The second day of campus was alright. I only had two classes that morning which were great. Although I guessed the entire week would only be an introductory week, I would still come, deciding never to be absent like some of my classmates who had skipped classes because I'd heard from some of the students that the first week was just like another vacation.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixW2wlnGII

When I was making my way to the cafeteria to grab some lunch, I met Brenda. She insisted on letting her treat me, though I already refused her offer. Then we took seats at a table somewhere in the middle of the cafeteria.

"Have you read my script?" she asked while she was uncovering a little box of butter. She took bread and cereal as if she had been having breakfast instead of lunch. It was a little bit weird to me. Or maybe to everybody else too.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSCwC66jJA

I nodded in response. "Actually I didn't have your hard copy of the script---" before I finished my utterance, Brenda interrupted.

"How come? Didn't Gee Kay give it to you? How dare him!"

"No, no it's not like that," I said. "Let me finish what I was going to say, Brenda."

She chuckled and then apologized.

"Gee Kay gave me the soft copy." I'd finished what I actually wanted to say.

Brenda knitted her eyebrows. "As far as I know, I have never given him any copy of my script," She looked like she was thinking, trying to remember something from the past. "Oh, he stole it from me! Gee Kay!!" She clenched her fists and hit the table, but it was too hard and made a loud noise that everyone could hear. She grinned, apologizing to everyone, and then she chuckled.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOW9bPd2HdP

I shook my head and gave her a smile.

"I don't know why he'd steal it from me." She continued.

I shrugged. "He told me he was curious about why you love Indonesia so much and why you want to visit it so badly." I recalled my memory when she told me that.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXKGRkdEv5

"Did he say so?" She smiled broadly, having something in her mind which I couldn't understand. "Well, for now I'll forget it. Let me ask you this, what do you think of the script?"

Actually, that was the one thing I didn't want to answer because last night I couldn't concentrate on reading her script. I had been thinking about Gee Kay all night long, of course because of his anger that troubled me too. I decided to tell Brenda the truth. I didn't want to keep any secrets that might bring something bad toward her brother. I told her that Gee Kay was really mad at the guy who mocked him.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmAc5Zo11y

"He didn't tell me anything about that." Brenda revealed to me. Her joyful face suddenly grew sad.

"I'm sorry Brenda for telling you this." I comforted her. I patted her back.

She dipped her face into her hands which rested on the table. "I am a bad sister. I had no idea that somebody hurt my brother." She groaned in a whisper.

"Brenda, it's not your fault," I said. "I think Gee Kay doesn't want you to worry about him."

Brenda put her hands down on the table and stared at me in grief. "But still I'm a bad sister. I should have asked him about everything like I used to," She sighed. "Before I got involved as a student ambassador and forgot about my habit of checking up on him."980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4n3kfTrWaK

"It's not too late at all, Brenda. Believe me," I tried to convince her. "The pain he feels is temporary. You're his good ole' sister. I mean with your habit of checking up on him, he will tell you everything and feel better. I have gone through this phase with my sister so I believe you and Gee Kay will."

She grinned.

"I can help look after him for you too, if you want." I offered. "Like a baby maybe?"

She chuckled then nodded, touching my shoulder, and said. "Thank you so much."

I smiled at her. "By the way, how'd you find out that I live in Argenta Hall when you first met me?" I remembered, finally, that I wanted to ask her about it.

"Gina is my best friend." She said.

"Oh, really? That's cool!" I exclaimed.

"When I told her that I needed help from a real Indonesian,  she told me that she had a new friend living in her residence who's Indonesian. Oh, it felt like a coincidence!" She gladly told me about it, leaving the sadness she felt recently.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydPQkIic3x

We talked about so many things about Indonesia. She was really eager to know everything. I told her like I was a tourist guide who knew everything about my country. We almost forgot to eat our lunch but then we finished it. We spent two more hours talking about other things, such as places in Nevada. She promised to take me touring the town on vacation even though I might know a lot already since had done my own research about this place including its culture on internet before going here. However, going to the real place would be the best.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9OwV0bXyO

I was about to leave the cafeteria after Brenda left for her last class of the day, when I met Julie and Cassie, who were talking about something I didn't want to hear, and I stopped by.

"Cynthia! I don't know how, but Cassie was in Genesis' Instagram this morning!" Julie sounded so excited that she held my upper right arm just a bit too tightly.

