“YIHAAA!”
Almost at the same time, that sound exploded in the courtyard of Red and White High School. It was a cold morning, but in an instant, it turned into a vibrant atmosphere with the cheers of the 12th-grade kids gathered around the announcement board for the high school exam results. A flock of sparrows that had long made their nests on the chimney flew away in surprise. Along with the joyful surge of the kids who had confirmed their passing grades.
Yeah, they were super tense all morning, waiting for that sacred board to be brought out. They huddled together, gossiping, nervous, pushing each other, pulling each other’s hair, bumping into each other, basically going crazy! That’s because there was a rumor going around that this year not all students would pass. So it’s understandable that they were super on edge. That’s why, after finding out that they were not among those who didn’t pass, they were over the moon. Jumping up and down, expressing their indescribable feelings.
Lupus, as soon as he saw his name listed as one of the students who passed, clenched his fists in the air, dancing with joy as he ran around the field. Followed by Anto, Gito, Aji, Ruri, and the rest of their friends. Not to mention the popular girl, Fifi Alone.
Lupus even took off his shirt and threw it up in the air. Before it could fall, agile Gito had already caught it. Then he ran around the field with it. Lupus was left in a panic. His skinny body became a spectacle for everyone. He was half dead chasing after Gito.
“Hey, you idiot, give me back my shirt!” Lupus shouted.
Gito just laughed hysterically. Then he threw the shirt towards Anto. Anto caught it, and then he ran with the shirt to the corner of the field.
Lupus was getting more annoyed.
“Come on, let’s chase him, Pus!” Anto teased from a distance.
“Hey, give it back, man. You guys are so mean!” Lupus yelled half-desperately.
Meta, Ita, and Utari, who had seen Lupus running around half-naked, screamed and covered their faces, “Eeew, gross!” But their eyes were peeking through their fingers.
“What kind of body is that, like a chopping board!”
“Ugh, you’re so mean. How can you call that a chopping board? It’s a saw! Hihihi…”
“Why is his body so thin?”
“Ugh, you’re all just jealous! Even though I’m skinny, I’m still sexy!” Lupus retorted, while chasing after Anto. Quietly, he flexed his bare chest.
Meanwhile, Anto had already passed the shirt to Aji, who immediately hid it in the bushes.
“Hey, where did my shirt go?” Lupus suddenly asked, realizing that Anto was no longer holding it.
“Just look for it, you’ll find it eventually.”
“You jerks!” Lupus kept cursing. The kids just laughed even more, enjoying Lupus’ funny antics. He was confused, like a bearded man on fire. Busy searching for his shirt among the bushes. Luckily, he found it. But when he put it on, he suddenly felt something biting all over his body, and…
“Yaaaaiiii!!!” Lupus screamed in pain as he quickly took off his shirt again. Yeah, turns out there were a bunch of pesky ants clinging to his clothes.
Lupus started cussing at the kids who were laughing their heads off.
But that hilarious incident didn’t ruin the cheerful atmosphere. A few moments later, Lupus rejoined the other kids who also passed. They started signing each other’s shirts. Some used markers, some used spray paint, and some even used lipstick. And who else but our very own celebrity, Fifi Alone, used lipstick? But wait, did Fifi actually pass? Well, she’s definitely suspicious. With her constant aphasia, always saying things wrong, it’s no wonder her test scores went down the drain.
Well, who knows, really. We can’t say much about it. Because some say Fifi Alone bribed her way to pass. She’s from a wealthy family, after all. Her dad, rumor has it, is a big shot. So nothing’s difficult for her.
“Fifi, come here, let’s dye your hair like a foreigner,” Lupus said as he sprayed his red spray paint directly onto Fifi’s head, srrrttttt!
“AAAW!” Fifi Alone screamed, momentarily stunned. But a second later, the other kids also sprayed her with different cute colors. So Fifi Alone’s hair became a colorful mess.
Then, in an instant, all the kids started spraying each other’s hair and clothes with spray paint. Everyone got hit, everyone surrendered. It felt so liberating, free from the burden of the curriculum that had been suffocating them. The boring school rules; no taking off the uniform, no bringing food into the classroom, no jumping over fences, no playing volleyball in class, no sleeping during lectures, no cheating during exams, no changing into sports clothes in front of the class, no doodling on the walls, no boys entering the girls’ restroom, no singing Guns n’ Roses songs during flag ceremonies, and a bunch of other rules. That’s why today, the day the shackles were broken, was celebrated as joyfully as possible by the kids.
