Morning came with warm sunlight penetrating through the gaps in the leaves. The atmosphere of the small town still felt fresh, the morning air carrying the calming scent of dew. Amidst the hustle and bustle of children in uniforms flocking to school, Viona walked lightly with such high spirits. A sweet smile never left her face, radiating happiness that was hard to hide. Her steady steps seemed to indicate that today would be a special day. 
The shadow of Dewa's face, a figure who until now still resides in her heart, continued to cross her mind. Every smile, every look in Dewa's eyes that she had ever caught always managed to make her heartbeat beat faster. There was a great hope to be able to meet even if only briefly, even if just to greet each other or just share a smile from a distance.
“I can’t wait to meet Dewa,” she muttered to herself, taking a deep breath, as if trying to calm herself down.
However, on the other hand, her closeness to Dedi was also not something that could be ignored. Dedi, her classmate, had been contacting Viona more often lately. Whether through text messages or phone calls, the attention given by Dedi felt so sincere and warm. Viona, for some reason, always took the time to reply to Dedi’s messages and answer his calls. As if her heart didn’t want to disappoint Dedi.
As soon as she entered the classroom, Viona’s enthusiastic steps did not escape the attention of Lina, her classmate who was known to like teasing and always had a radar for reading someone’s intentions.
“So enthusiastic, Miss. Why? You just got confessed to by Dedi last night, huh?” Lina teased with a mischievous smile.
Viona shook her head quickly with a small laugh, her cheeks slightly red. “What? No, no, how could that be. We’re just friends,” she answered, trying to relax, even though there was a hint of nervousness in her voice. He then dropped his body into the chair, put down his bag, and slipped his beloved pianica into the desk drawer. The pianica had been his favorite thing for a long time, and today it would be part of the Drumband practice that he had missed for a long time.
"So you're coming, Na?" Viona asked then, turning to Lina who was now sitting neatly on the bench next to her. She wanted to make sure that Lina was really going to join the Drumband practice as they had discussed earlier.
"Yes, but I'll go home first to get a pianica. Besides, I don't think we'll practice right away. There's still about an hour's break, so we can go home for a bit. It's close here, if we slip, we'll get there," Lina answered casually with a smile. Indeed, Lina's house was only about five hundred meters from the school, so it didn't take long to go back and forth.
Meanwhile, time seemed to pass so slowly. The first, second, and last lessons felt so long. Viona, who was usually quite enthusiastic about attending lessons, found it difficult to focus today. Her mind kept wandering, imagining the moment she met Dewa, imagining the look in his eyes, his soft smile, and his distinctive voice that always rang in her ears.
Tweeeet...
Tweeeet...
Terrrrt...
The school bell rang three times, loud and meaningful. The most awaited sound by almost all students, especially Viona who immediately rushed to tidy up her equipment. She put the books into her bag quickly, tidied up the table, then prepared to leave the classroom.
"I can't wait to stop by class 2.F," she thought to herself. She wanted to make sure that Mia, her old friend since elementary school, really brought her pianica and was ready to join today's Drumband practice. But of course, there was another reason that made her want to go to that class so much—because Dewa was also in the same class.
"Well, let's stop by class 2.F first," Viona said to Lina while carrying her bag. She also didn't forget to invite Gita, one of their friends, to come along.
The next plan was to go to Lina's house first before returning to school for practice. That day felt so meaningful for Viona. Not only because of the Drumband practice, but also because there was a glimmer of hope to see Dewa—although it might only be from a distance, but it was enough to make her heart beat.
*****
All the drumband members had gathered in the school field. The noisy voices of the children busy preparing their respective instruments blended with the warm afternoon spirit. The sky was still bright, even though the sun was starting to lean to the west, shining on the rows of students with soft golden light. The wind blew softly, carrying the distinctive scent of grass and dust from the field that was often stepped on by enthusiastic feet. 
In the midst of the crowd, Viona, Mia, and Lina stood among the pianica team. Each holding their instrument, waiting for the coach's cue. Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Gita was seen busy with Riska and the children from the flag team. They were arranging their formations, laughing a little in between movements that were not yet in harmony.
