Ew, Creepy! Part 4
Ever heard the saying “My class is my castle”? Probably not, because that saying hasn’t been invented yet. But for the students of IIA2 at Merah-Putih High School, it feels like it’s a real thing. And it feels magical. I mean, how can it not be magical when IIA2, a class that used to be shabby, turned into something like a palace? It made the students feel more at home. Plus, its location is strategic, everything is within reach. The cafeteria is just a hop away, the library is a few steps in, the lab is a short walk, and if you try to escape during class, you’ll get caught!
Hehehe…
The envy of other classes is Lupus’ class. Besides being far from the bathroom (seriously, the smell is like three times worse than a bus!), the atmosphere around it is really cool. There are many acacia trees that love to grow near the “castle” class. If I remember correctly, there were only two acacia trees and one asoka tree before, but now there are five acacia trees, three asoka trees, and one coconut tree for “chilling” there. It just makes it even cooler. During break time, many students from other classes like to join in and sit there. They chat while playing Javanese chess. Meanwhile, Gusur took advantage of this situation. He started a bike rental service using bikes brought from home. One kid who wanted to sit had to pay a hundred rupiahs per hour. And if they wanted a bike with AC, it was two hundred rupiahs. If it had a bell, it was two hundred and fifty. And the most expensive bike was the one with a swimming pool and a built-in TV screen. It cost six hundred rupiahs per hour, cash only. So, since then, Gusur’s snack money has been pretty good. And his nose has gotten bigger, hehehe.
Since the students realized that many trees were thriving around the area, they decided to create a small garden in front of the class to make it more lively and pleasant to look at. They decorated the edges with colorful small stones. And they intentionally raised the backside to make the daisies on top stand out. So, it kinda looks like a flower garden, or maybe a cemetery, haha.
Even though Boim sometimes misused the garden to flirt with Nyitnyit, or Gusur spent hours searching for inspiration, the comfortable atmosphere remained. It also became a strategic spot to check out the girls who were doing sports.
And what made the students from other classes even more jealous was that the IIA2 students were really good at decorating their class. So, their class looked “different” compared to the others. With their own efforts, Lupus’ class looked cute with pink-colored walls. They did this in conjunction with Valentine’s Day a while ago.
It looked even cuter when Lupus suggested adding unique accessories to the class.
“So that we can all feel more comfortable here,” Lupus said.
“Yeah,” Anto added, “And I’ll invite my family to stay here.”
As a result, unique proverbs were scattered on the walls, made from colorful papers.
All the funny stuff. Like what’s written on the back wall, “Instead of cheating and getting a seven, it’s better not to cheat and get a nine.” And on the side wall, “Rowing upstream, swimming to the shore – Pain first, death later.” And the one in front, “Don’t judge people by their appearance, but by how cool they are.” And one more, “Living simply doesn’t mean having a lot of wealth.”
They also put up a Garfield calendar there, along with some small dolls decorating the right end of the whiteboard, donated by Fifi Alone and Poppi. On the back wall, there’s a fiberboard, a board where kids can stick all kinds of creative stuff. It’s like a wall magazine.
Inside, there are Lupus’ cartoons, Boim’s love poems, and unique photos made by Gito. And that’s what keeps Gusur coming back to Lupus’ class. Through that medium, Gusur expresses his feelings to Fifi Alone. The fiberboard is also often filled with things like the best artwork by the kids, or the best test answers. And of course, Boim’s physics test papers, always getting an eight – “hilarious” or three, are also displayed. Yeah, to make Boim embarrassed and study harder. But typical Boim, he’s as cool as a duck.
The cool thing is, the teachers don’t mind the kids’ creativity, even though it makes Lupus’ class look different. Not uniform.
In fact, some teachers even enjoy teaching in that class. Like Mr. Punk, for example. Even though his teaching hours are over, he doesn’t want to leave.
