2. A Messy Scandal

I was still completely in shock. Before I even had the chance to open my mouth and explain what had really happened, Bin and I had already been escorted to the principal's office. The security guard didn’t give us a chance to speak, and I was sure things were already beyond saving.

As we walked down the hallway toward the principal’s office, I couldn’t even lift my head. My face felt hot, I didn’t know if it was from shame or anger. Beside me, Bin remained silent, showing no reaction at all. I couldn’t understand how he could stay so calm when we were clearly in deep trouble.

As soon as we entered the principal’s office, I sat down on the chair in front of the big desk. Mr. Hadi, the principal, was already seated, wearing a serious expression. He looked back and forth between me and Bin, his eyes filled with suspicion.

“Explain,” he said firmly, but panic had already taken over me. I didn’t even know where to start, and before I could get a word out, Mr. Hadi continued, “The school security caught the two of you in the storage room in a very suspicious situation. This is a serious violation.”

“Sir, this is a misunderstanding. I didn’t do anything!” I rushed to say, desperate to explain everything.

But Bin stayed quiet. You know how it feels when you’re freaking out and the person next to you isn’t saying a single word in your defense? I swear, I wanted to pull his hair out.

Before I could say anything more, the phone on Mr. Hadi’s desk rang. He picked it up, spoke briefly, and then looked at us. “Your parents have been contacted. They’ll be here shortly.”

Damn. I swallowed hard. Now things were getting even more serious. This wasn’t just a school problem anymore—my mom was going to find out. I could already picture her exploding when she heard I’d been accused of doing something inappropriate at school.

Not long after, the office door opened again. Bin’s parents came in first. I didn’t get a good look at them, but I could tell by the way Bin stood up and the slight tension on his face that his parents were people with influence.

Then, my mom came in. Her face was red with anger, and I could only look down. I knew this was going to be a long, painful conversation.

“My daughter would never do something like this!” my mom snapped, eyes glaring at Mr. Hadi.

But Mr. Hadi stayed calm. “This isn’t about right or wrong. The fact is, they were caught in an inappropriate place, and this brings shame to Garuda High School’s reputation.”

The tension in the room thickened. I wanted to speak up, to explain that I was just the victim of a huge misunderstanding, but for some reason, I couldn’t find the words.

After what felt like an endless discussion, my parents and Bin’s parents came to... the last decision I ever expected.

“We’ve decided,” Mr. Hadi said, looking at both of us, “that in order to protect the reputation of both families and the school, Ayu and Bin must get married. That way, this incident won’t spread any further.”

I felt like my world stopped. What?! Married?!

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Married? Me? To Bin? No freaking way!

“What?! No! I didn’t do anything, Sir!” I shot up from my chair, trying to protest with everything I had. “I’m an exemplary student, Sir! I’ve received best student awards several times. I would never do something like that!”

My mom quickly backed me up. “That’s right, Sir. Ayu’s a good girl. She always comes home on time, studies hard, and never causes trouble. This must be a huge misunderstanding.”

But it seemed none of that mattered to Mr. Hadi or any of the adults in the room. They cared more about the school and family reputation than the truth I was trying to tell.

What made it worse was that some students who had cleaning duty in other classrooms had apparently seen me and Bin earlier. I was sure they were already gossiping. I could feel their judging eyes when we were marched into the principal’s office.

“Sir, I swear I didn’t do anything wrong.” My voice started to shake, a mix of fear, anger, and frustration. “If you knew what really happened, you wouldn’t be doing this to me! You need to know, Bin.”

I was desperate to tell them everything, to expose what I’d seen, how Bin was grabbing something from that group behind the school. I was sure the white powder I saw was drugs. But before I could say another word, Bin suddenly spoke.

“I agree to the marriage.”

His words came out quietly, but enough to make everyone in the room freeze. I turned to him, eyes wide in disbelief.

“What the hell?! Are you crazy?!” I nearly shouted. “I don’t want to marry you! This is all just a misunderstanding, I can explain everything.” I pointed accusingly at Bin.

But before I could reveal anything about the drugs, Bin stepped forward, walked past me, and glanced at Mr. Hadi.

“Just let us get married, Sir. I don’t mind,” he said casually, as if this whole thing was no big deal. But the look in his eyes told a different story. He was hiding something, and I had no idea what it was.