Chapter 3 – The Crowded Cafeteria

That day was the first time Darren asked me to go to the cafeteria with him.

The moment we stepped out of the classroom, almost every girl in our class followed us. They gathered around Darren as we walked down the corridor.

Their voices mixed together—laughing, calling his name, asking questions all at once.

To me, the noise felt like a swarm of buzzing flies in my ears.

Meanwhile, Darren walked calmly in the middle of them, trying to be polite and friendly. He answered their questions with a smile, as if he was already used to this kind of attention.

Monika and Karen, the two most popular girls in our school, also walked with us.

Without anyone asking them to, they seemed to take on the role of Darren’s escorts.

But the other students didn’t really care.

They were too excited.

Some of them kept taking pictures. Others asked Darren endless questions.

“Darren, are you filming a new movie?”

“When will your band perform again?”

“Darren, can we take a picture together?”

I walked beside Darren quietly, watching everything around me.

Inside my head, I almost screamed.

Is this Darren’s life?

It must be exhausting.

Always surrounded by people, always having to smile and be friendly.

But strangely, Darren didn’t seem bothered at all.

He kept smiling.

Or maybe… he was simply used to it.

Soon we arrived at the cafeteria.

The cafeteria at Harapan Muda School was always busy during break time.

That day was no different.

As soon as Darren stepped inside, several students turned their heads toward us.

But Darren continued walking as if nothing unusual was happening.

He glanced at me.

“Take anything you want,” he said.

The way he said it made me feel a little awkward.

For a moment, it almost felt like we were on a date.

Of course, we weren’t.

I could choose any food I wanted.

But in the end, I only ordered a bowl of lontong kari—my favorite food in the school cafeteria.

And just like he promised, Darren paid for it.

Even the cafeteria ladies became excited.

They asked to take pictures with him.

One of them laughed and said, “Ah, it’s free for you today!”

But Darren politely refused.

“No, it’s okay, Ma’am. I’ll still pay.”

He handed over the money anyway.

The cafeteria lady smiled widely and suddenly grabbed a fried snack from the tray beside her.

“Here, take this.”

Darren tried to refuse.

“No, Ma’am, it’s okay—”

“Just take it.”

In the end, he accepted it.

It was a comro.

Comro is a traditional fried snack from Bandung. The name comes from the Sundanese phrase oncom di jero, which means “oncom inside.”

It tastes slightly sweet and spicy.

For people who like oncom, it’s delicious.

But even in the cafeteria, the crowd around us didn’t disappear.

Some students still stood nearby, secretly taking photos or calling Darren’s name.

Inside my head, I wanted to scream.

This is completely abnormal.

Finally, Monika and Karen stood up and shouted loudly.

“Alright, everyone! Move!”

“Go away already!”

Some students stepped back, but not all of them.

Luckily, one of the school security guards passed by.

He immediately told the students to stop crowding around our table and go back to their own business.

Slowly, the crowd began to thin out.

Darren smiled.

His smile was surprisingly warm.

Then he handed the comro to me.

“This is for you.”

Monika and Karen looked at me with expressions I couldn’t quite understand.

For a moment, they seemed a little jealous.

But then they started laughing and chatting again.

“You’re really lucky, Hilda,” Karen said.

“Yeah, sitting next to Darren every day,” Monika added.

I pretended not to hear them.

Like usual, I stayed quiet.

I listened to Darren talking with Monika and Karen.

From their conversation, I learned something new.

Monika had actually known Darren for quite a long time.

She was also dating Nicholas, one of the members of Arha Band.

I just sat there like an idiot, listening to their conversation.

After the break ended, we returned to the classroom.

Before the lesson began, one of the teachers stood in front of the class and spoke to everyone.

He reminded the students to treat Darren more like a normal person.

“Let Darren be just another student,” the teacher said firmly.

“Give him some privacy.”

The classroom became quieter after that.

But one thing was already clear to me.

Since Darren arrived, school life would never be the same again.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***