Tap.
The sound of a marker tapping against the whiteboard cut through the room. The classroom instantly turned into a miniature marketplace the moment Mrs. Mala, their Art teacher, announced,
"The groups are final. No objections."
The room exploded into noise. Some students groaned after being paired with people they didn't like. Others laughed because they'd ended up in the same group as their crush. A few immediately took out their phones to photograph the instructions on the board.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, reflecting off the whiteboard covered in colorful writing. The scent of dry-erase markers mingled with the familiar smell of a classroom full of teenagers.
Dina sat in the front row, staring at the list of group members.
Of course...
Those two names were side by side again.
Alfariando.
Ardina Putri.
She rubbed her temple.
"Him again..." she muttered.
It wasn't exactly surprising.
She and Ando often ended up in the same group because their names were next to each other on the class roster.
Two rows behind her, Ando let out a soft whistle. Just loud enough for Dina to hear. Just subtle enough to pretend it wasn't intentional.
A familiar grin spread across his face. The kind that seemed to say, 'Well... here we are again.'
Dina rolled her eyes, closed her notebook, and stood up.
She walked over to the table where the rest of her group had gathered.
It was Ando and Bram's table.
Right beside the window, where the breeze was strong enough to send loose papers flying. A perfect spot for Bram—the class's professional napper—to sneak in a little sleep whenever he could.
Aldi was already there, completely absorbed in his PSP. Arvin sat beside him.
Bram had apparently just woken up from another one of his "accidental naps" and was discreetly checking whether he'd drooled on himself.
And Ando... naturally looked the most relaxed out of everyone. He leaned back in his chair, watching Dina with the faintest smile.
She already knew exactly what he was thinking.
Let diligent little Ardina handle everything. We'll just sit back and watch.
It wasn't even unusual anymore.
Dina's perfectionist streak often led her to do most of the work that was supposed to be shared.
A terrible habit.
She looked away from Ando, glanced around at the others, and let out a quiet sigh as she realized she was the only girl in the group.
"So..."
Dina spoke loudly enough to catch the attention of the half-conscious lifeforms surrounding her.
Aldi looked up.
"So what?"
"First, we choose the group leader, then—"
"No need to overcomplicate it." Ando interrupted as he lowered his chair with a soft thud. "You do it."
Dina blinked.
"What? Why me?"
Considering how full of himself Ando usually was, she'd fully expected him to volunteer.
Honestly, she wouldn't have minded. Anyone in the group was perfectly capable of leading.
"Because you're hardworking," Aldi answered.
"And smart," Arvin added.
"And because you'll end up doing everything anyway," Bram finished.
The other three immediately cheered in agreement.
Those three reasons were delivered with all the enthusiasm of a radio announcement.
Which, naturally made Ando's infuriating grin even wider.
Dina shot Bram a glare.
But apparently the announcement wasn't over.
"And your house automatically becomes our headquarters," Ando added casually.
Dina tilted her head.
"What does my house have to do with any of this?"
Ando spread both hands as though explaining the most obvious concept imaginable.
"Dina, you're the only girl. There's no way we'd ask you to come over to one of our houses. Wouldn't you be worried we'd mess with you or something? Four guys against one girl. Male hormones are unpredictable."
Aldi and Arvin burst into laughter. Bram simply yawned.
Dina stared at him.
Not because his logic was flawed. Quite the opposite. His reasoning actually made perfect sense.
What surprised her was hearing it come from Ando.
Since when was he considerate?
For one brief second, she found herself wondering. Then she immediately shook the thought away.
No, Dina. Don't get carried away. It's just Ando.
"...Fine. If everyone's okay with it."
She surrendered.
Arvin slapped the table.
"Deal! We've got our leader!"
Aldi and Bram applauded while Dina quietly opened her notebook.
At the same table, Arvin had already begun scribbling random ideas onto a sheet of paper.
Dina barely paid attention. Whether anyone else took notes or not, she was still going to rewrite everything neatly later anyway.
The breeze drifting through the window slowly lulled Bram toward another nap. Meanwhile, Aldi casually munched on sunflower seeds he'd stolen from another table.
Dina tapped the desk once. Trying to bring at least a little order to the chaos.
"Okay. Let's start with the theme. What are we making?"
"Anything," Ando replied. "But I want our booth to be cool."
