Mystery Girl

First Love 2

Tae's POV

Walking to school, I was lost inside my own mind, my legs moving on autopilot past the familiar houses and streets that I grew up with. I was scared, of course I was. How would I get her attention? What would I even say to her? I had to start with something, I couldn't just walk up to her and expect a full-blown conversation off the bat. That would be an ignorant ideology.

Maybe she hadn't even noticed me since that day we made eye contact, maybe she had forgotten all about me, never given me a second thought. My thoughts continued to build and swirl around me, but I did the best I could do to swallow them, and walking through the entrance, it wasn't long before I was greeted with one of my friends.

They had patted me on the back quite roughly, something that bothered me a little more that day than it normally would have. I resisted snapping at them because of my nerves, but they could evidently sense my discomfort at being touched at that moment and had backed off.

That friend I no longer have contact with, but not because we fell apart, life just kind of moves on, and as we went down different paths in life, we drifted apart. I still remember the afternoons that I stopped by his house and talked about pokemon and comics with him, laughing and getting mildly told off by his mum when we came home too late from the park. 

I think about how fast time moved on sometimes and ponder how I got here, in the career that I possess, and with the lifestyle that I have grown used to. The boy who grew up on a farm and geeked out with his friends about pop culture isn't lost but has rather faded into the background to make way for the persona and the slightly more mature way I act and think now.

Upon entering the classroom, I greeted the classmates that I used to spend the majority of my time with, apprehensively gazing across the classroom to ascertain whether the girl had arrived yet or not. With a twinge of disappointment, I was met with an empty seat, the wooden chair unmoved from its place tucked under the desk. 

A couple of minutes passed that included me sitting awkwardly upright in my chair, craning my neck round at intervals not-so-subtly to see if the girl had arrived yet. My friends, of course, had caught onto what or who I was waiting for and I could sense their amusement as I flinched every time someone walked through the door.

After a little while, the girl entered the classroom, chatting with one of her new friends, flicking her slightly windswept hair over her shoulder. In my adoration, the movement seemed to happen in slow-motion as though she was the main character of some cheesy 90s chick-flick. 

Looking back on it, her makeup had been quite heavy for someone of our age and her smile was rarely genuine. However, she was one of the first girls I had ever been interested in, so I forgive myself for my naivety. 

As I stared entranced, she walked straight past me, her eyes not once shifting in my direction. Obviously, it had hurt my pride that I was so irrelevant she hadn't even noticed me sitting there, but I was determined. A persistent teenage boy was what I was, so despite my mild hurt, I pushed myself to my feet and sauntered over to her desk where she sat, chatting to a friend loudly. 

My feet scraped against the hard floor, the glare of the sun shining through the window bothering me, and my hands simply would not stop twitching with nerves. On the back of my neck, I could feel my friends' amused stares, watching me as I walked with numb legs closer and closer to the girl I had admired from afar for a few days now. 

One cheered after me and I turned around sharply, giving them a death glare that made them burst into laughter, surprised by how serious I was about the situation. Every one of the boys I was friends with suddenly seemed so young in my eyes, not understanding how it felt to want a relationship, not truly understanding how being in love felt. 

Of course, I had thought that I was in love at the time. Was I really? I'm not sure, and anyway, I don't believe it matters. Even if you asked me now whether I believe I have been in love, I wouldn't be sure. What defines love? How do you know when it is just a crush? You always think you know, but do you really?

Once I reached her desk, her friend nudged her, causing her to pause her conversation. Confused as to why her friend had suddenly interrupted her rant, the girl cast her eyes over to me before raising her eyebrow questioningly and uncrossing her leg to better face me. 

Trying to keep my cool, I looked from her to the floor and back again, attempting to stop myself from fidgeting under her gaze. "Uh, hi, my name is Taehyung," I had started before breaking off momentarily to scratch the back of my neck awkwardly. "I heard you were new and thought that I would introduce myself..." 

I was looking anywhere but at her now, shuffling my weight from foot to foot, feeling stupid for not planning what I was going to say well enough. My thoughts had swirled around my head and I remember feeling the heat coming to my face as the silence between us increased.  

A small giggle sounded from in front of me and I fought the urge to wince at the sound, thinking I was being laughed at for my patheticness. 

To my delight though, the words that left her mouth next were music to my ears. "Oh, well hi Taehyung, my name is Ha-eun, it's nice to meet you."

(1010 words)

Author's Note

I know it's a late update, I'm sorry! To all those who may be wondering how many more chapters there may be, I'm not sure, but I think that once I have finished these background chapters (2 or 3 more of them probably), there should be about 20-50 more chapters depending on how I decide to write the rest of the story. I hope you are enjoying this so far! Vote and comment if you wish to, love you guys 💜