the couple next door ||knj||

4

flashback 10 years ago

I waited on my front steps for Namjoon to walk with me to the bus stop. We always walked together. We also always rode the bus together. As I waited I looked at the chipping yellow paint on my house. My house had been painted yellow ever since I was born. Namjoon's was always gray. His yard was always kept up. In the fall I would help him rake the leaves and in the spring I would help his mom plant flowers. In the summer I would swim in their pool and in the winter we would shovel the snow on our driveways together. And in the time in between we would always hang out together. Either in our houses or running across town, we were always together. I liked it that way.

Namjoon came out of his house with his backpack thrown over one shoulder using his other hand to wave at me.

"Hi." I said with a soft smile.

"Hello." He giggled back. "Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Completely ready." I replied.

We interlocked hands. Slightly swaying them as we walked. The sky was a beautiful blue that morning but the sun was not quite up yet. We continued to walk in silence until we reached the bus stop just in time.

When the bus pulled up we both hopped on and went to sit in the back together. People always teased us because we were the only couple in our whole high school that lasted. We didn't listen to others, we just focused on ourselves. We didn't have a lot of other friends, I only had one, Lia.

We had been friends since preschool and we were very close. I hung out with her on the days when Namjoon would hang out with his friend, Jin. Jin and Namjoon's parents were best friends and that's how they met. Luckily Jin went to the same school as us so we would sort of hang out as a group sometimes. Just Namjoon, Jin, Lia, and I. I always knew that Jin liked Lia, he just never did anything about it. I also knew that Lia liked Jin as well but they remained friends. Jin was pretty popular in school and could have hung out with anyone but he chose us. Lia on the other wasn't, Lia and I were sort of the out casts so we got along a lot better because of that. As for Namjoon, people knew about him through Jin but he  was known as the smart kid. People would ask him to do their homework but he would always refuse. School was hell for me, I was smart but the teachers always looked over me and I was always made fun of. I was the, "nerd's girlfriend."

Before I realized it, we were at the school. Namjoon grabbed my hand and we exited the bus together. We walked up the steps and parted ways to our different classes. I stepped in the English classroom, my first class of the day and I saw Lia waiting for me in the back. A huge smile formed across my face as I rises over to her.

"Hey Tori!!" She said in a bright tone. She was always a morning person, I was not. "Hi Lia." I replied back slightly yawning. "So.. how are you?" She asked. "Um, I'm fine. But why are you asking? You literally never ask." I said. "Hello?? The first dance of the year is coming up. Has Namjoon asked you yet?" Lia asked. "No actually he hasn't. Hope he didn't ask anyone else." I said jokingly. "Girl are you dumb?? Who else would he go with?? Cynthia Grissom??" Lia said in a sassy way. "Who's that?" I asked. "Exactly."

The teacher walked in and class started. It dragged by, as usual. English was my favorite class though, but it's not like I really wanted to be in school. Funnily enough I wanted to become a teacher. I did love kids but I wanted to be the teacher who you could depend on, the one who was there for anyone. I wanted to be the teacher I never had.

Soon the period ended and so did the rest of them and before I knew it, it was lunch time. At my high school every grade has the same lunch time so the cafeteria was always crammed, Namjoon and I opted to sit outside. I always had a towel in my locker to sit on in the grass. Jin and Lia decided not to join us that day and they ate lunch privately somewhere else as well.

"So, you know the dance is coming up right?" Namjoon asked. "Of course I do." I replied with my mouth full of my sandwich. "Well, will you go with me?" He asked. "I would love to go with you! Now I have an excuse to go dress shopping!" I gave him a little peck and we continued to eat lunch in peace.

The day ended earlier than usual, or at least it felt like it. Namjoon and I got on the bus together and I got a call from Lia on my flip phone.

"Hello?"

"Sooo, Namjoon asked you to go to the dance didn't he?"

"Yeah he did actually."

"OMG great! When you get home let's go dress shopping!! I'll pick you up but make sure to bring cash or card, I'm a little broke right now."

"Haha I will! See you later."

"Bye girl!"

Lia was a little bit older than me, she had a birthday in July and my birthday was in November. So, she had a drivers license before I did. Namjoon's birthday was right around the corner as well, in fact it was only two days away.