Choose Your Story [STRAY KIDS FF] ✔️

Trope 7 - Soulmates

You raise your head from the school desk, letting out a sigh. The teacher is late for the class and the kids are already rowdy. They're reminding you of the monkey you saw at the zoo on your school field trip last month. You're comparing your classmates to animals and smile at the thought when the classroom door opens and your teacher comes in, followed by a small boy your age. It is the beginning of your second grade in elementary school and this is the first time you see a transfer student.

His haircut is ridiculous and you try not to laugh as the teacher keeps pleading for everyone to go back to their seats and settle down. The teacher introduces the boy, writing his full name on the blackboard behind them.

"Ooh, we got a celebrity in our class," you hear someone whisper behind you, but you cannot turn to them as the teacher assigned the boy to sit next to you.

He quietly comes to you and pulls the empty chair, "Hi," he whispers with a smile as he sits next to you, scooting closer. His eyes are smiling too, and it's, honestly, so cute.

You can feel your cheeks and earlobes getting warm at the thought of his cuteness so you barely utter a quiet "Hi" back to him.

For the rest of that day, you two shared your workbooks, engaging in small conversations here and there.

...

The cold rain is pouring on your small crouched figure. You're covering your ears but a loud clash of thunder through the sky could still be heard. You shiver and bury your head into your knees, your tears mixing with the rain on your face. You hid between two boxes in an unknown alley and it was dark and scary as you silently cried and called his name.

Suddenly, you hear tiny footsteps splashing and the rain stops falling on you. You look up and see a boy panting, holding the umbrella over your head. You jump onto his small chest and both of you fall back to the ground.

"It's okay... I'm here," the boy whispers in your ear and you cry more.

...

A tall mirror shows a young girl in a grown-up dress. You're staring at your reflection, the sequins itching you all over your upper body. The dress skirt is wide, with layers of baby pink tule covering your legs. You let out a sigh, hating on the cakey make-up that your mother put on your face when a polite knock comes from your closed bedroom door.

"Hey, sweetie, it's time," you hear your mother calling, "Your date is here."

"He's not my date," you mutter through your teeth, quietly to yourself. You say this but your heart differs, sending you a pang as a reminder to stop denying your feelings.

You roll your eyes and pull up the skirt, trying not to trip on the long fabric of the dress. As if the classroom bullying wasn't enough, you have to attend your middle school dance, dressed ridiculously and feeling like a clown with all that make-up. But, there's one more person besides your mom who thinks that you look beautiful and he's standing in front of your house, dressed in an oversized suit, a hand-me-down from his older brother, looking just as ridiculous as you, dressed like that with a kilo of the gel used to slick his hair back.

...

Three short taps on your school desk wake you up from a nap. Looking up, you see a smiling face. His toothy smile always melted your heart so you smile back at the boy, stretching your arms in front of you.

"Ready for lunch?" the boy asks and you nod, "I got you onigiri - tuna-mayo one," he sneaks in a Japanese word, making you giggle.

You two have been watching some Japanese anime, neglecting your studies even though the final exams of your last year in middle school were just "around the corner". Both of you had average grades, you two didn't aim to be on the top of the board. You were more concerned about which animation to watch next than what's for today's homework. Others saw you two as weirdos - spilling anime references out of nowhere, doing random poses, and shouting attack names. But, both of you didn't care - you two were having fun and that was the thing that mattered the most.