The Anonymous Notes

Sage finds the first note taped to her locker on a Monday, folded into a small square. It says: "Your project presentation last week was really good. Just thought you should know."

Sage menemukan catatan pertama tertempel di lokernya pada hari Senin, terlipat menjadi persegi kecil. Isinya: "Presentasi proyekmu minggu lalu bagus sekali. Cuma ingin kamu tahu."

There's no name attached. Sage reads it twice, checks the hallway for anyone watching, and slips it into her bag.

Tidak ada nama di sana. Sage membacanya dua kali, memeriksa lorong untuk melihat apakah ada yang mengawasinya, lalu menyelipkannya ke dalam tasnya.

A second note appears three days later, this time in her backpack pocket. "You always hold the door for people. Most people don't notice that kind of thing, but I do."

Catatan kedua muncul tiga hari kemudian, kali ini di saku ransel. "Kamu selalu menahan pintu untuk orang lain. Kebanyakan orang tidak memperhatikan hal seperti itu, tapi aku memperhatikannya."

By the fourth note, Sage has started actually looking forward to finding them. Someone is paying closer attention to her than she realized, and whoever it is clearly means well. She just can't figure out who.

Pada catatan keempat, Sage sudah benar-benar menantikan untuk menemukannya. Seseorang memperhatikannya lebih saksama daripada yang ia sadari, dan siapa pun itu jelas bermaksud baik. Ia hanya tidak bisa menebak siapa.

She starts a mental list of suspects. Her best friend Winston denies it immediately, looking genuinely confused by the question. "If it were me, I definitely wouldn't be subtle about it," he says, which is probably true.

Ia mulai membuat daftar tersangka di kepalanya. Sahabatnya, Winston, langsung menyangkal, tampak benar-benar bingung dengan pertanyaan itu. "Kalau itu aku, aku pasti tidak akan malu-malu soal itu," katanya, yang mungkin memang benar.

Her lab partner seems too shy to write anything like this at all. A girl from her art class seems like a possibility. But the handwriting doesn't match anything Sage has seen from her before.

Teman satu timnya di laboratorium sepertinya terlalu pemalu untuk menulis hal semacam ini. Seorang anak perempuan dari kelas seninya mungkin saja. Tetapi tulisan tangannya tidak cocok dengan apa pun yang pernah Sage lihat darinya.

The fifth note finally gives her something to work with. There's a tiny drawing in the corner, a small cartoon bird. It looks oddly specific, like an inside joke Sage doesn't remember being part of.

Catatan kelima akhirnya memberinya petunjuk. Ada gambar kecil di sudutnya, seekor burung kartun mungil. Gambar itu tampak aneh dan spesifik, seperti lelucon internal yang Sage tidak ingat pernah ia ikuti.

Then it clicks. In seventh grade, she sat next to a boy named Wilder. He used to doodle the exact same bird on every worksheet, every test, every note passed in class. They haven't spoken much since he switched to a different friend group in eighth grade.

Lalu ia teringat. Di kelas tujuh, ia duduk di sebelah seorang anak laki-laki bernama Wilder. Ia biasa mencoret-coret burung yang persis sama di setiap lembar tugas, setiap ujian, setiap catatan yang diedarkan di kelas. Mereka tidak banyak bicara sejak ia pindah ke kelompok pertemanan lain di kelas delapan.

The next day, Sage finds Wilder at his locker before first period. "Nice bird," she says, holding up the note.

Keesokan harinya, Sage menemukan Wilder di lokernya sebelum jam pelajaran pertama. "Burung yang bagus," katanya sambil mengangkat catatan itu.

Wilder's ears turn red almost instantly. "I wasn't sure you'd remember that."

Telinga Wilder langsung memerah. "Aku tidak yakin kamu akan ingat itu."

"I didn't, at first," Sage admits. "But once I saw it, it was pretty obvious."

"Awalnya tidak," Sage mengaku. "Tapi begitu melihatnya, ternyata cukup jelas."

"I've noticed things about you for a while," Wilder says, not quite meeting her eyes. "I just didn't know how to say any of it out loud without it being weird."

"Aku sudah memperhatikan hal-hal tentangmu sejak lama," kata Wilder, tanpa benar-benar menatap matanya. "Aku cuma tidak tahu bagaimana mengatakannya langsung tanpa terdengar aneh."

"Well, it worked," Sage says. "Weird, but in a good way."

"Nah, berhasil kok," kata Sage. "Aneh, tapi dalam arti yang baik."