That morning, Wendi woke up feeling almost the same as the day before. He opened his eyes, hoping his body had returned to normal like before.
But that hope didn't entirely come true.
When he tried to sit up, his body felt slower to respond. His hand moved around for something to hold onto beside the bed so he could stand comfortably.
Wendi went still.
Usually, he didn't have to think about getting out of bed.
Usually, everything felt easy.
But now, something as simple as standing was already making him pay attention to his own body.
"What's wrong with me?" he whispered.
He tried walking a few steps.
He still could.
Wendi let out a relieved sigh.
"It's not as bad as I thought."
He repeated the words to calm himself down.
In the kitchen, Mom had already prepared breakfast.
The moment she saw Wendi come in, her expression changed.
"How were you last night?"
"Fine."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah."
Mom stared at him.
"That answer came way too fast."
Wendi pulled out a chair.
"Because I'm fine."
Mom was quiet for a moment.
"Wendi."
"Yeah?"
"If you're feeling something, don't be afraid to talk about it."
Wendi lowered his head and looked at his food.
"I just don't want everyone to worry."
Mom gave him a small smile.
"You know what? You've always thought that way."
"So that's wrong?"
"It's not wrong. But you also have to remember that the people who love you would rather know than watch you struggle in silence."
Wendi didn't answer.
His mother's words kept replaying in his head.
After eating, he left for school.
But the morning commute felt different.
Usually, he enjoyed the streets, listened to music, or thought about random things.
Today, his mind was full.
About his body.
About the pain that kept showing up more often.
And about the people who were starting to notice the changes in him.
When he arrived at school, Dimas came straight over.
"You're late."
"Two minutes."
"Two minutes to you. To the duty teacher, it could be a problem."
Wendi chuckled.
"You're so dramatic."
Dimas studied his face.
"Didn't get enough sleep?"
"No."
"Are you lying again?"
"Why are you so obsessed with accusing me of lying?"
"Because I'm usually right."
Wendi wanted to argue back, but in the end he only smiled.
They went into the classroom.
Class went on as usual, but that day Wendi found it harder to concentrate.
While the teacher explained the lesson, his thoughts drifted several times.
Even when his friends laughed at Fajar's joke, Wendi only smiled without really feeling part of the mood.
During break, Naya came over carrying a book.
"Wendi."
"Hmm?"
"Have you told your family that the pain's been happening more often?"
Wendi stopped opening his lunch.
"Not yet."
Naya let out a sigh.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not necessary yet."
"According to you, it's not necessary yet."
Wendi fell silent.
Naya sat down across from him.
"I'm not trying to interfere."
"But?"
"But I'm your friend."
Wendi gave a faint smile.
"You guys are all saying the same thing now."
"Because you're impossible to reason with."
"That was mean."
"I care."
Wendi chuckled.
In the middle of their conversation, Fajar came over.
"Hey, did you guys hear?"
"Hear what?" Dimas asked.
"There's a new kid in the class next door."
"And?"
"His name's Aldi."
"And then?"
"And then nobody cares."
They all laughed.
The serious mood lightened again.
Wendi felt lucky to still have friends like them.
They didn't make him feel different.
They still joked around.
Still teased him.
Still treated him like the usual Wendi.
After school, Wendi decided to go home alone.
Usually, he would stop for a while to hang out with Dimas or one of his other friends.
But that day, he wanted to get home quickly.
In the middle of the trip, the pain suddenly appeared again.
His hand automatically clutched the part of his body that felt uncomfortable.
Wendi slowed down the motorbike.
He stopped for a moment on the side of the road.
His breathing was a little heavy.
Not because the pain was unbearable.
But because fear was starting to creep in.
"Why is it happening more often now?"
He sat there for a moment, watching the vehicles pass by.
A few minutes later, he continued on his way.
But the ride home felt different that day.
For the first time, Wendi felt that he wasn't really fine.
When he got home, Mom immediately noticed the change in his expression.
"What's wrong?"
Wendi set down his bag.
"I'm fine."
Mom immediately shook her head.
"Are you still saying that?"
Wendi fell silent.
"I'm just tired."
Mom stepped closer.
"Tired or in pain?"
The question left Wendi unable to answer right away.
Finally, he sat down.
"Mom..."
"Yeah?"
"If the pain starts happening more often, is that normal?"
Mom sat down beside him right away.
"Tell Mom what's going on."
Wendi took a long breath.
"Lately, it's not just my knees."
Mom was silent.
"My hands and body sometimes feel weird too."
Mom's expression immediately filled with worry.
"Why are you only telling me now?"
Wendi lowered his head.
"I was scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Scared there might really be something wrong."
Mom took Wendi's hand.
"We'll find out together."
For the first time in several days, Wendi didn't try to argue.
He just stayed quiet.
That night, Wendi wasn't like his usual self.
He didn't spend a long time on his phone.
He didn't open a bunch of apps.
He just lay there, thinking about everything.
A message came in from Dimas.
You home yet?
Wendi replied.
Yeah.
A moment later:
How are you feeling?
Wendi stared at the screen.
This time, he didn't want to lie.
I'm going to get checked again tomorrow.
Dimas's reply appeared.
Good. Don't go alone.
Wendi gave a small smile.
Yeah.
The night grew later.
And for the first time, Wendi began to accept the truth that maybe this wasn't just ordinary tiredness.
There was something he had to face.
And this time, he couldn't keep going through it alone.