But where’s Boim?
That kid didn’t seem to be having fun with Lupus and the gang. Did he not pass?
Well, it’s understandable if that kid didn’t pass. During exams, he was the busiest searching for leaks and cheat sheets from his friends. He once got pranked by Lupus. During a physics exam, just ten minutes into it, Boim’s face already looked defeated. He whispered, calling out to Lupus who was sitting not far from him. “Pus, write me down as number one, please!” Boim pleaded.
“How many? Number one?”
Boim nodded, full of hope and anxiety.
“Yaaaaiiii!!!” Lupus screamed in pain as he quickly took off his shirt again. Yeah, turns out there were a bunch of pesky ants clinging to his clothes.
Lupus started cussing at the kids who were laughing their heads off.
But that hilarious incident didn’t ruin the cheerful atmosphere. A few moments later, Lupus rejoined the other kids who also passed. They started signing each other’s shirts. Some used markers, some used spray paint, and some even used lipstick. And who else but our very own celebrity, Fifi Alone, used lipstick? But wait, did Fifi actually pass? Well, she’s definitely suspicious. With her constant aphasia, always saying things wrong, it’s no wonder her test scores went down the drain.
Well, who knows, really. We can’t say much about it. Because some say Fifi Alone bribed her way to pass. She’s from a wealthy family, after all. Her dad, rumor has it, is a big shot. So nothing’s difficult for her.
“Fifi, come here, let’s dye your hair like a foreigner,” Lupus said as he sprayed his red spray paint directly onto Fifi’s head, srrrttttt!
“AAAW!” Fifi Alone screamed, momentarily stunned. But a second later, the other kids also sprayed her with different cute colors. So Fifi Alone’s hair became a colorful mess.
Then, in an instant, all the kids started spraying each other’s hair and clothes with spray paint. Everyone got hit, everyone surrendered. It felt so liberating, free from the burden of the curriculum that had been suffocating them. The boring school rules; no taking off the uniform, no bringing food into the classroom, no jumping over fences, no playing volleyball in class, no sleeping during lectures, no cheating during exams, no changing into sports clothes in front of the class, no doodling on the walls, no boys entering the girls’ restroom, no singing Guns n’ Roses songs during flag ceremonies, and a bunch of other rules. That’s why today, the day the shackles were broken, was celebrated as joyfully as possible by the kids.
But where’s Boim?
That kid didn’t seem to be having fun with Lupus and the gang. Did he not pass?
Well, it’s understandable if that kid didn’t pass. During exams, he was the busiest searching for leaks and cheat sheets from his friends. He once got pranked by Lupus. During a physics exam, just ten minutes into it, Boim’s face already looked defeated. He whispered, calling out to Lupus who was sitting not far from him. “Pus, write me down as number one, please!” Boim pleaded.
“How many? Number one?”
Boim nodded, full of hope and anxiety.
“No pass!” Mr. Jumadi exclaimed, cutting Boim off.
“Oh, my God, Mom! I’m dead! I’m dead, Mr. Jumadi. Wow, Mr. Jumadi is so heartless. How could I not pass? That’s so unfair, Mr. Come on, please let me pass. Oh, man, what’s wrong with this guy?” Boim started getting really worked up.
“I can’t. Your grades just don’t support it, man.”
“But if I don’t pass, do you know what’s gonna happen?”
“Well, why do you care so much? It’s not my problem, you know?”
“Well, it’s gonna be a big problem then….”
“It’s gonna be a problem for you, not for me.”
Upon hearing Mr. Jumadi say that, Boim immediately burst into tears. It was up to Mr. Jumadi to try and calm him down.
“What’s going on here?” The Biology teacher, who had returned from the Principal’s office, hurriedly approached.
“This, ma’am, Boim is possessed.”
“Enough, Boim. The Principal and I have decided, you pass. But it’s a probationary pass. If you embarrass us in college, I’ll drag you back to high school,” the Biology teacher concluded.