“Kids, teaching here feels like teaching in a palace. The atmosphere is so vibrant, truly enjoyable. I want to request to the headmaster to let me teach in this class for a longer time. I’m sure he’ll allow it. And you don’t mind if I teach physics every time, right?”
Damn you!
For the kids themselves, IIA2 class is not only comfortable, but also many historic events happen there. Like Anto who once peed his pants because he couldn’t handle the math assignment (read: mathematics, idiot!). Of course, he can’t easily forget that event. He turned it into a historical event, a place for self-reflection, that Anto used to act like a five-year-old kid. Finally, the intention to improve himself emerged. Now Anto has changed, he claims to be more mature. Like he said, “After remembering that disgusting event, I was determined to become more mature. Now I’m no longer like a five-year-old, but I’ve grown up to be like a seven-year-old kid…”
For Aji, the historical moment was when he got caught with a picture of a naked person. He was shocked, taken to the office, and stared at by the other kids. Aji learned his lesson. Turns out, you can’t bring pornographic pictures into the classroom, you have to hand them over to the principal’s office.
Now, let’s talk about Anto, Aji’s friend. His historical moment is all about the little things he does after school. Like writing love letters to a first-grade student who’s also in their class. Maybe if he actually got a response to one of his letters, it wouldn’t be considered a historical event. But since he hasn’t received a single reply yet, it’s become quite monumental.
But hey, Boim doesn’t give up. He keeps sending letters anyway. And finally, he gets a response.
It’s a short one:
“Hey, my name is Slamet, and my friend sitting next to me is Rosyid.
So, which one of us do you like?”
Hahaha… the kids burst out laughing. Turns out Boim was putting his letters on the desk of a first-grade boy. Hahaha…
That morning at Lupus’ house, Lulu was furious. When Lulu gets angry, she doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings. So, while she was brushing her teeth, toothpaste was flying out of her mouth. It was like a magic trick gone wrong.
“Pus, why did you take all my colored markers? Those markers were a gift from Decky. I treat them with care, and you bring them to school for what?”
“There’s a classroom decoration competition. I just borrowed them for a while, I’ll return them later. Why are you being so stingy with your big sister?”
“Hey, have you ever been nice to me as a sister?”
“I have, remember when you borrowed my crayons? I let you use them.”
“Crayons? Did you even have crayons?”
“Nope. That’s why I let you use them. Hehehe…”
Lulu, who had finished rinsing her mouth, didn’t like being teased like that. She tried to snatch her markers from Lupus’ hand. Lupus ran to the dining room. Turns out, there was Bu RT chatting with Mom there.
“Lup… uh, Bu RT. Have you been here for long?”
“Oh, Lulu, just a moment ago.”
“I thought you’ve been here for a while…”
Lupus immediately sat between Mom and Bu RT, while grabbing a piece of bread. Meanwhile, Lulu sulked in the corner.
“Wow, everyone here is so peaceful, huh?” commented Bu RT with a sweet smile towards Lulu. Lulu nodded and smiled politely in response.
“What’s up with Bu RT starting a gossip session with Mom so early in the morning? Ugh, it’s disturbing my schedule for arguing with people,” Lulu thought to herself.
“But at home, oh my goodness! Just imagine, Goti and Geno can’t stand a moment of silence in the house. They immediately start chasing each other, pulling each other’s hair. The problem is, sometimes it’s over something so trivial, like fighting over an eraser. But the way they fight, it’s like they’re in a war over an eraser,” Lulu complained silently.
Lupus quietly sneaked out of the house, grabbing his messy bag from the table, ready to go to school. Lulu was left fuming inside. Ugh, fighting over an eraser is already too much, but now it’s because of a marker. It’s like a war, not harmony. Whatever, I don’t care anymore. “Hey, Lupus, just wait until noon, I’ll give you a taste of my revenge!” she threatened.
“Lulu, is your sister going to electrocute me?” Mom suddenly interjected.
Huh?
Bu RT was shocked, and so was Lulu.
At school, many students were getting ready to decorate the classroom walls.