"Then everybody was looking at me the whole day like we were the trending topic on Twitter!" Added Cassie.

I shook my head. That was so funny. They were so happy for something which wasn't that important actually. Nonetheless, I didn't want to make my friends upset so I congratulated Cassie and gave her a participating smile.

"We need to celebrate it!" Cassie came up with a plan that I thought was useless.

"Yes!!! I'll treat you Cynthia!" Julie was excited with this plan.

I shook my head. "I don't feel like going," I said. "I'm sorry."980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNQlHHoqhA

"Oh c'mon, Cynthia, come with us," Julie begged. She held my right hand with her both hands. Cassie did the same to my left hand.

I had no choice but to go with them. I nodded in response and they cheered joyfully.

Cassie drove her own car. We made our way to the parking lot. I saw a metallic VW Eos in front of me which caught my eye. Her car was totally awesome to me. As far as I remembered, it was really expensive.

"Don't just stare at it, come on in and feel how great it is to ride it," Cassie woke me from the daze of admiring her car.

The three of us jumped into that prestigious car and I took the back seat. When Cassie started the engine and was about to leave the parking lot, I heard my name being called. I turned my head to the voice calling me over and over again and found it was Gee Kay.

Julie and Cassie suddenly became crazy. They looked amazed at Gee Kay being present in front of them.

"It's not happening, no it's not." Julie shook her head repeatedly.

"It is, Julie, it is." Cassie looked more to convince herself than Julie, poking both sides of her cheeks.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKK22JMqwow

"What's wrong with you, girls?" I asked in confusion. I decided not to care what they were doing at the moment and jumped out of the car, standing in front of Gee Kay. "Hey, what's up?"

"I need to talk with you some time today, so can I----" He looked at my friends and hesitated. "You are about to go with them somewhere?"

"Well, yeah," I shrugged. "But if it's important, then I'll go with you." I knew it was the chance to escape from my two friends, whom I assumed would be talking the whole time about Genesis later.

"Girls, can I take your friend with me?" Gee Kay asked Julie and Cassie, who were staring at him like he was a rare gem they had never seen before, their eyes jumping out at him.

Julie and Cassie nodded in agreement right away. I was so glad because of it. What a surprise! "Are you girls sure about this?" I reassured.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbhtCSbiXp

"Yes, just go," Cassie sounded more commanding than really willing to let me go with Gee Kay. "Go."

I furrowed my brows. I didn't understand what they were thinking at the moment. They insisted to take me to celebrate something they wanted to celebrate, not that I wanted to in the first place, but then they insisted on letting me go. How could that possibly happen?980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMy4mOdkNT

"Okay, I'll go. Bye. See you girls later," I waved at them. Then my friends waved but I assumed that they didn't wave at me but at Gee Kay.

"Your friends are funny and cute." Gee Kay told me as we were striding farther from where Cassie's car was parked.

"They are." I chuckled but still didn't understand my friends. Then I decided to forget them for a while. I believed that Gee Kay had something important to tell me.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKd8lKqxXx5

We stopped at a park and sat down on a long metal bench. It felt warm but windy since it was fall. It felt almost like in Indonesia, only Indonesia was even warmer than here in Nevada.

"I remembered Brenda told me that she needed an actor for her movie but hadn't found one yet because no one spoke, um, Bahasa Indonesia here," He replied. "Now as you are here, I beg you to help her."

I gazed at Gee Kay and smiled. "Yeah. I want to help her." I said. I remembered what Brenda and I were talking about. It could be a good way to give Brenda a chance to get into her old habit of checking up on her brother. She really cared about him, only she barely had time to talk with him. I could help her here.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1tHHFGPHi

He took out a laptop from his bag and opened it. I guessed it was set in sleep mode so that it was ready to use when he opened it. He opened the browser and then handed me the laptop.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBirfWEk3AO

"Find an article or anything in Bahasa Indonesia and teach me how to pronounce every word written there." He told me.

"Okay," I turned my gaze from him to the laptop. I remembered I had published some stories on a writing site, which were written in Bahasa Indonesia, so I showed him one with the title 'Motivator In My Heart'. "Here, let me teach you." He moved closer to me and looked into his laptop.

