The Stranger at the Party

Bo goes to his friend's birthday party on Friday. The house is loud and full of people. He knows almost everyone in the room.

Bo pergi ke pesta ulang tahun temannya pada hari Jumat. Rumah itu ramai dan penuh orang. Ia kenal hampir semua orang di ruangan itu.

Near the snack table, he notices a girl standing alone. She holds a cup and looks at her phone. Nobody talks to her.

Di dekat meja makanan ringan, ia melihat seorang gadis berdiri sendirian. Gadis itu memegang gelas dan menatap ponselnya. Tidak ada yang mengajaknya bicara.

Bo walks over with a friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Bo," he says. "Do you like the party?"

Bo menghampirinya dengan senyum ramah. "Hai, aku Bo," katanya. "Kamu suka pestanya?"

The girl looks up, a little surprised. "Not really," she admits. "I'm Nella. I don't know anyone here."

Gadis itu mendongak, sedikit terkejut. "Tidak terlalu," katanya jujur. "Aku Nella. Aku tidak kenal siapa pun di sini."

"I know almost everyone," Bo says. "Let me introduce you around." Nella smiles for the first time.

"Aku kenal hampir semua orang," kata Bo. "Biar aku kenalkan kamu." Untuk pertama kalinya, Nella tersenyum.

He brings her to his group of friends. They sit together by the couch. They make room for her right away. Someone hands her a slice of pizza.

Bo membawanya ke kelompok teman-temannya. Mereka duduk bersama di dekat sofa. Mereka langsung memberi tempat untuknya. Seseorang menyodorkan sepotong pizza.

Nella asks questions about the birthday girl. Bo tells her a funny story from last year. The whole group laughs together.

Nella bertanya tentang yang berulang tahun. Bo menceritakan kisah lucu dari tahun lalu. Seluruh kelompok tertawa bersama.

An hour later, Nella talks and laughs with everyone. She tells a joke of her own. The group laughs a lot.

Satu jam kemudian, Nella sudah mengobrol dan tertawa dengan semua orang. Ia menceritakan lelucon buatannya sendiri. Kelompok itu tertawa terbahak-bahak.

Near the end of the night, Bo finds Nella. She stands by the door. "Thanks for talking to me first," she says. "I had a good time tonight."

Menjelang akhir malam, Bo menemui Nella. Ia berdiri di dekat pintu. "Terima kasih sudah menyapaku lebih dulu," katanya. "Aku senang sekali malam ini."

"Same time next week?" Bo asks. Nella laughs and nods. "I bring the pizza next time," she says.

"Minggu depan lagi?" tanya Bo. Nella tertawa dan mengangguk. "Lain kali aku yang bawa pizza," katanya.

The next weekend, Bo texts Nella first. They meet at a different friend's party. This time, Nella already knows half the room.

Akhir pekan berikutnya, Bo mengirim pesan kepada Nella lebih dulu. Mereka bertemu di pesta teman yang lain. Kali ini, Nella sudah kenal separuh orang di ruangan itu.