The girl balanced on the wooden logs bordering the playground with her arms spread wide open; her right hand clutching two paper. She looked up to watch her classmates play tag with their friends. A girl glanced her way, making her show a small smile in acknowledgement. She gave her a weird look and looked away. Eunbi's smile dropped, and she went back to focusing on her balance.
All of a sudden, she heard a loud commotion coming her way. She turned around, only to get pushed aside, making her fall down on the sidewalk, the papers dropping to the ground. The girl squeezed her eyes in pain as she rubbed her bruised knee. Eunbi got up, ignoring her scraped knee as she looked past the crowd of kids to see a boy in the middle, with a small smile painting his features as he stared at his ranks.
"Dude! I can't believe you got the highest marks in all of the 6th grade! You're so lucky!" She heard a kid yell as they slapped the back of the boy. The girl blinked slowly, before leaning down to pick up the ranking chart and her test. At the top of the page was the student with the best grades, highlighted in yellow. Kang Taehyun. She looked a bit below to see her name right under. She blinked again, before looking at the boy again. They locked eyes for a moment, before Taehyun looked back at his friend.
The bell rang, and everyone ran back inside. A breeze flew past, her test flying out of her hands, falling onto a puddle as her and this Kang Taehyun remained. The boy walked towards the puddle, picking up the drenched paper, before ripping it up into small pieces. The girl stared wide eyed at the kid, whose smile fell as he glared at her with an unreadable expression
"Don't get in my way,"
...
Taehyun clutched his pencil as he tried his best to process the question. He pressed his pencil on the paper, and the tip broke off. The boy groaned as he slammed his head on the table in frustration. Lately his focus had been faltering, and he didn't understand why. How was he gonna stay on top if this were to keep happening?
He looked out the window longingly, as he leaned back on his chair. He really wished he could have that night back again. But now he really needed to focus on the midterms. Distractions would do him no good.
He thought back to last night, and how he had helped Eunbi. But why? He racked his brain for answers. Why had he been so stupid enough to let his feelings get ahead of him? Why had he been so stupid to help her? He sighed, raking his hands through his about the fifth time that afternoon. To be honest, he had a bit of a crush on her in the 6th grade. Well I mean- who wouldn't? She was smart, kind, and a bit mysterious to say the least. She didn't have many friends and never talked, which managed to pique the interest of his 12 year old self. Who would've thought that they would still linger through all these years? He thought he had gotten over her. But why does he keep coming back to her over and over again? Why was he so weak? Couldn't his dumb heart understand that she was his enemy? His rival? He looked back at his paper. His grades mattered more however. And he wasn't going to risk it all for a girl. He groaned again, before heading downstairs for a glass of water.
As he opened the door of his room, he heard complete silence other than a muffled sound of his dad on a call. As he walked down the stairs he noticed the window slightly open. Crickets chirped as the setting sun beat down on the white and blue room. The white couches had hints of blue and purple to them, and the walls were now a painting full of color. He stared at the colors for a moment, when all of a sudden:
"Ding Dong!"
He frowned at the sudden noise. It was early evening. Could it be his father had invited some co-workers over and merely forgot to inform him? He walked towards the door, and took a small peek through the peephole, making him nearly choke on his spit. It was Cho Eunbi! She was standing nervously, eagerly yet patiently waiting for the door to open. He looked at the mirror next to the door, making sure his hair looked alright, before stopping and blinking a few times. Ugh. What was he doing? He took in a breath before opening the door to see a hazel-eyed girl with her hand up pointer finger out, about to ring the doorbell once again. She froze as she stared at him for a moment, before quickly putting her hand down, looking awkward. Taehyun looked behind him, making sure his father wasn't there to tease him, then he looked back at the girl.
"Come inside," He beckoned, before walking into the kitchen, filling up a glass of water. Eunbi gingerly followed after him, looking in awe at the sleek design of the house. The boy took a sip, before leaning on the counter. "How'd you find my house anyway?" He asked, making Eunbi scratch her neck bashfully.
"I just asked around..." She quietly replied, as she thought back to earlier that day in school.
Beomgyu plugged in his earplugs, glad to finally have time to listen to his music. As he played Likey, he confidently walked through the halls. As he neared his locker, he felt someone's presence behind him. He stopped the song and looked behind him. He looked to his right and to his left, but didn't see anyone. Then he felt a poke at his chest. Looking down, he came face to face with the hazel-eyed girl.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?" He screamed, holding his chest. She blinked.
"Do you know where Taehyun lives?"
"Eunbi what the fuck."
"Huh," Taehyun hummed, as he poked his inner cheek with his tongue, staring her down. She looked awkwardly to her side. He got up, setting his glass down before turning to her. "Why'd you even come here anyways?" He said sharply, and Eunbi quickly brought back her usual scowl.
"Here," She curtly said, setting his watch down on the counter. Taehyun looked at the silver object, before looking at his empty wrist. He quickly grabbed it, looking sheepish for losing it so carelessly. "You apparently dropped it beneath the table. The librarian told me." She added. She went back? He shook the thought off before putting on his watch.
"Uh, thanks..." He said, and a long silence filled the room. Eunbi swallowed, before opening her mouth.
"Hey..." she started, grabbing Taehyun's attention. She held out her phone as her ears started to turn bright red. "Can I have your number?"
