Every school, no matter how magnificent its architecture, always has a "backside." A gray area where school laws often fade, replaced by the law of the jungle enforced by electric cigarette smoke and intimidating glares.
At Rajawali High, that area was known as the South Sector.
Geographically, this place was merely a narrow alley behind the old, rarely used chemistry lab building, directly bordering the three-meter-high concrete wall separating the school from the local residential area. Here, there was no polished marble like in the main lobby. No central AC to cool the air. There were only cracked paving blocks overgrown with moss, piles of broken desks, and a damp smell mixed with the sickly-sweet scent of vape vapor.
The sun was already leaning to the west, casting long shadows that made the South Sector look even bleaker. School had ended thirty minutes ago, but for some students, life was just beginning here.
Toto, the ringleader who had just been humiliated in the Student Council room earlier, sat atop a pile of used desks like a king who had lost his throne. In his hand, an expensive gold vape pod glittered. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled thick smoke into the air, creating an artificial fog that masked his fierce face.
Around him, his loyal lieutenants—Maman, Asep, and Ajis—sat scattered. Maman was busy carving his initials into the wall using a rusty nail. Asep played with a Zippo lighter, flipping it open and closed with a rhythmic, annoying cling-clack sound. Meanwhile, Ajis, the skinniest but sharpest-tongued among them, was drinking canned soda while kicking pebbles.
"I still can't accept it," Toto grumbled, his heavy voice piercing through the smoke. "That Salma... who does she think she is? Just because my dad has a project with the school, she uses it as a weapon."
"Patience, Boss," Ajis replied, wiping his soda-wet lips. "Girls like that need to be taught a lesson. She's too stiff. Needs to be loosened up a bit so she knows the world isn't as straight as her ruler."
"That's right," Maman chimed in, stopping his wall carving. He turned with a sly look. "Especially since she was defended by Salim earlier. That poor kid is getting cocky now. Dared to lecture me about gambling. Pfft! I'll stuff his mouth with money, then he'll know his place."
Asep laughed cunningly. "Let Salim be. He's just a bookworm. The dangerous one is Salma. She holds the reins to everything. If we don't do something, our pride as the 'underground' rulers of Rajawali will be destroyed, Bro. The 10th graders won't fear us anymore."
Toto turned off his pod, shoving it into the pocket of his tight gray pants. He hopped down from the desk. His leather boots landed heavily on the ground.
"You're right," Toto said, his eyes flashing with anger. "We have to leave a mark. Something to make the Student Council realize they can't just trample on us."
Toto's eyes fell on a portable bulletin board that had just been placed at the end of the alley by the logistics team that afternoon. The board contained a large poster, still smooth and glossy:
"COMING SOON: RAJAWALI HIGH 12th GRADE GRAND STUDY TOUR. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR AN ADVENTURE OF SCIENCE AND CULTURE!"
The poster featured images of luxury tour buses, microscopes, and silhouettes of happy students. To Toto, that poster was a symbol of all the order he hated. A symbol of Salma's "perfect" system.
"Look at that," Toto pointed with his chin. "Nice poster. A shame if it stays too clean."
Maman smirked, understanding his boss's intent. He reached into his bag and pulled out a jumbo-sized permanent marker.
"Do it, Boss?" Maman offered.
"Trash it," Toto ordered. "Write there: 'STUDENT COUNCIL IS THE FOUNDATION'S SLAVE'. Or just draw a pig's face over the President's face."
The four of them laughed. Maman walked up to the bulletin board. He uncapped the marker with his teeth, then started scribbling over the face of one of the student models on the poster with thick, rough black lines. Asep joined in, kicking the board's support stand until it bent slightly.
"Eat this, Salma!" Ajis shouted as he threw his half-full soda can at the poster. Sticky brown liquid soaked the expensive paper.
"More! More!" Toto cheered, enjoying the petty vandalism as an outlet for his grudge. "Destroy it! Let her cry tears of blood when she sees it tomorrow morning!"
