It’s so annoying to have a friend who’s always jealous. The kind of person who gets envious when they see others succeed. The one who always feels bothered when someone else is happy. It’s not hard to spot those jealous folks. Like, if you feel annoyed seeing a cat peacefully sleeping by the road and you have the urge to kick it away, or if you get irritated seeing two of your friends holding hands and crossing the street in front of school, then you’re definitely jealous material.
And the worst part is, Lupus has a friend like that. Same class and everything. His name is Andy. When he starts being jealous, damn, even the devil gets scared of his jealousy. Imagine, he can spend six straight hours criticizing others. He thinks he’s the most perfect one himself. He doesn’t think anyone else is perfect.
How annoying is that!
“I often read your writings, Pus. Especially your short stories. And I often find myself confused, did the editor make a wrong choice? I can’t get anything from the stuff you write. What can you give through your writings? It’s all a big zero!” one morning, Andy started his usual nonsense.
Lupus, who never wants to back down, immediately commented, “Don’t ask what I can give you through my writing, but ask what you can give to my writing. Peace out.”
Andy got even more jealous.
But whatever, let it be. Dealing with jealous people is like explaining mechanics to a rickshaw driver. It’s pointless. So, no need to pay attention to it. The more you think about it, the more you like it. It’s better to be like Lupus. He never gets offended when people are jealous of him. Sometimes, he just has a little trouble taking afternoon naps. Not because he’s thinking about it, but because he’s just not sleepy.
And Andy is a perfect match when it comes to Ruri. Both of them are jealous. When they start talking, oh boy, it’s exciting. Like listening to a football match on the radio. You can’t tell anymore who’s lying and who’s telling the truth. And it usually goes on for a long time. Sometimes, when it’s already late in the day and they feel the need to take a nap, they only stop gossiping with a promise to continue their conversation early in the morning the next day. They sometimes sit together in front of Lupus’ seat. And during the drawing class, which is quite relaxed, they often get caught up in gossip again. Lupus likes to eavesdrop just for fun.
Usually, it’s Ruri who starts, like, “Hey, you were right, Dy. I never thought that wide-faced Wulan would use her beauty to attract rich old guys with fancy cars.”
“Wait, what did you think she was using it for? Playing soccer? Seriously, dude. Where would she fit? Maybe for a golf course, I guess. Just gotta be careful not to hit the ball too hard. But hey, what if she used it as a runway for airplanes? That’d be cool, right? No need to go all the way to Cengkareng if you wanna go abroad,” Lupus chimed in from behind.
They both rolled their eyes. They knew Lupus’ style. They continued their conversation, “I can’t imagine someone using their beauty just for that…”
“Me neither. Who would think that Wulan’s wide face is for a soccer field?”
Andy and Ruri got annoyed and turned to Lupus at the same time.
“You can go home if you think it’s funny!” Ruri snapped.
Lupus was also annoyed by Ruri’s behavior. Whenever they had sports activities at school, he would wear a sleeveless shirt (you know, the kind you can see through). It was cringeworthy to watch, especially during the exercises that involved raising their hands. Lupus accidentally stood close to Ruri while she was happily exercising in her see-through shirt. He instantly lost his appetite for a whole week. It was a major shock for him!
“These old-fashioned kids are so outdated. They don’t know about progress. They don’t know about fashion. How can they be shocked by a see-through shirt?” Ruri grumbled one time.
“It’s not that they’re outdated. It’s just that you might not know that there’s an even more modern style of shirt than that. And it seems perfect for you. Why don’t you give it a try?” Lupus replied.
“Oh yeah? What kind of shirt is it?”
“You can see everything…”
But Lupus was also confused because of Andy’s jealousy. It happened when Rina, the girl who’s now close with Lupus, refused to participate in a poetry reading competition. Usually, Rina was so brave and stubborn. Like when she criticized Mapras that one time. And now, she wanted to join the poetry reading competition for the school’s anniversary. Lupus had promised to write a poem for her, but suddenly Rina backed out.
“Man, aren’t you pissed off? Andy and his buddies keep dissing me!” Rina pouted.
