"Mi, ni handsome tak?" Umaira shoves her phone in my face, brown eyes twinkling as she tucks a curl behind her ear. She leans into her seat and squeals. "He just accepted my follow request!"

"Ha'a, handsome," I groan, clutching my stomach as the searing pain of menstruation continues to stab me like a knife. The fact that the bus is traveling on a bumpy, winding road up the hill does not help my pain tolerance in the slightest. I am going to be sick. "Very handsome."

Umaira shoots me a worried glance, then whips around to face Apple, who sits behind her. "It's not working. You said to distract her from the pain."

Now it is Apple's turn to shove something in my face. 

"Mimi, it's Tiger Balm. It works for everything, trust me," she insists, blinking her floppy bangs out of her eyes. "This one's brand new, so it's going to be a bit intense."

The balm's vapour rushes up my nostrils, filling it with the strong scent of menthol and camphor oil. I choke on the overwhelming smell, jerking backwards and lifting the ends of my hijab to cover my face. "No, now I just want to puke more."

"That's weird." Apple raises the hexagonal container to her nose, away from my face. "It smells okay to me."

"That's cause you're addicted to it, pandai," Apple's twin sister snaps from beside her. She leans over the seats to pat me on the back. "We're almost there, Mimi. Bertahan."

"I wonder if the Zon Hebat boys are hot," Apple blathers, throwing a glance towards the handful of boy prefects of from school vibing in the back of the bus to Ampun Bang Jago, "or if they're just like our school boys."

Nana raises an eyebrow at her sister, as if she can barely believe this is the Head Girl of SMK Amin Bismillah. "You don't even like boys."

Apple points at me and mouths 'distraction'. 

"I saw that," I mumble, swallowing hard as the bus swerves further up the hill. 

"Oops. But hey, Sam's going to be there, right?" 

Nana frowns. "Sam? Who's Sam?"

Apple tsks. "See, Banana, you don't pay attention to the latest news."

"Sam's that finalist at the debate competition we went to last year," Umairah pipes up, her phone screen displaying a reedy boy holding a large plaque, his bug-like eyes widened to match an equally manic smile. "Also Head Boy of SMK Zon Hebat."

"The Head Boy and the Assistant Head Girl," Nana nods in deep understanding. "Matching."

"Kannn," Apple chirps.

What are they even-?

I take a big breath, attempting to quell the churning in my wrangled stomach. "Look, Sam is just a friend-"

"He sent you a note," Umairah insists. "A note!"

"So?" I close my eyes and try to ignore the pain. "I don't understand you people. A note je."

"What note?" Nana asks, utterly confused. 

Apple begins to explain, but at that moment, the bus driver decides to jerk the bus to a stop, throwing everyone on the bus forward. 

The bile rises to the back of my throat. 

Oh no.

I stand up from my seat, rushing towards the bin at the front of the bus.

I think I can make it in time.

That's when Puan Kalaivani decides to stand up and block my way. She flips her dark curls over her shoulder before continuing. "Okay, everyone, we have reached Kem Kelapa Sawit. I would like all of you to take all your things and get down the bus in single file. Make sure you don't leave anything behind. And remember to thank the bus driver before you-"

I struggle to hold it down, but the contents of my stomach keep rushing up my throat. I barrel forward, but Puan Kalaivani stops me, a concerned look on her face. 

"Girl, are you alright?"

I'm not going to make it in time.

I look up to meet her eyes, horror spreading across my face. 

Nana calls out from the back, sensing what is about to happen. "Cikgu, Mimi-"

BLEURGH!

Too late. Everything plays out in front of my eyes as I watch myself spew on a discipline teacher, vomit gushing forth from my lips and landing splat on Puan Kalaivani's secondhand designer clothes. 

"I'm sorry, Puan Ka-" I cough, choking as I continue to empty my guts on my teacher. 

Puan Kalaivani seems to enter into a state of shock, because she freezes and just stands there for me to puke on. 

"Mimi, are you okay?" Umairah appears at my side, brandishing a wet wipe. "Slowly."

I accept the wet wipe, dabbing my lips with it. "I'm so sorry, Puan Kalaivani."

Puan Kalaivani, who by now has started dabbing at her clothes with some assistance from Nana, waves me to the front of the bus. "No, it's okay, dear. Mira, could you get her to the sick bay? I'm sure the campsite has some kind of infirmary somewhere."

Umaira nods, not even bothering to correct Puan Kalaivani for the hundredth time. She puts her hands over my forearms and guides me down the bus. 

Behind me, I can hear Apple's squeaky voice as she takes charge. 

"Okay, you heard what Puan Kala said right? Err, I mean, Puan Kalaivani. Yeah, um, let's just go."

"Haish." I shake my head, stepping off the bus and onto the rich soil of Kem Kelapa Sawit. "Apple, Apple."

Umairah cracks a grin. Then she points forward with her chin.

"Mimi, look, it's Sam."

I follow her eyes and see a group of students sitting under a tent, their purple school shirts marking them as Zonrians. One boy wearing a songkok notices us, and is waving like a madman from a distance.

First the period pain, then the barfing on Puan Kala, and now Sam.

 Great. 

A/N: HHHHH I'M BACK! ALSO I JUST REALISED I FORGOT TO WRITE IN PRESENT TENSE, LIKE THE OTHER TWO STORIES IN MY CRACKSHIP SERIES. AH BIAR JELAH

UPDATE: sO I FIXED EVERYTHING INTO PRESENT TENSE, BUT TELL ME IF I MISSED OUT ANYTHING.

Scarlet