For some reason, the day began to crawl by, every passing second stretched for minutes as the monotone voice of a temporary teacher preached about studying techniques and the importance of never being tardy. In the corner of my eye, I could see many students dozing off.
Despite understanding how they felt, how could I fall asleep when she was here now? It has been so long...and now she shows up?
An endless stream of questions flooded my mind. Ugh- whatever. The more important question is how she was changing her appearance.
I softly glance at her figure. Her long eyelashes fluttered as her pen glided across the smooth surface of the notebook. She made note-taking look graceful, even when what was written entailed meaningless information.
Yejeong turned her head, our eyes locking for a moment. An extra beat rocked my chest as I ripped my eyes away from her obsidian pupils. But I could still feel it, the beating that wouldn't cease, and the insistent stare from my old childhood friend.
A metallic clang rang through the school.
"Class is dismissed." The teacher dashed out of the room before anyone else could. An absolutely childish move, but the other students were more than amused at the sight of an old man sprinting toward the cafeteria.
Before either Taehyun or Jung could ask to grab lunch, I dashed toward Yejeong.
"Are you free for lunch?" I pulled out a large box of food, grinning from ear to ear at the emotionless girl.
"No thanks-" We sped through the hallway; the question was purely out of courtesy; I would've dragged her along with me regardless.
Wet concrete with some puddles littered here and there was scattered across the empty rooftop. The smell of departing rain clouds filled the air. Though soaked, we sat down on the wooden benches, unpacking the lunch to reveal a carefully crafted meal.
Yejeong opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself mid-breath. She still isn't comfortable with me. I guess I have to continue taking the lead.
"Say what you wanted to say. We may have been apart for a few years, but we are still best friends."
She paused for a second.
"..."
''If you open your mouth to speak, you need to let the air escape into words too.'' I joked and slapped her shoulder lightly.
A slight blush spread across her cheeks, the only splash of colour on her snow-white skin.
"Y-Your mother still makes those delicious lunchboxes?" She managed to breathe out her words before turning away. She never used to be this shy. But it was a nice change of pace. At least it beats hanging out with the class clown and perfection embodied.
I slightly pushed the lunch box toward her, to my delight, she picked up one of the octopus-shaped sausages and popped it in her mouth. For the briefest second, a smile flashed, quickly covered by the mask of stoicism.
"It's good."
...
...
...
This is awkward as hell. Why is she just looking at me? Surely there are better things to do. Conversation starters...Oh!
"So, how have you been these past few years? A lot of our friends moved away, but at least the convenience store still sells that cheap ice cream we used to eat." I cocked a smile at her, but her face remained stagnant.
"I've been fine...Moved from school to school for...personal reasons. But otherwise we are healthy. My father asked if you could visit sometimes if you still lived in the area." She looked down at her own hands, twiddling her thumbs before taking a second sausage.
I took a bit to wonder just exactly what the personal reasons were, but considering her changing appearance, it did kind of make sense.
Her black hair rolled down her shoulder as she looked down toward the large field filled with students. A sort of melancholic anguish flashed across her face, as if showing even an ounce of emotion would be catastrophic.
"What about you?"
"Eh?"
"How has time treated you? You've grown taller. I remember how you were teased for only being the same height as me back in middle school." Her cheeks tensed as if a giggle would bring forth satan himself. The mysteries just keep piling on surrounding this girl.
"I guess nothing much has happened. Dropped from the football team when I joined high school, asked a girl out and got rejected, haha." I leaned forward slightly, peaking at her expression below her bangs. "But she isn't around anymore, so...don't worry about that."
My heart thumped. Why the hell did I say that?!
"O-oh, alright." She turned her face away. The glass mask is ever so present.
A strange silence fell on us. But... it wasn't bad. I felt at ease, just like in our old days.
"Ghhh Ahhhh A stretch after sitting down all day is the best." I continue stretching my arms and back, glancing at Yejeong, who continues stealing pieces of my lunch.
But I know what I must ask. Each step toward Yejeong felt like meteors striking against the earth. I tugged at her shoulders until she faced me clearly. "Please tell me. What did I see before?
Her soft gaze turned to steel. The very tundras pierced my body as she pushed my arm away. Yejeong's long strides brought her back toward the only exit of this haven. One final glance left a poison in my heart. "She looked...sad."
I fell backwards, and the puddle splashed upward, covering every part of my uniform. Damn it! Just what is she hiding? And why doesn't she want to tell me?! And why did she look so sad?
A small hand touched against my lips. Her eyes blazed like jewels.
"How many times have I told you not to do that? Do you want others to get the wrong idea?" I sat up, staring at the aloof blond girl to my side.
"But there is no one else here to get the wrong idea. It's just us two." A soft blush spread across her cheeks as she covered her mouth.
I peered around the empty rooftop. "I guess you are right. But then why did you do it?! I don't want your stupid germs, Ha-yoon!"