I told him the basic rule of how to pronounce Indonesian words. He seemed to understand. I read the story phrase by phrase and let him repeat it back to me. He sounded really funny at first. The way he pronounced every word he read was still the English way. I understood because it was his first time. Sometimes he laughed at himself when he was having difficulty pronouncing some words. I told him it was okay because he would get better as he practiced more.

We spent about two hours there, only reading the story. Gee Kay was getting better and better. I even let him read the story by himself because he was already so used to reading Indonesian words by then.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pr0h3BwgQ

"I'm tired." He sighed.

I chuckled. "Well, I know how you feel. We can stop it and continue later. I've experienced it too when learning English for the first time," I told him.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2YdEgIDvk

"You have?"

I nodded.

"So tell me, when was the first time you learned to speak English?" He wanted to know.

I hummed and smiled. "Well, it was when I was five years old. Mom taught me some expressions in English. My parents also bought me songs and cartoon movies in English. When I was six or so, they stopped teaching me. However I had fallen in love with English. Therefore I started learning it deeper and deeper until now," I finished my long story.

"Interesting. That's why you speak English very well," he complimented. "If you had not told me that you were Indonesian, I would have thought that you were originally from here."

"Thank you," I gave him a smile and he smiled back.

I handed Gee Kay his laptop back and he shut it down. Then he placed it back in his bag. Meanwhile, I didn't do anything but just look around until I felt a touch on my upper arm.

"Do you feel hungry? Because I do." He said as if he wasn't going to let me respond.

"Not really, but if you ask me to go with you I'll go,"

"Good. Let's go,"

Gee Kay drove me back to my residence after I accompanied him for late lunch since it was four in the afternoon. When I entered my room, Julie and Cassie looked surprised but then hit me up with tons of questions like how I met him, when I had met him, how long I had been with him, what I did with him, and some other questions which I couldn't remember. I was too tired and told them that I would answer all their questions tomorrow. I got some clothes from my dresser and headed to the bathroom. After taking a nice, long bath, I lay on the bed, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

Something vibrated next to my head. My eyes were hard to open. My hand wandered to get the cell phone. I didn't remember putting it there. Still in my position lying on the bed, I tried to see who the call was from. It was a call from Indonesia!

I got up from the bed. It was Mom! I hurried outside the room because I didn't want to wake Cassie and Julie up by answering the call.

"Halo Mama," I greeted her. Finally I had gotten a call from her. I was really glad even though I was so sleepy. I tried to sound as steady as I could. I didn't want her to worry about the time.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCuWePbClh

She asked me how I felt being there and I told her many things. I told her I got two great roommates, a wonderful church, had a fun time on campus, and everything else. She sounded so happy in response to my story. Dad also talked with me. I told him the same things I had told Mom. I didn't mind repeating what I'd said. My sister, Sally, followed after them, and I assumed that she stole the phone from Dad to speak with me. She asked me if I got something interesting in my new place. She also begged me to introduce her to my friends. I promised her I would. Mom took over the phone again and told me to be careful and wise in everything. One thing she emphasized was that I had to let God intervene in everything I did. She, Dad, and Sally  said good bye. I did the same and then hung up the phone.

I looked at the clock hung on the wall in front of my room. It was 11 P.M. The day hadn't changed yet.

When I was about to enter my room, I felt a little bit sore in my throat. I decided to head toward the kitchen and took a glass and a jar of water. I put them on the table and sat in one of the chairs beside it. I poured water into the glass until it was full and drank it. While drinking, I unlocked my cell phone to check if there was anything important. I had a new message which was received three hours ago. It was from Kiarra.

"Why did she text me? How did she have my number? Did she ask Gina to give it to her?" I mumbled those questions without opening the message.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAi548q4827

Then I opened her message and read it. She told me that Brenda needed my help. Then I realized I hadn't seen Brenda's script.

"Oh, no. I should have been awake and not asleep," I regretted falling asleep. "But why did Kiarra text me if it was Brenda who needed my help?"

I called Kiarra right away. After two rings, she answered the phone.

"Are you still awake?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry, I was sleeping and didn't know you texted me." I told her.

"It's fine with me, but Brenda needs you. She said Gee Kay was in the hospital and---"

"What?" I interrupted. "Okay, just give me Brenda's number."

"Okay, okay. I'll text you her number."

