Chapter 1. Are you in or out?

"Wanna join the party?" Galih asked.

"What else is it?" Adil responded.

"You lost it? It's Dinda's birthday, our mate," Galih said.

"Well, I just get it. When will it be?" Adil asked.

"2:00 pm. After school, we will gather at the ceremony field," Galih explained.

"Who else join us?" Adil asked.

"Lingga, Ferdi, Novan, Imam, and the girls," Galih said.

"Okay. I'll come with you," Adil promised.

"All right. Get together at the field when you'd back" Galih said.

"Sure," Adil agreed.

Riiing. Riiing. Riiing. The bell tinkled as the second break was over. Adil entered his classroom, class 6B.

In the semester that should have made him study hard, he was, instead, busy playing games on his cellphone when Lisna explained the preparation for the Final Examination.

"Adil," Lisna said, which took him by surprise.

"Yes, Ma'am. Pardon me?" Adil asked the homeroom teacher for Class 6B.

"You play on your cellphone, right?" Lisna asked.

"I don't, Ma'am," Adil said, he was a little scared.

"Are you sure? Dang budik, niku*," Lisna said.

"I'm telling the truth, Ma'am. I'm not lying," Adil said, nervous.

"Come here!" Lisna called upon him.

Lisna went to where Adil's seat, then rummaged his desk drawer. As soon as she saw a cellphone with a game in pause, Lisna immediately took the cellphone and returned to her seat.

"This is yours, right?" Lisna asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I am sorry. That's mine," Adil said with a feeling of fear.

"You know that you can't play games on your cellphone during class, right?"

"Yes ma'am. I know,"

"So, why are you still doing it?" Lisna was angry and inflamed.

" I forgot, Ma'am," said Adil.

"Why did you lied then?"

"I am sorry, Ma'am Lisna,"

"Now you follow me to the counselling room. So that you will learn your lesson," Lisna said.

"Please, ma'am. Don't," Adil said.

"Follow me. Hurry up," Lisna said, pulling Adil's hand towards the counselling room.

At the counselling room, Lisna handed Adil to Darno as the counselling teacher. Meanwhile, Lisna returned to the classroom to teach. Seeing the look on Adil's face, Darno honestly felt so done with it.

"Have a seat!" Darno ordered. Adil just looked down sluggishly to see Darno standing in front of him.

"It's you, Adil. What are you doing in class?" Darno asked.

"I was playing a game with my cellphone in class, sir," Adil said.

"Today playing on a cellphone, yesterday came late to school. What are you going to do tomorrow?" Darno asked.

"I am sorry, sir," Adil replied.

"It's nonsense," Darno said, rising his voice even more.

"I will not break the rules, sir," Adil replied.

"You keep on promising that, and you never prove it," Darno said.

Adil just scratched his head and tried to regret his actions. Darno took the Student Violation List Book and then asked Adil to fill in the book.

"You know? Your father was a good friend of mine in college. He entrusted you to me to watch over you and educate you. Your father sent you to school so that you become a good child, not to end this way," Darno criticized.

Adil just nodded his head after hearing Darno's rebuke.

Darno punished Adil to clean the bathrooms for the teachers and male students on the 1st floor, in a school that was awarded "Exemplary Elementary School" in Bandar Lampung City.

"Now, you carry out the punishment. Remember, if you repeat what you did earlier, I will call your parents to school," Darno said.

"Okay, sir," Adil said, then carried out the order.

Shortly after, Adil went straight to the bathroom. At the School, no one dares to fight the counselling teacher as he is the most feared by all 5th and 6th graders.

One time, Darno scolded several students who looked rowdy when the Monday Ceremony Supervisor gave a speech. His screams were loud as lightning struck the ground and heard up to the 2nd floor.

Not to mention, the long wooden ruler that he always carried with him when roaming throughout the classroom, to check the fingertips of the innocent students.

Of course, the clunk sound of hitting is unavoidable in the hands of anyone with long nails.

Adil took 30 minutes just to clean the teacher's bathroom. After he finished cleaning the teacher's bathroom, he felt tired and sat on the edge. Along with a mop, a bucket filled with floor cleaning fluid, and a brush.

"Why are you sitting? Are you done?" Darno asked, who suddenly checked the conditions.

"Not yet, sir. Only the male students' bathrooms are left," Adil said.

"How is it going? Isn't it good to clean the bathroom?"

"No, it's not, sir,"

"Tomorrow, you can repeat what you did if you haven't learned your lesson," Darno said.

"I've learned my lesson, sir," Adil said.

"Well, get to clean the men's bathroom," Darno ordered.

Adil continued cleaning. This time, it took him 40 minutes longer as he had to brush the overly dirty floor and drain the bathtub.

Sweat was pouring down his body, soaking his red and white uniform. Quickly, he refilled the water into the bathtub that had been drained, as the school bell had already rung.

After that, Adil put the cleaning equipment he had used in the school warehouse. He reported to Darno that he had finished cleaning the bathroom.

Darno also handed over the cellphone that had been confiscated by Lisna to Adil and allowed Adil to return home.

Adil went straight to his class to pack his things. The classroom was empty as all the students in the class had gone home.

However, he just realized that he had to go to Dinda's birthday. Seeing the quiet ceremony field, he thought that his friends had gone to Dinda's house.

Adil decided to call Galih using a public telephone in the schoolyard, in front of the principal's office, to ask Dinda's address.

"Hello, Galih. It's me, Adil. I'm still at school, I just got out of class. Where are you now?"

"Hi, Adil. We are already at Dinda's house. Where have you been, we were waiting for you at the field, but you didn't come," Galih complained.

"Sorry, Galih. I was still cleaning the bathroom. I'm being punished again by Sir Darno," Adil said.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell us earlier? You can go to the field just to tell us," Galih said.

"I didn't have time. I'm serious," Adil said.

"Dil, we are tired of hearing your excuses and promises that never be proven. You always have time for the karate kids, no matter how busy you are. But, look what you did to your friends?" Galih snarled.

"Look, I don't mean to play favourites," Adil said, defending himself.

"Oh, come on, Adil. We already know who you are. You should be able to do justice according to your name, Dil." Galih said, scathingly, then hung up.

"Galih? Hello?" Adil said on the phone that ended in vain.

Adil, who felt guilty that Galih hung up the phone, couldn't do much this time. In fact, only Galih knows the location of Dinda's house.

"Arrghhhhh. Dang it," Adil shouted, then punched the flagpole with his right hand.

Fortunately, the flagpole he punched didn't split in two.