This decoration competition was organized by Svida, Lupus’ classmate who is a multi-millionaire. Svida provided interesting prizes. The first-place winner would get a mini stove (you know, the small one for camping). The second-place winner would receive markers and Garfield-themed wrapping paper. As for the third-place winner, they would only get a ruler, a notebook, a pen, a bag, a color TV, a plane ticket to Bali, and a Tabanas.
According to Svida, this competition was intentionally held to celebrate the month of July (oh, how special).
Besides using markers, they were also allowed to use wall paint for the decoration. Unfortunately, one student had to be disqualified, which was Boim, because he used charcoal for his artwork.
Since the students had a strong attachment to their classroom, there were quite a lot of participants. Mr. Punk was planned to have the symbolic role of officially opening the competition by splashing wall paint on Bo… uh, on the classroom wall. The committee also provided ribbons to be cut, just for the sake of getting featured on the local news. Unfortunately, the committee was a bit hasty, and instead of using regular ribbons, they used cassette tapes. So, the ribbons ended up being extremely long.
This competition is gonna be lit, ’cause the Swara Mas Andhika drum band is gonna rock it too. Svida intentionally invited them because their drum major is a beast at throwing her baton high in the air and rarely dropping it back down!
Meanwhile, Lupus is busy imagining what he’s gonna draw for the competition.
Hmm, what should I draw? How about a landscape? Nah, that’s old-fashioned. I mean, who does that, like a little kid? Oh, but speaking of landscapes, it reminds me of Suro, the tattoo artist at the market near Gusur’s house. He’s got this scary tattoo on his chest. But it’s not like a skull or anything creepy like that. It’s actually a landscape! Haha, how am I supposed to be scared of that?
Whistling loudly (weird, right? Whistling loudly?), Lupus playfully counts the markers he swiped from Lulu’s bag. There are five, that should be enough!
“Hey, what’s going on over there?”
Lupus is surprised to see a brand new Capella sedan parked in front of his school gate. After taking a peek, he realizes that it’s the Principal who’s struggling to park the car he just bought. Man, he’s driving so cautiously. Afraid of hitting something, huh?
“Hey, Lupus, can you help me park this car?”
“Sure, sir. Wait, you mean you want me to drive it?”
“No. Just let me know when I should park it.”
Lupus, who’s never been a parking attendant before, is also confused. How should he give the instructions? Should he shout?
“Uh, keep going… sir!”
“Keep going where? The car hasn’t even started yet.”
Oh, geez. Lupus is annoyed. Why didn’t he say that it hasn’t started yet? I was all pumped up!
“So, sir, are we ready to start?”
“Just a moment, Lupus. Let me read the instruction manual first. I need to find information about reverse gear. Okay, now we can start!”
“Reverse… reverse… keep going, sir, don’t hesitate. A little more, sir.”
Brak! “Okay, stop. You hit something!”
The Principal was startled when the back of his car hit the gate. But Lupus quickly suggests, “Well, how could you not hit it? The parking lot is so tight.”
Besides, the teachers at Merah Putih High School usually just ride motorcycles to school. Students aren’t allowed to bring their own cars either. And the Principal usually just relies on his son who studies at Trisakti to give him a ride. So why is he driving a car now?
Yo, this is the first time a car’s rollin’ into Lupus’ school. Damn, should we put it in the Guinness Book of Records or somethin’?
Then Lupus, bein’ all mischievous, goes, “No worries, sir. Just expand the parking lot so you can park your ride freely.”
The Principal starts thinkin’, turns out he’s takin’ it seriously.
Yeah, you know what? That’s actually a good idea. ‘Cause I don’t want my car to be stuck without a spot. Damn, that’s a brilliant suggestion, thinks the Principal.
“Hey, Lupus. Here’s two hundred bucks for ya. A hundred for the parkin’ fee, and another hundred for your brilliant suggestion.”
Lupus is confused.
But little did he know, that’s just the beginning of the disaster!