"Thanks Kiarra."

"You're welcome." She ended the call.

Within a minute, Kiarra sent me Brenda's number. I called her right away. "Brenda, are you in the hospital?"

"Y..yes." She stuttered. She sounded like she was crying.

"Brenda, Kiarra told me,"

"Just come here now, please," She said before I finished my utterance. "Please."

"Okay, okay," I tried to calm her down. "Just tell me where you are."

"I'm at Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center."

"Ok, I'll be there soon,"

I needed to go to the medical center as I had promised. However there was a problem. I didn't have a car. Well, I could borrow Cassie's because I could drive but I didn't know the way to get there. Plus, I didn't have international driving license and I didn't want to cause any problem. The only way was to call for a taxi.

I remembered seeing a phone book on the desk beside the TV. I went over there and took it. I looked for the taxi's number and ordered one to meet me at Argenta Hall. Then I entered my room, got dressed and put everything I would need into my purse.

Without waking Cassie and Julie, I left the room. I walked down the stairs and headed to the door. When I was about to open the door, I heard some people laughing about something. What was said by one of them caught my attention. It was a girl's voice. She said that "Genesis deserved it". "It", what? I assumed that something had happened to Genesis, but I didn't know. Whatever it was, they seemed to be happy about it.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4ZpZZIrDS

When a taxi showed up in front of the door, I knew it was for me. I put aside all the talk about Genesis, who I didn't know at all. I got into the taxi and the driver asked me where to go. I told him to head to Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center. He was a little bit annoyed. I didn't know what the reason was but then we left for the hospital.

In only less than five minutes, I arrived in Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center. It might be the reason why the driver looked a bit annoyed because I could've walked rather than using a taxi. However, I ignored it and asked him how much I owed him, he mentioned it and got out from the taxi after I paid him. Then I walked up and entered the building. There, right in front of me, was the receptionist. I approached her and asked for someone named Gee Kay. She told me there was nobody with the name Gee Kay. I asked her to recheck but she still didn't find Gee Kay's name. I had no other choice but to call Brenda and make sure I was in the right place.

"I.. I'll go get y..you," She hung up the call.

I was still standing in front of the receptionist when Brenda appeared. She took me by the hand and led me to a place which wasn't far from where I'd been. We sat down on a bench and she started crying. Again, I guess. Her eyes were swollen.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdQXbKRpxL

"What happened to Gee Kay?" I asked.

She tried to stop crying and managed her breath. "An unknown driver hit him this evening," She said.

"Gee Kay will be fine, Brenda," I patted her on the back. "God surely protects him."

It was almost eleven thirty at night and that was the first time I had been awake outside the house without my family. Back there in Indonesia, my family was always with me whenever I went. However, this time I was with somebody who wasn't my family. I barely even knew her. I had just met her a couple of days ago.

What made my mind start to wander was that she had other people to ask to accompany her but she chose me. Why would she want me to be with her in her time of need? Didn't she have family or close friends? It wasn't that I didn't want to accompany her, but it was just strange to me.

We had been waiting for forty minutes, which meant a quarter to midnight, when a doctor, who I assumed was taking care of Gee Kay, came out of the emergency room. Brenda and I got up from the bench we were sitting on.

"He's fine. There's no broken bone, but his leg and right hand are swollen. He needs about a month to get some rest and some time to heal," The doctor informed us, which made us feel relieved, especially Brenda. I believed she was really grateful because her brother didn't get anything severe. "He should stay here for a week, and then he can get some rest at home."

"Okay. Thank you doc," Brenda said. "Can we meet him now?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not until tomorrow," The doctor forbade. "Please be patient, okay?"

Brenda nodded and the doctor left us.

"So, will you stay the night here or go back to your residence?" I asked, remembering Gee Kay told me that he was originally from California and not Nevada. That meant Brenda also lived in one of residences of the University of Nevada.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7q90GatEZ

"I'll be here," she told me. "But you can go back to your residence. I know you'll have class tomorrow. You shouldn't skip it."

I nodded. She's right. I couldn't skip my classes because I was on a full scholarship from the University of Nevada. "Okay. I'll be back here by ten in the morning. I only have one class tomorrow."

She nodded. I left her there and waved. I got out from the hospital and called for another taxi, then I found myself back at Argenta Hall.980Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOi7ZImVhmq