"why do you hate me so much?" he snapped, having had enough. "what did i ever do to you?!"
you're an idiot with none of the promises everyone is hoping for you but you're everything i want to be, she thought.
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((i tried to take a korean class and it literally kicked my ass fr lol 💀 (i still got a good grade at least tho) and i'm halfway thru a creative writing class. it kinda sucks writing for a class because now i have to pick everything apart and make sure my grammar and everything's perfect... idek if i have time to be writing this rn but at this point, i don't think i'll ever have time lmaoo so who cares))
<<<
"partner up!"
you would think that she hated those words, right up there with disappointment. but it wasn't something that could be helped—in her case, she simply didn't care to be be embarrassed. unbeknownst to her, people admired her for it.
today, they were doing p.e outside together with a younger class. "..use the sunshine while we can," mr. kim had said. it wasn't enough to freeze her fingers off, but it was cutting close.
she was on her way to mr. kim with her head high to say she didn't have a partner before she was stopped by someone's hand on her shoulder.
kang taehyun wanted to break kai's neck for being absent today, but that too couldn't be helped—he was sick with his seasonal fever.
any other person would be shy to ask her, maybe afraid.
"wanna be partners?"
she stared at him for a moment before shrugging.
"sure."
they were starting with drills—soccer unit was starting.
taehyun found himself a bit shocked. she was able to keep up with him, maneuvering the ball around the cones with ease and passing it to him smoothly.
not that it was completely a surprise; she looked like she was good at everything. like himself, he thought, considering they were both tied for the top of the school.
it was the first time that happened, actually. two people have never taken the top spot at the same time.
sometimes, when yeji looked at their names side by side, she wondered how hard they would clash if there was only one spot—she was glad they didn't have to...very glad.
throughout the rest of class, they didn't speak to each other—maybe they were avoiding it, maybe there was just nothing they wanted to talk about. maybe it was both.
by the time class ended, she broke a sweat and it wasn't that cold anymore. there was a bit of free time before they had to go to their next class, and she found herself sitting next to taehyun on the bleachers.
her eyes caught his figure and she recognized him immediately. like mostly everyone else, she watched him, seeing nothing better to do. he was passing the soccer ball back and forth to who she recognized as choi soobin in her class.
"he thinks you hate him," taehyun said, breaking the silence and following her gaze.
soobin kicked really hard but completely missed the ball; it rolled past like it ignored him. yeonjun bent over with laughter.
she didn't miss a beat.
"i do."
he watched her eyes follow him, showing something he couldn't decipher—but it was there.
"why?" he asked, a little defensively. it irked him that she hated one of his good friends—who he actually respected (though he would rather die than say it out loud.) but he was also curious—mystified, even.
