"Eron, you're in for the soccer competition," Ivan, the class president of 11th Grade-11, announced as he wrote Eron's name on the whiteboard without the owner's consent.

"Soccer? Who? Me? No way!" Eron protested loudly. How on earth could he play soccer? Running, chasing, scrambling for the ball, let alone getting tackled until he was drenched in sweat absolutely not! "Just put me in the cracker-eating contest instead!"

"This is Porak*, not Independence Day!" Ivan cut him off, continuing to write down other participants' names. He was strict; everyone had to obey. If not, they were welcome to pack their bags and get out of his classroom.

*(Inter-Class Sports Week).

Oh, of course they would have gladly walked out of there―if only they could. The problem was, Class 11-11 was the outcast class, the lowest caste with the worst academic grades in the entire school.

It was a natural law: where there is an outcast class, there must be an elite class, or what they called Class A. Its residents were a powerhouse of achievements, both academic and non-academic. That classroom was always the center of attention for both teachers and female students because it was packed with guys so handsome they looked like an idol group. When dealing with their fanbase, it was always best to just play it safe.

"Put us in the same team!" Yuan chimed in, voicing his protest.

"The same team?" Ivan put his hands on his hips. "In which sport?"

"Anything. As long as it doesn't involve a ball," Yuan quipped, leaning back in his chair with the most arrogant posture in the whole school.

"Pick one," Ivan pressed. "Soccer, rounders, volleyball, basketball, or badminton?"

"Badminton it is." Yuan pointed to the last option with absolute confidence, looking like a professional athlete whose arrival had been highly anticipated.

"Fine," Ivan jotted it down half-heartedly. "Dion? Eron? Do you guys want to switch too?"

Eron and Dion shook their heads in unison. Being placed in any team felt like a disaster anyway. Besides, if they had to face Class A, they had already accepted their fate of being utterly humiliated with a landslide score. Their only hope was pure luck.

Once the team assignments were done, Ivan announced that all members had to start practicing after school. Unfortunately, no one was excited. Everyone knew the main field would definitely be occupied by Class A or other more dominant classes. As the residents of the outcast class, they preferred to back down for the sake of peace.

However, the peace they hoped for didn't last long.

That afternoon, the soccer field behind the school looked deserted. The Class 11-11 team stared at the empty field with twinkling eyes. They dumped their bags on the bleachers and ran to the middle of the field, cheering in excitement―looking exactly like the Avatar army about to raid the Fire Nation.

For the first five minutes, practice went smoothly. Yuan and Dion joined the girls from their class who were acting as the cheerleading squad in the bleachers.

"ERON! OI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Yuan shouted in frustration, watching Eron just jogging around with zero intention of chasing the ball. "THE BALL IS RIGHT THERE! TACKLE IT! STEAL IT! OI!! Ah, compliance... what is he even doing?"

"Just leave him be. Think of Eron as the field's eye candy," Dion replied half-resigned, watching Eron run aimlessly. "Geez, the ball is right in front of his eyes and he didn't even kick it. Lame!"

"Sigh, our class is going to lose." Yuan shook his head pessimistically.

"The tournament hasn't even started yet."

"We don't need to wait for it to start, the result is already obvious. If we go up against Class A, we're history. The school's soccer club captain is there. What's his name again?"

"Benz."

"Right, him. His team just won the High School Soccer Tournament. How can a makeshift team like ours win? Unless Eron turns into a girl and seduces Benz."

Dion snapped his head around, his brow furrowing. His brain suddenly pictured a long-haired Eron winking flirtatiously at Benz. He immediately shuddered in horror, trying to erase the wild imagination.

"Don't picture it," Yuan nudged Dion's arm with a chuckle. "Eron would definitely be gorgeous."

"Yeah, gorgeous... but my mind can't take it!"

Ten minutes passed.

The crowd from Class A arrived with sky-high confidence. Without asking for permission, they displaced the Class 11-11 cheerleading squad from the bleachers. They looked down at the middle of the field with disdain.

The girls from Class 11-11 suddenly went quiet when Benz appeared, parting the crowd. They stared at him in awe, as if Benz were the most radiant being there. In reality, Eron was out on the field and just as handsome, but his charm was overshadowed by the "outcast class" label.

"That's the lower-class crew, right?" Tantra put his hands on his hips, sweeping the field with a mocking gaze. "Look at how they play. A bunch of tacky people forcing themselves to join Porak. Give me a break."

"It won't even be fun if we meet them in the elimination round. We’ll completely crush them," Luis added with a cynical smirk.

Yuan's ears burned with anger. Just because they were from Class A didn't mean they could look down on Class 11-11's dignity. Just as Yuan was about to stand up, Dion grabbed his arm, signaling him to stay patient.

However, out on the field, Eron's patience had run out. He was exhausted, not from chasing the ball, but from being busy avoiding it. Suddenly, the ball rolled near his feet. After failing multiple times, Eron was determined to score a goal so this practice could finally end.

With full power, Captain Tsubasa-style, Eron unleashed a deadly kick. Unfortunately, the ball soared way too high, missed the goal by a mile, and―as if pulled by a magnet of misfortune―landed squarely right on the soccer captain's forehead.

THWACK!

Benz tumbled backward and hit the ground.

Uh-oh. This was bad.

Williams College High School was suddenly in an uproar. The incident had just happened less than half an hour ago, but the news of "Benz getting hit by a ball" had already spread like wildfire through WhatsApp and Facebook groups. The situation grew even more complicated as Benz's fanatic fan girls started calling for a boycott to kick Eron out of the soccer competition.

The afternoon was fading away. Any hopes of going home early were completely crushed. Eron, accompanied by Yuan and Dion, stood frozen inside the school clinic, waiting for the victim to regain consciousness.