“Ah, come on, why would you let Andy’s words get to you? People are always quicker to point out others’ mistakes than their own. Do you really think he’s better at reading poetry than you?”
No doubt, Lupus had to put in a lot of effort to convince Rina to still participate in the poetry reading competition. Because, you know, Lupus had already written the poem for her. And she just couldn’t bring herself to perform it on stage in front of everyone. Not that she was nervous, she just didn’t like being the center of attention. “Feels like a circus act,” she said. But giving the poem to Gusur, that crazy artist, was also out of the question. He always improvises too much when reading poetry. He says it adds more emotion to the poem, but it just ends up like watching a real circus act. Not cool at all.
But luckily, Lupus’ persuasion worked. Lupus promised to give her the poem a few moments before the competition. Because it’s not finished yet.
A day before the competition started, when Lupus handed over his poem, Rina got angry.
“What is this? Why did you make such a cheesy poem? I don’t want it!”
“Well, this is good, Rin. It’s an honest poem. Not made up. Straight from my inner feelings. And you should always trust your inner feelings. They never lie. So, how about it? Your name’s already on the list!”
“Ugh, you always put me in a tight spot….”
And so, the poetry reading competition began with Rina as the fifth participant. Her poem seemed weird on its own. And of course, it received shouts from the audience. Especially with Rina’s appearance, looking like she’s freezing. Shivering.
“When the moon is devoured by the night
My heart is restless, tangled in doubt
(Just the first two lines, and the audience starts cheering, wooooo….)
I sit alone, lost in silence
Waiting for a lover who never arrives
(The cheers get louder, some people laughing like crazy.)
Uhu uhu hu…, listen to my cries, my dear
How painfully they echo in silence
(Unexpectedly, all the audience starts crying along with her, cheering loudly.
Teasing Rina, of course. The atmosphere feels like a funeral.)
Only you, my beloved Kanda
Who visits in every dream
Oh, Mas Gatotkaca
Take me soaring towards him
Instead of shedding tears here”
“Man, the cheers got louder, and Rina started crying for real. She ran to the back, ignoring Lupus calling out to her.
“Well, congrats, Rin. You did it,” Lupus said cheerfully.
“Did what? You made me embarrassed. I told you, the poem is cheesy. But why did you force me to read it? So that I can be laughed at by the whole school? Is that it?”
Rina sobbed.
“But you got the warmest reception, didn’t you? Don’t ever think that the judges’ opinions or the opinions of so-called experts are always right. The real judgment comes from the audience. How they got so caught up in it, causing a mass hysteria. And you got that, didn’t you? So, don’t cry.”
“Ugh, you think you know it all! I hate you. We’re enemies now!”
“Oh, come on, Rin. Seriously, I’d rather lose all my pocket money than lose you. I swear. I mean it.”
Rina got even more furious.
As expected, Lupus’ poem was a total failure when the winners were announced. And as expected, Andy was the one celebrating the most. He went straight to Lupus.
“Well, what else can I say, Pus? What can we expect from your cheesy poem? It could’ve been written by a rickshaw driver in the midst of his love affair. It’s sappy, cheap, cat poop. The reality speaks for itself. Your poem lost. It didn’t even get nominated. But if you send it to a magazine, I bet it’ll get published. What kind of game is this? Your scandals are exposed. So, what now? Still gonna defend yourself?”
“Defend myself? Why should I? I actually want to thank you because I believe Rina can succeed with that poem. It’s evident that she managed to provoke mass hysteria. Right? And lately, I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to say thank you. Because the poem Rina read was actually your poem. Remember? I found it in Rina’s book that you borrowed a while back. It’s really good, your poem. You have talent. Too bad Rina didn’t know and didn’t read it, so your mission to get it failed completely. But apart from that, I didn’t expect you to have a talent for poetry. Keep pursuing that talent, Dy…”
Andy’s face suddenly turned red. No wonder I’ve read that poem before, Andy thought nervously. And when Lupus was about to leave, Andy stopped him.
“But, does Rina know that it’s my poem?” Andy asked anxiously.
Lupus smiled, “Don’t worry, she can’t forgive you anymore…”
