the story of us 》sungtaro

26

"Love is so unfair."

The disparaged message came from a girl sitting behind me in my art class. Her and a friend were currently discussing the upcoming dance, only days away by then.

The dramatic reasoning behind her thoughts? She had asked Jung Sungchan to the event, as many girls had before her, and found out that he wouldn't be attending.

"It's this weekend, and I still don't have a date." She groaned, her friend giving her pitiful apologies. "I'm going to look like such a loser."

Can you see where this is going?

"I'm sure there has to be some guy that hasn't been asked yet." Her friend attempted to calm her aching heart.

Overhearing their words, I attempted to bury my head and make myself smaller, but the foolish movement only caught their attention.

"Ask him." I heard a hiss of a whisper, not at all concealed.

The girl only complained, did everything in her power not to talk to me. Call that a bomb to my self esteem. I should have turned around and told her all the things I did with the boy she couldn't have when no one was around.

Still, I held my tongue despite how fun it would have been to see her reaction.

"Ugh, fine." I heard her give up, and already knew what was coming. "Hey, Shotaro?"

Turning around, I was met with two pairs of hopeful, mean eyes.

Earning a nudge from her friend, the girl spoke up, the torture clear on her painted face. "Have you been asked to the dance yet?"

I hadn't, but I didn't lie even though I should have. Since Sungchan wasn't going, all I wanted to do was stay at home.

I didn't even know this girl. She had asked to borrow a pencil once, and that was the extent of our relationship. I was in no mood to be someone's last minute date.

"Would you want to go with me?" She asked, a certain sense of dread in her tone. By going with her, she meant ditching me immediately after the other girls saw her there with a boy, I would soon discover.

I was never able to say no to people, even when I desperately wanted to, and that rang true here as well.

That's how I wound up going to a dance I didn't want to attend with a girl who wanted nothing to do with me.