In a small room at the end of the house, Tufi had been awake since dawn. He sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the homework he had done yesterday with Lily and Shelly. In the corner of the paper was a drawing of a smiling sun, and below it were their three names. A small smile appeared on Tufi's lips without him realizing it.
"Shelly…" he murmured softly, almost like a little prayer that slipped out unconsciously.
There was a warm feeling in his chest a new, strange, but sweet feeling. He didn't know what to call it, but every time he thought of that girl, his heart seemed to tremble gently. He stood up, took his school uniform that his mother had ironed the night before. "Today will be a good day," he said to himself, trying to cheer up.
The road to school was lively that morning, filled with children running around. Some carried lunchboxes, others had bags bigger than their bodies. Tufi walked slowly among them, occasionally smiling at passing friends.
When he reached the school gate, he saw Lily waving. "Tufi! Over here!"
He hurried over. "Morning, Lily."
"Morning! Wow, you look so cheerful today."
"He-he… yeah," said Tufi, scratching his head, trying to hide his reddening face.
Soon after, Shelly arrived with her mother. She wore her light blue and white uniform neatly, her hair tied into two ponytails with little red ribbons. As she stepped into the schoolyard, a few boys immediately turned to look.
"Wow, that's Shelly, right? She looks so pretty today," one whispered.
"Seems like she's pretty every day," another added.
Tufi just stood there, watching from afar. His heart pounded fast. He wanted to greet her, but the words always got stuck in his throat.
Shelly saw Lily, then smiled and waved. "Morning, Lily!"
"Morning, Shelly! Wow, your hair looks so nice!"
"My mom combed it for me, hehe," Shelly replied shyly.
They laughed together. Tufi smiled too, but chose to look down, pretending to fix his shoelaces. The school bell rang. All the students lined up and entered their classrooms. Inside, the atmosphere was noisy as usual chairs scraping, little laughs, and hurried footsteps.
Mrs. Siska entered with her gentle smile. "Good morning, children."
"Good morning, Ma'am!" they replied in unison.
"Alright, today we'll present your homework from yesterday. I want to hear your stories about friendship and togetherness."
All the children cheered. Some looked excited, others a bit nervous.
"Okay," continued Mrs. Siska, "first group: Shelly, Lily, and Chika. Please come forward."
Shelly stood up confidently, holding a colorful poster paper. Lily and Chika followed beside her. The three walked to the front of the class with bright smiles. Shelly began, her voice clear and soft, "Our story is titled A Friend Who Brings Light. It's about how school days can feel so much brighter when you have friends by your side."
Then Lily continued the second part, and Chika added a funny story about playing in the schoolyard. Everyone listened with smiles on their faces. At the end, the three of them sang together a simple children's song — My Dear Friend, My Sweet Friend — with innocent and cheerful voices. The whole class applauded.
Tufi smiled widely. He couldn't hide his admiration for Shelly the way she spoke, the way she smiled, the way she looked at her friends. Everything about her felt warm and sincere.
"Very good!" praised Mrs. Siska. "You three were so in sync."
Shelly bowed politely. "Thank you, Ma'am."
After a few more groups presented, it was Tufi's turn.
"Now, the next group: Tufi, Rio, and Andrew, please come forward," said Mrs. Siska.
Tufi swallowed hard. His hands trembled. "Oh no… why am I so nervous…"
Rio patted his shoulder. "Relax, Tuf. It's just talking."
"Yeah… but everyone's watching…"
The three stood at the front of the class. All eyes were on them — including Shelly's.
Tufi opened his paper. "T-the title of our assignment is… uh… um…"
Some kids giggled.
"Andrew, help out," whispered Rio.
"Oh yeah! The title is A Friend in the Rainy Day!" shouted Andrew, making the class laugh.
Tufi tried to continue, but his voice got smaller and smaller. "We… uh, we learned that friends are important because…"
He stopped again.
Some kids snickered. "Come on, Tufi, say something," teased one from the back. Tufi's face turned red. His palms were sweaty, his legs shaky. He mispronounced a few words, then dropped his homework paper.
The laughter grew louder.
"Hahaha, such a scaredy-cat!"
"Look at him shaking!"
Mrs. Siska tried to calm the class. "Alright, enough now. Quiet, everyone. Come on, Tufi, try again slowly." Tufi tried to speak again, but his voice cracked. He lowered his head, quickly finishing the last sentence without looking at anyone.
"Thank you…" he said softly before returning to his seat.
The class was still noisy, but in Tufi's ears, all the sounds felt distant. He sat with his head down, his fingers gripping the edge of the desk tightly. His chest felt heavy, as if a big stone was pressing it down. He didn't dare look at Shelly. But from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of her looking worried. Sadly, that small warmth was drowned out by the sound of giggles in the corner.
"Poor guy," someone said.
"Yeah, he was shaking so bad."
Tufi bit his lip. He wanted to disappear. The day dragged on slowly. The next lessons blurred in his mind. During recess, he just sat at his desk, staring out the window at the schoolyard.
Lily came over. "Tuf, are you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh… yeah, I'm fine," he replied quietly.
"Don't be sad, okay? You were brave enough to stand up there that's already great."
Tufi forced a smile. "Yeah, thanks, Lil."
But once Lily walked away, his face turned gloomy again. Outside, Shelly was sitting on the bench with Vito and two of his friends. They were laughing. Vito showed her something in his notebook maybe a funny drawing and Shelly covered her mouth as she laughed politely.
The sight made Tufi's chest ache again. He looked down, staring at his fingers. "She's laughing… but not with me," he thought.
That afternoon, after school, Tufi walked home alone. The sky turned orange, but his heart felt gray. The bag on his back felt heavy. He passed the dirt road he always took. On both sides were rice fields, and in the distance, he could hear children playing ball. But all of that felt far away from his thoughts. He stopped by a small wooden bridge, looking at the river below. The water was clear, reflecting the evening light.
"Why was I so nervous earlier…" he whispered. "If only I could be like Vito — handsome, rich, confident… maybe I could make Shelly laugh too." He sighed deeply. "But I'm just Tufi."
His smile faded. But in the middle of that sadness, he remembered something Shelly's gentle smile at Lily's house. That look, though brief, felt sincere and kind. "Maybe she didn't laugh to mock me," he murmured. "Maybe… she really cared when I was nervous."
He looked up at the orange-gold sky. The evening breeze brushed his hair softly. In silence, he made a promise in his heart, "I won't give up. I'll become someone who can speak without fear. So one day, I can make her laugh — not out of pity, but because she's truly happy."
That night, in his small room, Tufi sat at his study desk. He opened his notebook and drew something on the back page, three people standing together under the sun. In the middle, a girl with two ponytails smiled brightly. He smiled faintly. "Tomorrow… I'll try to smile again." Outside, the night wind drifted through the window, carrying the sound of crickets and the scent of night flowers.
For Tufi, the day was full of pain but also lessons. About courage, about embarrassment, and about how someone's smile could strengthen a fragile heart. He closed his notebook gently, then lay down, staring at the ceiling. In his mind, Shelly's face appeared again this time with a calming smile.
Before his eyes closed, he whispered,"Thank you, Shelly… for making me want to be better."