The usually quiet clinic was suddenly packed with a crowd from the Class 11-A soccer team. Outside the room, a mob of female students from various classes waited anxiously, constantly checking their phones for the latest updates on Benz's condition.

Eron was just as anxious. Ten percent of him worried about Benz's condition, while the remaining ninety percent worried about his own survival.

"Congratulations, Mr. Eron Mahendar. The most wanted guy in the entire school. Your face is proudly displayed on Facebook," Yuan quipped, deliberately adding to Eron's misery. "Your deadly kick went viral instantly, bro."

Eron let out a heavy sigh. People say true friends will always be by your side in times of trouble. Unfortunately, that premise didn't apply to him.

"He won't get a concussion, right?" Eron whispered anxiously while craning his neck, trying to peek behind the tightly closed white curtain.

"The bump on his forehead is pretty bad, Ron. It's swollen like a duck egg. Just pray he gets amnesia. If he forgets what happened, you're safe," Dion replied, trying to offer some comfort―even though it sounded pretty far-fetched.

"Okay, let's assume Benz gets amnesia. Then, what about *them?" Eron pointed his chin toward the clinic window.

The faces of Benz's fan girls were practically glued to the glass window. Their eyes glared sharply, trying to pierce through the dimness of the room. Eron was slightly grateful that the clinic windows were tinted dark from the outside.

"Holy crap! They look like a pack of hungry hyenas stalking their prey," Yuan whispered in horror. "If you dare to walk out right now, you might get skinned, paraded around, and turned into a roasted lamb."

Eron's face grew even paler. The school proverb was absolutely right: never mess with the girls' idol if you want a peaceful life.

Suddenly, Eron's body jolted as his pants pocket vibrated violently. Yuan and Dion stared at him in confusion.

"My phone is vibrating," Eron grimaced, reaching into his pocket. Even though they were labeled as outcast students, they still followed the rules; phones had to be on silent mode during school hours.

Eron, Yuan, and Dion simultaneously looked down at the glowing screen: Aunt Moni.

"Hello, Auntie. Hmm..." Eron listened for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

He hung up and immediately stood up. "Bro, I gotta go first. Need to buy chocolate."

"Wait, what about Benz?" Yuan asked.

Eron slung his bag over his shoulder. "What else can I do? Doctor Ari is on duty, and his friends are on standby too. Waiting here is useless since we don't know when he'll wake up. Let me know when he regains consciousness, okay?"

"No way! Like I'm his assistant," Yuan protested, standing up too.

"I'll walk with you," Dion chimed in, already matching Eron's pace.

"Where to?" Eron stopped right in front of the clinic door, trying to gather his courage before facing the pack of hyenas outside.

"To buy chocolate."

"I'm coming too!"

"Geez, I can go by myself."

"It's getting dark, Aunt Moni will be worried," Dion said calmly.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Come on, let's just go!"

Yuan grabbed Eron's arm and firmly pushed the clinic door open. Instantly, a barrage of curses and frustrated jeers from the female students welcomed them. Eron could only lower his head in resignation, letting himself become the target of their insults.

The sun had completely set, replaced by the brightening glow of the streetlights.

The motorcycle Eron was riding entered the parking lot of Kedai Kopi Baper. Dion rode pillion behind him, while Yuan followed closely on his own bike.

Kedai Kopi Baper occupied a two-story old building. The ground floor was entirely used for the business. Tables in the yard, the side terrace, and the air-conditioned room looked fully packed with customers.

The three teenagers―two still in their school uniforms and one in sportswear holding a plastic bag―walked in with exhausted faces. Eron walked straight to the bar counter and set the bag down.

"Thank you, sweetie," Aunt Monita said with a relieved smile. "The café is so crowded, I didn't even have time to buy groceries. Have you guys eaten?"

"Not yet!" Yuan and Dion replied in unison.

"I cooked rendang earlier, you know."

"Sweet! Your cooking is always number one, Auntie!" Yuan enthusiastically gave two thumbs up.

Eron could only shake his head. As their best friend, he knew their habits all too well. Their excuse for accompanying him to buy groceries and walking him home was actually for one sole purpose: a free meal. Usually, once their stomachs were full, they would get lazy and end up snoring loudly in Eron's room.

To Yuan and Dion, this house was already like their own headquarters. Eron didn't mind it either. In fact, he was grateful that his two best friends accepted his life's secrets with open arms.

Yuan and Dion rushed upstairs to the second floor, which served as the living quarters for Eron and Aunt Moni.

"Bro, Benz is awake," Yuan reported as they gathered around the dining table, his fingers still scrolling through his phone screen.

"Does he have amnesia?" Dion asked with his mouth full of rice.

"Looks like he's fine." Yuan read the comment section. "But most of them are still cursing you, Ron. You really have to be careful."

"What else?"

"If they ever find out you live here, this café might get boycotted too."

Eron gasped. "Whoa, absolutely not! If the café gets boycotted, I won't be able to work my part-time job. Aunt Moni will struggle too. I might get kicked out to my Dad's or Mom's house... though it feels like neither of them wants to take me in anyway."

"Your parents... are they doing well?" Dion asked cautiously. He was indeed the most sensitive and empathetic among them.

"After the divorce, they never contacted me again. The next thing I knew, they had remarried and had kids. I don't even know my half-siblings' names." Eron shrugged, trying to stay strong. "Only Aunt Moni was willing to take me in."

"At least Aunt Moni is way better than your mom," Dion blurted out, before quickly realizing it and looking at Eron with guilt. "Sorry, I mean..."

"It's okay. It does feel weird if I say I consider Aunt Moni as my own mother. Other people might find it hard to understand, but to me, she is my everything."

Yuan and Dion nodded in understanding.