Obedient Bitch

Chapter 19: The past is back...

Short Chapter.

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"Hey..." Pete caught Nara's attention by poking her with a finger. Being ignored, he tried again, sinking his digit into her back. "Nara-yah!"

"What?" she whispered aggressively, pushing his hand away, and pretending to pay attention to the teacher's words.

Pete dragged his chair closer to hers, and leaned in. "Where's Big?"

"I don't know!"

"What?"

She turned to him, grunting softly. "He's not coming today. Now shut up." And went back to focusing on class. Pete knew better than to insist, but his forehead frowned instantly. Big was a diligent student, and that was the second day he hadn't gone to class. I wondered what had happened. Pete hoped that he was fine.

During the break, he decided to bring up the subject again. The air was thick, and the day was hot from the lack of breeze, so the short run the boy had to make from the cafeteria to the outside yard made him sweat. He hated the feeling of fabric sticking to his skin, but there wasn't much he could do about it, so he just sighed in exasperation as he sat down next to Donghee, who looked at him from head to toe.

"You look like you just stepped out of a sauna."

"Why is it so hot?! I feel that with a few more steps I will die like a dehydrated puffer fish." And, in desperation, he sought refuge in the ice water bottle he had brought on his tray.

"You already look like one," Nara said, her shoulders shaking as she smiled, and Donghee just nodded, seeming to agree, but not enough to the point that he needed to laugh. He didn't laugh much, anyway.

"Why pick a table so far away?"

"It's not far away," she pointed up. "It's the only one covered by a tree, stop grumbling."

Pete made a petulant beak. "I-...I'm not grumbling."

"Yeah, right..." The red-haired girl waved her hand, dismissing him. But her small eyes widened at the sight of the flattened pot containing a few slices of mango. "Where did you get that?"

"It was next to the apples. But it wasn't cheap."

"They only had apples when I bought my snack."

Pete shrugged. "They must have put them in afterwards. Stop grumbling."

"Yah! You..." She clicked her tongue and stood so fast that Pete wondered how she didn't get dizzy. "I bet they must still have some."

"I don't like mangos," Dodo said, grimacing at the juicy, yellow slices. "When I was little I choked on eating one."

Nara and Pete exchanged a look, and laughed together. "Pabo," she intoned, and Donghee crossed his arms and lifted his chin.

"You shouldn't talk to me like that. I'm older than you."

"Oh!" she approached him, and the boy cringed, in an attempt to get away from the hands that started poking him. "Do you want me to call you oppa? Mhm? Donghee-oppa!"

"I don't..." He blushed, pushing her away with light nudges. Pete giggled, and poked his arm as well.

"Dodo-hyung!"

Donghee's face swelled and took on a red hue like that of a canned cherry. "Stop you two. You must go soon if you want your mangoes, Nara."

The girl nodded, determined. But before she marched like a hurricane across the courtyard, Pete held her wrist. "Wait a minute. Do you know why Big isn't coming?"