubted getting into the classroom because the class had been running for a half-hour. The teacher allowed her to enter the classroom after she threw away the rubbish in the big bin as her punishment. At least, the punishment was not that hard for her to do. Ayu headed to her seat at the back.
"Excuse me," the school principal, a fat middle-aged lady got into the classroom with a boy walking behind her. That boy looked like a foreigner with his blue eyes and blonde hair. His height reached 6' feet. All the eyes turned to that boy who had been smiling sincerely since the first time he stepped into the classroom. The voices of the students filled the classroom now. They were talking about the new student. The girls were busy flirting, while the boys were showing their jealousy.
"May I have your attention, please!" The teacher was announcing.
"So, today, you have a new friend from Canada. His name is Dave. I hope you can make a friend with him,"
"Wow, he is so handsome, " said one of the girls in the corner followed by the claps of the entire class. It was Adele's voice. It was no wonder that she spontaneously complimented the boy standing in front of the class, she was the most talkative student in the classroom. That boy just muttered the word thank you in a timid expression.
"You can take a seat next to Ayu, in the back row," the teacher pointed to the seat where Ayu was sitting. That girl fell silent. She did not expect that the new student would sit beside her. It induced jealousy among other female students. They glared at Ayu who was just speechless.
The new boy, Dave walked toward the seat he was directed to. His eyes set on Ayu, the girl in a hijab. Their eyes met for a moment but Ayu averted his gaze and looked in another direction. He was a stranger, after all. She did not want to give access to any stranger let alone they did not even know each other yet.
"Hi! I'm Dave. What's your name?" Dave's hand reached out to her when she turned to that boy in blond hair. Hesitantly, she mentioned her name.
"Ayu."
"Can I ask you something?" Dave questioned her when the class had started. She nodded her head.
"Why are you covering your head while the others are not?" He glanced around the classroom and found no girl with a hijab but her.
