That morning, Wendi woke up because of his neighbor's motorbike roaring noisily out front. His eyes were still heavy. His hand groped around the mattress for the phone he'd tossed aside the night before.
“What time is it?” he mumbled.
The phone's screen lit up. It was already almost six-thirty.
Wendi sat straight up.
“Oh crap, I'm late!”
He hurriedly got out of bed. The moment his feet touched the floor, he stopped. There was an uncomfortable feeling in his knee. It wasn't severe pain, just an ache that made his movements hesitate a little.
Wendi rubbed his knee for a moment.
“Probably just tired.”
He didn't want to think about it for too long.
After a quick shower, Wendi put on his school uniform while stuffing his books into his bag. His mother's voice came from outside the room.
“Wendi! Eat breakfast first!”
“Yeah, Mom!”
Wendi went downstairs to the kitchen. Fried rice and a glass of warm tea were already waiting on the table. His mother was putting a few things into a shopping bag.
“Why'd you just wake up?” Mom asked.
“My alarm didn't go off.”
“What time did you go to bed last night?”
“The usual.”
“What do you mean, the usual? I saw you still playing on your phone when I walked past your room.”
Wendi grinned.
“Just for a little while.”
“A little while until midnight?”
Wendi picked up a spoon.
“Yeah, yeah. My bad.”
His mother only shook her head with a small smile.
Wendi ate quickly. When he went to stand up and grab his water bottle, his knee started aching again. This time, he paused before walking.
His mother noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“You kind of stopped just now.”
“Ah, no. My leg just fell asleep.”
“Oh.”
Wendi grabbed his water bottle and put it in his bag.
“I’m heading out, Mom.”
“Be careful.”
“Yeah.”
As soon as he stepped outside, the morning air felt pretty cold. Wendi got on his motorbike and headed to school.
On the way, the uncomfortable feeling gradually faded. Wendi relaxed again.
As far as he was concerned, it wasn't anything worth thinking about.
When he arrived at school, Wendi immediately spotted Dimas standing near the gate, eating a piece of bread.
“Finally!” Dimas shouted.
Wendi parked his motorbike.
“I just got here.”
“The school bell rings in five minutes.”
“We've still got time.”
Dimas held out the half-eaten piece of bread.
“Want some?”
“No way. You already bit it.”
“Come on, don't be so picky.”
Wendi laughed.
They headed toward the classroom. Several students were already running through the hallway because the duty teacher had started standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“Hurry up!”
Dimas grabbed Wendi's arm.
They climbed the stairs in a rush.
When they reached the last stair, Wendi suddenly stopped.
“What now?” Dimas turned around.
Wendi held his knee.
“I'm fine.”
“You've been acting weird all morning.”
“Seriously, I'm fine.”
Dimas stared at him for a few seconds.
“Your knee?”
Wendi gave a small nod.
“I think so.”
“What do you mean, you think so?”
“It aches.”
“Did you fall?”
“No.”
“Slip?”
“Nope.”
“Then what's wrong?”
Wendi shrugged.
“I don't know.”
Dimas still looked curious, but the school bell rang.
“Tell me later.”
“Tell you what?”
“That thing.”
Wendi just laughed and went into the classroom.
The first lesson went as usual. The math teacher explained the material at the front of the classroom while some of the students busily took notes. Wendi tried to focus, but he shifted in his seat several times.
His deskmate, Fajar, glanced over.
“What’s with you?”
“With what?”
“You've been moving around this whole time.”
“I’m stiff.”
“You just sat down.”
“Well, that's what being stiff is like.”
Fajar went back to writing.
“You're so weird.”
Wendi gave a faint smile.
He was actually starting to feel uncomfortable. The sensation in his knee still hadn't completely gone away. Every now and then, it felt as if something were tugging at it, then the feeling faded again.
When break time arrived, Wendi stood up immediately.
“Come on, let's go to the cafeteria,” Dimas said.
“You guys go ahead.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I want to stay in the classroom.”
Dimas furrowed his brow.
“That's unusual.”
“I don't feel like eating.”
“Wendi, are you sick?”
“No.”
“You keep saying no to everything.”
“Because I'm not.”
Dimas finally left with Fajar.
Wendi leaned back in his chair. He gently rubbed his knee.
“What’s wrong with you?”
He tried standing up and walking a few steps.
He still could.
Wendi let out a relieved sigh.
Maybe he really was just tired.
A few minutes later, a girl entered the classroom carrying two cups of drinks.
“This one's yours.”
Wendi looked up.
“Naya?”
Naya set one of the cups on his desk.
“Dimas said you didn't go to the cafeteria.”
“So?”
“So I bought you something.”
Wendi picked up the cup.
“Thanks.”
Naya sat in the chair in front of Wendi.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why is everyone asking me that?”
“Because you look different.”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“You look like someone just got yelled at.”
Wendi laughed.
“You’re being dramatic.”
Naya watched him.
“I saw you taking the stairs slowly earlier.”
“I was just stiff.”
“If it hurts, say so.”
“I know.”
Naya nodded.
“Don't try to act tough.”
Wendi fell silent for a moment.
For some reason, that simple sentence kept bothering him.
After break ended, the next lesson went by fairly peacefully. But as dismissal approached, the ache in Wendi's knee returned. This time, it was more noticeable.
When all the students began packing up, Wendi stood slowly.
Dimas, who was putting his books into his bag, immediately noticed.
“Does it still hurt?”
Wendi was silent.
“Wendi?”
“A little.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Just go home with me.”
“I brought my motorbike.”
“Then just leave it here.”
“Don’t bother.”
Dimas sighed.
“What if something happens on the way?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“But what if it does?”
Wendi looked at him.
“I can take care of myself.”
Dimas finally gave up.
“Fine. But let me know when you get home.”
“Yeah.”
Wendi walked toward the parking lot. Every step felt a little different than usual. He tried to ignore it.
At home, Mom was sweeping the yard.
“Why are you home so early?”
“This is when school lets out.”
“You usually stop somewhere first.”
“I didn't feel like it.”
Wendi went inside and set his bag on the sofa.
His mother watched the way he walked.
“What’s wrong with your leg?”
Wendi stopped.
“Why is everyone asking about my leg?”
“Then there is something wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong, Mom.”
“Wendi.”
His mother's voice turned more serious.
Wendi finally sat down.
“It just aches a little.”
“Since when?”
“This morning.”
“And you still went to school?”
“Yeah.”
His mother came closer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought I was just tired.”
“If it still hurts tomorrow, we'll get it checked.”
Wendi immediately shook his head.
“No need.”
“Why not?”
“It'll probably be gone tomorrow.”
His mother stared at Wendi for a long moment.
“Don’t wait until it gets worse before you tell me.”
Wendi didn't answer.
That night, after dinner, Wendi went into his room. He opened his book to work on his assignment, but his thoughts kept returning to his knee.
He tried standing up.
The ache came back.
Wendi sat down again.
“Come on, how can something this minor be bothering me so much?”
His phone buzzed.
A message from Dimas.
Home yet?
Wendi typed a quick reply.
Yeah.
A few seconds later, another message came in.
Does your leg still hurt?
Wendi stared at the screen for a long time.
He actually wanted to say no.
But this time, his finger stopped.
Finally, he typed:
A little.
Dimas's reply came quickly.
Don't try to act tough tomorrow.
Wendi smiled faintly.
Yeah, yeah, you're such a nag.
He set his phone beside his pillow.
The bedroom light went out.
Wendi lay down and closed his eyes.
He didn't know yet that the little pain he'd dismissed would slowly change so much about his life.
That night, Wendi could only hope that everything would be back to normal the next morning.