This Is My World [High School AU]

Chapter 3

The downside of overexerting Api's braincells was the fact that he'd woken up late the next morning. Air usually woke up earlier than Api, so she didn't see it as a problem, leaving Api to fend for himself when it's time to wake.

Unfortunately, his snores obscured the alarm's screeches. He was condemned to detention, something he'd never gotten for ages. He would do anything to get extra time in the gym. Now that he was a part of the club itself, he could sleep better, but that didn't alter the reality of staying in a room with a bunch of delinquents that don't know how to tie their shoelaces.

"Wheeee!" Two kids sped past him. The younger one was sitting on the older one's shoulders as he whizzed past the corridor in roller skates.

Spoiler alert: they crash-landed by the lockers.

They also got detention.

Api groaned. This was going to fantastic.

Detention wasn't as dull as it may seem. Despite residing in a stern room, the teacher on duty was past her seventies and couldn't care less on what goes on in the room. This induced pranks, bombs and idiotic questions.

Api was alone. He knew no one in this room. Besides, the people in here weren't as bad as he imagined. They were harmless people that had committed a crime no worse than accidentally spilling coffee on another student's worksheet. This school was as stupid as he thought.

He stared off into space as time passed. He sat in the front row, but the two next to him caught his attention. They were the two kids earlier from the day. The younger student was a girl with short curly hair and the older student was a boy with wild, unkempt hair. They seemed to be related, because they were close, but not dating-level kind of close. If there was anything they shared, it was the enthusiasm.

Once detention was over, Api left home. He still had to finish his homework before going to the gym. Tanah had allowed him a day's workout, provided that he completed his work before such.

"How was detention?" Air greeted him.

Api shrugged and opened his books. "It was decent, I guess. Boring!"

"Sounds like the ultimate punishment for you," Air commented. She sat on the bed as if she was waiting for someone.

"You waiting for your boyfriend?" Api snarked.

Air rolled her eyes. "Waiting for a friend. She's supposed to come by earlier but I think she's gotten detention. Again."

Api recalled the curly-haired girl he'd seen. Indeed, when the doorbell rang, the same pair of siblings was at the door. At this point, he was mentally questioning his existence. How could this be so coincidental?

"Hello!" the young girl chirped. "Hey! It's that guy from detention!"

Api waved. "Hey! So you're Air's friends?"

Air rolled her eyes. "No. They're from planet Mars."

"We are?" The boy gasped.

Air's face was introduced to her palm.

"My name's Daun!" the girl said. "This is my brother, Angin!"

It was a best-friend-for-life at first sight. Api and them was an instant hit off. Air now had three kids to babysit, unfortunately. You put crazy and crazy together just makes much more of a mess.

Air plugged her ears with her earphones so she wouldn't have to listen to them squealing every three seconds.

Daun was supposed to come over to get lectured on gymnastics by Air, but upon meeting Api, they ditched everything and sped out to do stunts. She may be small, but she climbed trees like nobody's business. She scaled the tallest tree in the park before anyone could say what the hell.

"How does she do it?" Api squinted at Daun's tiny silhouette among the branches.

Angin shrugged. "I don't know. She never teaches me!"

"Catch meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Daun shrieked from above.

Api and Angin panicked and tried to catch Daun as she jumped down from the tallest branch of the tree. They ended up running into each other as Daun landed on them.

"Ooh, soft landing," Daun giggled.

They exchanged personal information under that very tree, though both their backs are still sore and Daun apologized for her reckless behaviour. Something tells Api that this won't be the last of her stunts.

Angin and Daun used to live in Kuala Lumpur when they were young, but they had to move away to Sabah due to their family's business. And when both of them grew, they changed to Api's school and rented an apartment nearby. Angin was a professional at any sports involving balancing and manoeuvring—mainly skateboarding, skating, ice-skating and the like—and Daun was a professional at acrobatics and any sport related to height. She was learning gymnastics under Air, because she wanted to join the gymnastics club. Angin was in the comic club.

There was no doubt that Api had finally found a group of friends that he preferred. Before, he was a loner because no one else could take his explosive personality. Now he met people that are as weird as him; if not, weirder.

If Air were to tell the truth, she was thoroughly annoyed when Api and Angin returned with bruised backs and Daun swinging all over the place like there's no tomorrow. Why did she even know these people?

Angin and Daun left later in the night.

It was then Api realized something vital.

"I didn't go to the gym today!" he screeched in the middle of four a.m.. Air covered her head with her pillow and sent an alarm flying onto his face with deadly accuracy.

* * *

The next day, Api dragged himself over to Tanah's house. Surprisingly, it was Petir who opened the door for him.

"Um," Api stuttered. He was cowering under her serious gaze. "Hi?"

Petir pointed to Tanah's room with her thumb. Api scurried inside his room as Petir closed the door for him.

He closed the door behind him with a slam. That girl had taken the definition of terrifying to another level.

Tanah and Cahaya were already conversing. Upon his arrival, they ended their conversation and turned to him.

"You didn't go to the gym yesterday," Tanah said. "Did something happen?"

Cold sweat ran down Api's back. "Ah—well, I was meeting some new friends, and I forgot."

Please don't kill me please don't kill me—

Tanah nodded. "Okay. What subject should we start today?"

In the middle of their session, the sound of a glass shattering boomed from outside. Both Cahaya and Tanah perked up.

"I'll go check," Tanah said. Cahaya looked like he wanted to protest, but he sat firm. Tanah left the room and closed the door behind him.

Once Tanah left, Cahaya rose from his cushion. He opened the door slightly, suffice to peek at the situation outside. Api followed his example and p

Tanah stopped Petir from cleaning the mess she created. "It's okay. You'll hurt yourself. I'll take care of this."

Petir glanced down to the glass shards. She was trying to get a glass of water, but her hand slipped. She didn't want Tanah to clean up after her, but his stubborn personality was what annoyed her at times. Grabbing the bottle of pills from the counter, she refilled another glass and disappeared into her room.

Api noticed the detail.

"Is she sick?" he asked Cahaya.

Cahaya closed the room door. He shook his head in worry.

"No," he grumped, irritated by the fact that Tanah won't let them intervene. "It's not my story to tell. Tanah never lets anyone else help her but himself."

Api frowned. "Why? She can kick ass. Have you seen her trophies?"

"Well, this is something only me and Tanah knows. They won't appreciate it if I tell you, so you're gonna have to keep guessing."