Dina looked at him as though he'd spoken without finishing the sentence.
"What does 'cool' even mean? Be a little more specific."
"Something creative." He pointed at Dina's notebook. "Not boring like your notes."
For context, their art assignment this semester was to design and build a booth for the school's annual art exhibition. The exhibition was traditionally held at the end of the second semester alongside the twelfth graders' graduation ceremony. Its purpose was to celebrate graduation while giving the seniors one last memorable experience before leaving high school behind.
"My notes aren't boring," Dina protested firmly. "They're organized. Logical. Efficient."
Arvin spoke up from the other end of the table, still twirling his pen.
"But, Din... Organized and logical don't exactly scream art exhibition. You'll end up making something that looks like a science fair or a bulletin board."
Dina opened her mouth to argue. Before she could, Aldi lifted his chin dramatically.
"That's why you should listen to me. I'll make this concept come alive. This brain is full of genius ideas."
"Since when are you a genius?" Ando grinned. "You were literally planning a romantic ninja selling cilok."
He pointed toward Aldi's sketch.
"That was just brainstorming!" Aldi protested defensively, waving the page covered in abstract doodles.
Bram, who had spent the entire discussion acting as the audience, finally spoke.
"I should've brought popcorn. Listening to you guys argue is like watching a live soap opera."
Arvin laughed.
"You're not helping either, Bram."
"I'm the execution guy, bro." Bram answered without missing a beat.
Dina tapped the desk again.
"Okay! Focus. We can combine creative ideas with a structured concept. Like presenting local wisdom in a modern way."
"Awesome," Ando answered immediately.
"I know," Dina replied jokingly.
She had already braced herself for one of Ando's sarcastic remarks.
Instead, he simply smiled.
What was that supposed to mean?
Aldi nudged Arvin with his elbow.
"There they go again."
"Flirting."
Dina whipped around.
"We are not!"
Arvin snapped his fingers.
"I don't know. The chemistry's definitely there."
"Don't start, Vin." Dina looked at Ando. "Help me out here."
Ando chuckled. "Well, don't make it so easy."
Bram leaned back again. "I seriously need popcorn."
The conversation spun further and further into sitcom territory.
Dina took a deep breath.
"Okay. Back to work. Just five minutes. My proposal is still local wisdom with a modern presentation."
"What if we include games?" Aldi suggested while absentmindedly tapping his PSP.
"Don't make more work for us," Bram tossed a sunflower seed at him.
Dina sighed like someone who had already accepted her fate.
"We don't have much time. If we want something impressive, we need to settle on the concept now." She looked toward Ando. "Any suggestions?"
He leaned back comfortably. "Something that makes people stop. Something unique."
"Like what?" Dina asked.
Ando smirked. "Give me a second. I'm thinking."
"No wonder something smells burnt. Your brain's smoking. Hasn't been used in a while, huh?" Dina remarked dryly.
Grinning, Ando lightly tapped her forehead with his pen.
Aldi and Arvin exchanged amused glances yet again.
"What about doing something on Mount Gede Pangrango National Park?" Ando suggested a moment later.
"Specifically what?" Dina asked, genuinely interested now.
"It's a protected forest... but it also has hiking trails. We could explore that. I'm sure there are examples of local wisdom in how the local community and the authorities preserve the area."
Dina considered it.
"I like that. We could focus on how they balance environmental conservation with public access."
"For the booth, we could build a simple installation. A diorama or a scale model. That's where the artistic side comes in," Bram suggested.
"Oh, that fits. You're the best at making things like that anyway," Arvin added.
"I agree." Dina looked around the table. "Anyone object?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Okay. It's settled."
She wrote the topic into her notebook.
From there, planning became surprisingly easy. Once the main concept had been decided, the remaining details fell into place naturally.
In less than thirty minutes, they had completed their entire work plan. The project was divided into three parts. First, they would research everything they could about Mount Gede Pangrango National Park (GPNP). Second, they would prepare the presentation materials based on their findings. Third, they would purchase and prepare all the decorations for the exhibition booth.
Rather than splitting into smaller teams, they agreed to tackle every stage together.
Even before they'd officially started, Dina already felt excited. She rarely went anywhere on weekends. This would be something completely new.
A new place. A new atmosphere. A new group of people to spend time with.
Very nice.