Viona stood with her eyes occasionally glancing around. Behind her calm face, there was a feeling overflowing in her heart—passion, hope, and enthusiasm that was hard to explain. This practice was not just a routine for her. This was a moment she had always been waiting for. This was where she felt alive, felt like she was part of something bigger. Especially with the small hope she kept neatly: the hope of seeing Dewa, even if only from a distance. Just seeing him standing among the rows of marching bells could make her heart beat faster. 
However, all those feelings were instantly destroyed. Collapsed without warning, just because of one sentence that slipped so lightly from Mia's lips, as if the news was nothing more than light chatter in the middle of practice. 
"Vio... Riska is already dating Dewa," said Mia with a wide smile. Her tone was relaxed, even cheerful, as if the news was nothing—as if she didn't realize that the sentence was like an arrow that shot straight into her best friend's chest. 
JEDDERRR... 
Like being struck by lightning in broad daylight.
The sounds around her suddenly disappeared, swallowed up by the thick silence. The world seemed to stop spinning. Viona's hand that was holding the pianica began to tremble. Her gaze stared blankly ahead, but her eyes didn't really see anything. There was a pain that slowly crept from her chest, spreading to her throat, settling there like a burden that she couldn't swallow or let go of. 
Why did it have to be Riska? Why now? Why could Mia say it so easily...? 
The questions ran wildly in her head, colliding with each other, creating chaos in her heart that she couldn't calm down. 
However, she couldn't say any of them. 
Her tears didn't fall, but the wound was real. Too real to be ignored. 
Viona was silent. Her heart felt like it had been hit by something invisible but felt so strong. But instead of showing a spontaneous reaction, she smiled. A thin, flat, and almost meaningless smile. A smile born from the instinct to continue to look strong, to cover up the fragility that lurked behind her eyes. 
She stared at Mia for a moment, then nodded slowly. 
“Oh... is that so?” he said lightly, trying to sound calm. His voice was steady, but no longer warm as usual. After that, he slowly turned his face away, pretending to be busy fixing the position of the pianica in his hand. His gaze was directed to the field, as if there was something there that needed his attention. In fact, he was only trying to hide his expression that was starting to crack.
Lina, who was standing not far from her, immediately caught the change. She turned her head quickly, looking at Viona's face which suddenly looked pale and frozen. 
"Vio... are you okay?" she asked softly, this time without her usual teasing tone. Her voice changed to soft, full of caution. Her cheerful face suddenly turned worried. She put her hand on Viona's arm, trying to offer reassurance through a small touch. 
Viona tried to smile again, but her lips trembled softly. 
"I... didn't expect it," she whispered softly, almost inaudibly. She lowered her head, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to hold back the waves of feelings that began to emerge from her chest. "I thought... he hadn't moved on from Hilda. But it turns out... now he's with Riska..." 
Lina took a slow breath, her eyes glanced briefly at Mia with an unreadable gaze, then looked back at Viona. 
"Mia can also say something like that," she muttered. "Even though she knows you had your heart broken because of Dewa." 
Viona just nodded slightly. He didn't have the energy to be angry. Even being disappointed felt too heavy. All he felt was silence. Emptiness. The pianica he was holding now felt heavy, as if it was carrying the burden that hung in his heart.
Behind the expression she tried to maintain, her eyes began to fill with tears. She stared straight ahead, but her gaze was blank, as if she was staring at something far beyond reach. In her chest, there was a small wave that grew slowly but surely—a tightness that continued to creep up, clumping in her throat. She took a deep breath, as if hoping the pain would evaporate with the air she exhaled. 
The practice had not yet begun, but for Viona, that day already felt like a defeat. 
Not because of a misstep or a missed note. But because the feelings that had never been conveyed, now truly lost a place to return to. 
Lina stood a little closer, saying nothing for now. But her presence was a confirmation that she was there—ready to be a shoulder to lean on whenever Viona needed. In the silence that began to creep in, that closeness was the only warmth that Viona could feel. 
The sky slowly changed color. Dusk began to dance on the horizon, coloring the sky with a dim orange glow. As if enveloping Viona's heart which was slowly losing its light, covered in a thin mist that held the most silent wound.