They were so engrossed in their act of destruction, laughing freely as if the South Sector was their private kingdom untouchable by law. They forgot one thing: At Rajawali High, even the walls seemed to have ears, and the Student Council Queen had eyes everywhere.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard. Not ordinary footsteps. Firm, measured, and confident steps. The sound of shoe soles hitting the paving blocks with a constant rhythm. Clack. Clack. Clack.
Maman's laughter stopped. The marker in his hand froze in mid-air. Asep looked back warily.
At the end of the alley, where the afternoon sunlight crept in creating a dramatic silhouette, stood a female figure. The afternoon breeze fluttered the hem of her long pleated skirt. Her left hand held a clipboard, while her right hand hung casually by her side.
Salma.
She was alone. No Dimas, no Teachers, no security guards. Just Salma Nur Azizah, standing tall challenging four heavy-class delinquents.
"Continue," Salma said. Her voice wasn't loud, she didn't shout. Flat. Calm. Like the surface of a lake before a storm. "Why stop? I want to see how creative you are at destroying school assets worth seven hundred thousand rupiah."
Maman reflexively hid his marker behind his back, a movement typical of a child caught stealing candy. But Toto didn't flinch. Instead, he stepped forward, shielding his underlings.
"What are you doing here?" Toto challenged, his voice echoing in the narrow alley. "This isn't Student Council territory. This is our territory. Are you lost, Madam President?"
Salma stepped forward slowly. Every step she took made Maman and Ajis retreat little by little. Salma's charisma didn't come from muscles, but from absolute self-assurance.
"Rajawali High covers an area of two point five hectares," Salma stated, her eyes sweeping over their faces one by one. "Every inch of land inside the school fence is under the jurisdiction of the rules. There is no 'your' territory. There is only school territory."
Salma stopped right in front of the bulletin board stained with black ink and soda liquid. She looked at the damage for a moment, her face expressionless, then looked back at Toto.
"Vandalism. Destruction of school property. Smoking in an educational environment. And..." Salma sniffed the air briefly, "...littering."
She pointed to the used soda can on the ground.
"I thought after the incident in the Student Council room earlier, you would be a little smarter, Toto. Turns out I miscalculated. Your IQ seems to be inversely proportional to your father's bank account balance."
Toto's blood boiled. Being insulted about intelligence was one thing, but being insulted in front of his subordinates was another. He stepped forward aggressively, closing the distance until his large frame loomed over the much smaller Salma.
"Watch your mouth, Girl," Toto growled, his face beet red. His cigarette-smelling breath hit Salma's face. "Who do you think you are? You're here alone. No teachers, no CCTV in this alley. If I wanted to, I could make you regret being born."
It was a physical threat. Maman and Asep looked at each other, anxious. Hitting the Student Council President was an express ticket to Expulsion, or worse: prison.
"To, stop it To..." Asep whispered trying to hold him back, but Toto swatted him away.
Salma didn't flinch. She didn't retreat a single millimeter. She looked up, staring into Toto's rage-filled eyes with a gaze as cold as the North Pole.
"You want to hit me?" Salma asked softly. "Go ahead. Hit me. Here. On the left cheek."
Salma pointed to her own cheek.
"But before your fist touches my face, try calculating one thing," Salma continued, her voice sharpening. "Do you think I came here unprepared? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Salma raised her clipboard slightly.
"Five minutes ago, I sent a broadcast message to the School Disciplinary and Security Committee WhatsApp group. It contained my location and 'Code Red' status. Mr. Budi and two security guards are walking this way. Estimated arrival: forty-five seconds from now."
Toto's face tensed up. His eyes darted wildly to the end of the alley behind Salma.
"And one more thing," Salma added, this time with a deadly thin smile. "Study Tour. You all want to go, right? Want a vacation, want to party, want to show off photos on Instagram?"
Salma took a pen from her uniform pocket. She tapped on the list of names on her clipboard.
"This is the final passenger manifest for Bus 1 to Bus 5. The VIP Buses. My signature is the only thing validating your participation. If there is a single scratch on my body today, or if this poster isn't clean again like new in ten minutes..."
Salma let her sentence hang. She looked at Maman, Asep, and Ajis in turn.