“Huh?” Boim wiped away his tears. “So I passed?”
“Yeah. But with conditions.”
“Woo-hoo!” Boim jumped for joy. Then he ran out, joining his other friends.
A spray of black pylox hit his face, welcoming Boim’s arrival on the field.
The Principal, who was monitoring the kids’ activities from behind his office window, muttered and shook his head, “Like the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany!”
“Exactly, sir. Our school is slowly falling apart too!” commented the Art teacher, who was accompanying the Principal.
Suddenly, the sound of sirens wailed.
“What’s that, sir?” The Principal looked at the Art teacher. The Art teacher looked back at the Principal.
They exchanged glances.
“Sounds like a fire truck!”
“What’s on fire?”
“Could it be our school?”
“Let’s get out!” The Principal panicked and ran out. He only had time to save his prepared speech from his desk.
When they reached outside, they both stood in shock as they saw the fire truck parked in the schoolyard, busy spraying water on the ecstatic kids. Yes, it turned out the kids had rented the fire truck to liven up the atmosphere.
But there was one more friend of Lupus who hadn’t been seen yet. Gusur. Yeah, where was that kid?
Just so you know, that crazy artist is really crazy. During the announcement of the exam results, he was busy fishing with his grandpa at the beach. Completely oblivious to the situation. Because early in the morning, his grandpa had woken him up to go fishing. And since those two are really into fishing, he went along with it.
And he didn’t know that he was the only student from Merah Putih High School who didn’t pass. How could he pass when everyone else was taking the exam and he was off with his grandpa to his hometown in Solo? That’s a complete mess-up on his part.
Yo, but don’t worry about Gusur for now, let’s check out Kep-Sek who’s been busy calming down his students who are still hyped up with joy. “Attention! Attention!” Kep-Sek shouted through the mic from the podium.
The kids kept making noise. Lupus was even busy signing the shirts of the girls who were standing in a line, holding hands.
“Hey! Pay attention! Pay attention!” Kep-Sek yelled again.
The kids turned their heads. “Yo, what’s up with Kep-Sek?”
“He’s gonna give a speech, I guess. Let’s listen, man. It’s his last speech that we’re gonna hear.”
Yeah, Kep-Sek is really into giving speeches. And this morning, he went all out to come up with a concept that he wrote on a piece of paper.
The kids started gathering, ready to listen.
Kep-Sek smiled satisfactorily as he looked at them. And he started reading his speech.
“To be honest, to be dark…
“Mr. sincerely congratulates those who passed. May your future path be smooth, and may you get extra points.
“And Mr. is totally cool with you celebrating like this. It’s already a tradition every year. But it’s expected that every student should control themselves. Because there’s an order from the Education Department that you’re not supposed to celebrate in a crazy way like this, so that unwanted things won’t happen.
“Because honestly, you should be sad to leave high school. Because people say that high school is the best time. Because the path you’ll take after graduating high school will get tougher and more twisted, and it can give you eye bags from all the snooping around.
“There are many high school graduates who don’t know where to go next. Want to go to a Public University, but the entrance exams are super competitive. Want to go to a Private University, but the fees are too damn high. Want to work right away, but in this day and age, with just a high school diploma, what can you expect?
“No, Mr. doesn’t want to dampen your joy by revealing these facts. Just remember that you’re just starting to enter the real world. That…”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of firecrackers lit by the A3 kids. Everyone was startled, especially Kep-Sek. And finally, the atmosphere got lively again. The students seemed to snap back to reality, like, why the heck are we listening to a speech when we’re having a blast like this?
“Ah, the speech is so boring. How about we just cruise around Jakarta, huh?” Gito suggested. The other kids immediately agreed. They dashed towards the cars that were already prepared for the convoy.
“Hey, where are you all going? My speech isn’t finished yet. Just a few more sections left!” Kep-Sek shouted, but no one paid attention.
Finally, with the truck bed open and the CJ-7 with its roof off, they started cruising around the city with a punk-style makeover.
The girls joined in the sedan that was trailing behind. It was so much fun. Every time they encountered students from other schools, they would shout and toast to each other.
“HEY, CONGRATS ON GRADUATING, YEAH?”
