A Shiny Future

Chapter 4 | Panic

*Yoongi POV*

I wandered into my next class and fell haphazardly into an empty seat in the second to last row. I opened my textbook and stared unseeingly at whatever page I'd landed on. I laid my head back, closed my eyes and sighed loudly, trying to make my disdain obvious simply so others wouldn't talk to me.

Suddenly, two very distinctive laughs pierced the hushed classroom. My eyes flew open as my head snapped up. No one else seemed to flinch, however. Apparently this was not an abnormal occurrence for the other students in the class.

"Oh my god, Hobi! Stop!" I felt my shoulders rise as my back stiffened. The obnoxious giggles that then erupted were all too familiar. It was her...that smug bitch from lunch. Seriously?! Out of all the classes possible, she was here, in mine? And right after that display in the cafeteria, no less.

I suddenly became very conscious of my posture and dropped my shoulders quickly as I put my head down. I attempted to pull every limb and muscle into themselves in my seat, trying to become as small as possible while silently screaming to not be seen. But it was futile. I heard her tell her friend goodbye, and his following questioning of it went unanswered as she climbed the steps up toward the furthest rows in the back.

I audibly groaned as she lowered herself into the seat behind mine. She chuckled in response. 'Why didn't I choose the last row instead?!' I stole a quick glance at her friend who'd been abandoned in the second row. He was watching both of us with an expression of equal parts confusion and concern.

"Heya, new kid!"

She'd told me her name less than an hour ago, but I didn't remember it. I mean, why the fuck would I? So, she'll just be 'Her' in my mind, whenever I have the misfortune of having to acknowledge her existence.

I groaned again and grit my teeth. "That is obviously not your usual seat," I said without looking at her. "Go sit down there and mind your place."

"You know, Yoongi, if I thought you were serious about that last statement, I'd be really offended. But then maybe ask you what kind of sandwich you'd like."

Her comeback was clever and I'm ashamed and annoyed to admit that it was difficult not to laugh, let alone maintain the impassive scowl on my face. But I managed to deadpan, "Gilgeori toast."

She laughed a laugh that was far too loud for the quiet classroom yet did seem genuine. Her friend in the second row whirled around in his chair, looking in her direction. Based on the still inquisitive look he gave her, yet his abrupt about face in his seat, she appeared to have just waved him off.

The teacher entered and the class quieted down. In the middle of the lesson, I suddenly felt her hot breath way too close to my ear. "What are the odds we'd have Biology together?!" she whispered excitedly. "What if we had to do a project on human reproduction or something, and got assigned as partners based on our seating arrangement?" I could hear the smug smile in her voice.

I imperceptibly shuddered. She was doing this on purpose; trying to make me uncomfortable. And to my great annoyance, it was working.

"Are you just hoping for the worst-case scenario?" I hissed. She chuckled as she sat back in her chair. I didn't even need to look at her to know she was proud of herself.

I was relieved that the teacher mentioned nothing about partners before the class ended. As I pulled my backpack onto my shoulder, I fully expected Her to dance around me and say more uninteresting and stupid things. But, to my surprise, she skipped past me without a second glance to rejoin her friend from the second row. After a brief few words, they laughed their way out of the classroom. I checked my schedule again to see what class was next and inhaled sharply. Music.