"...then the names of the four of you will be permanently blacklisted. And you will still come to school to study alone in the library while your friends have fun out of town. Imagine the embarrassment. The Kings of the South Sector, left alone at school like punished elementary kids."
That threat was far more effective than any physical threat. For teenagers their age, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and social shame were death sentences. Missing the class study tour was a lifelong disgrace.
Maman turned pale instantly. "Don't do that, Sal! I already bought a new jacket for the tour!"
"Then clean it!" Salma barked suddenly, her voice exploding loudly, making the four boys jump in shock. "Now! Use whatever you have! Spit, urine, or your tongues if necessary! I want that poster clean before Mr. Budi gets here!"
Toto still stood stiff, his fists clenching and trembling. His ego fought a fierce battle with his logic. He wanted to beat Salma up, but he knew he had been outmaneuvered. Salma held the Ace card. Salma held control over their social lives.
Slowly, Toto's fist unclenched. He snorted roughly, looking away.
"Clean it," Toto ordered his subordinates with a hoarse voice, admitting defeat.
"But Boss..."
"I SAID CLEAN IT!" Toto shouted in frustration.
Maman, Asep, and Ajis panicked. They hurriedly looked for tissues, handkerchiefs, or anything. Maman even sacrificed his half-full mineral water to wet his handkerchief and started scrubbing the marker ink on the poster. Asep picked up the soda can Ajis had thrown.
Salma stood there, watching them like a cruel project foreman. She checked her wristwatch.
"Thirty seconds until Mr. Budi arrives," Salma counted coldly. "Faster. If Mr. Budi sees even a speck of trash, the deal is off."
The four delinquents worked at lightning speed, driven by the adrenaline of fear. Toto himself finally joined in, reluctantly picking up cigarette butts scattered on the ground.
Just as Maman finished wiping the last stain on the poster's face, the sound of heavy footsteps was heard from a distance.
"Salma! Where are you?" Mr. Budi's shout was heard.
"It's clean!" Maman reported, panting, cold sweat pouring down.
Salma looked at the poster. There were still faint marks, but it was much better. She looked at Toto.
"You survive today," Salma whispered. "Disperse. Use the back rat path. Don't let Mr. Budi see your faces."
Without needing to be told twice, Toto and his gang immediately jumped over the concrete wall behind them with extraordinary agility. Fleeing in panic. Before jumping, Toto glanced back at Salma. His look was no longer just hate, but held a hint of fear and... forced respect.
Salma was alone again when Mr. Budi and two security guards appeared, breathless.
"Salma! Are you okay?" Mr. Budi asked worriedly, looking around alertly. "Where are those bad kids? I heard a report of a disturbance here."
Salma turned around, her tense face instantly transforming into the polite and calm smile of a model student.
"Oh, Mr. Budi. Sorry to trouble you," Salma said gently. "There were indeed some students here... cleaning the bulletin board. They were volunteers. It seems they already went home because they were afraid of being late for tutoring."
Mr. Budi frowned, confused. He saw the slightly damp bulletin board and the clean ground. No signs of a disturbance.
"Volunteers? Here?" Mr. Budi scratched his head. "That's rare. Well, as long as it's safe. You too, don't be alone in a quiet place like this. Let's go back to the front."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you," Salma answered.
Salma walked following Mr. Budi back to the main building. Her hand holding the clipboard was trembling violently. She hid it behind her back. Her heart was beating so fast it hurt.
That was reckless. Very reckless.
In truth, she hadn't sent any message to Mr. Budi yet. She was just about to press the send button when Mr. Budi appeared by coincidence because he was on routine patrol. The "45 seconds" threat was just a bluff—an empty threat based on probability calculations of the security patrol route.
If Toto had really hit her... Salma didn't know what would have happened.
Salma took a deep breath, looking at the darkening afternoon sky. Being a leader didn't mean having no fear. Being a leader meant being able to hide that fear behind a mask of calculation, so your enemies thought you were invincible.
Those were just school thugs, Salma thought. Managing 200 students on the study tour later will definitely be far more exhausting.