In their classmates eyes, Taehyung's and Jennie's relationship didn't change post 'sanitary pad incident'.
Taehyung still messed with her and Jennie wouldn't react but maintain her silence. Everyone knew not to bring up that incident again, not that anyone even dared to.
The matter was glossed over, as though it had never happened. But Taehyung was worried deep down , what had transpired between them should have altered their relationship.
What was worse was he couldn't read Jennie's expression and the more she kept silent, the more unsettled he felt.
Sometimes he wished she would turn nasty and perhaps even slap him or call him a jerk. Then perhaps he would feel better. It would also prove that the kiss really did happen and wasn't a figment of his imagination.
Whether she overheard his parting words, whether she knew how he really felt about her, whatever it was, she shouldn't be so indifferent.
Taehyung no longer fired vicious words at her but he still loved to rock her chair. When she would turn back with a furrow, he would grin at her. She was lithe, and sometimes, he could just make out her white bra-straps under the blue uniform thinned-out from countless washings.
Taehyung always reigned in his thoughts before they got out of hand; as it was, everytime he caught a glimpse his face would flush and his heart would palpitate madly.
Many years later, whenever he recalled those summer days in year three, how he would look at her from behind, he would feel nostalgic.
However infatuated Taehyung was with her, he could not deny that Jennie was no good at her studies. In fact, he could not remember a time when she had passed Math class.
What was even more exasperating was that whenever she got stuck with a problem sum, she would merely stare at her paper when there he was behind her practically screaming internally ask me ASK ME! And when she simply could not solve it, she would only turn to Song Kyung for guidance but never him.
Now Song Kyung might have topped in English, but his grasp on Math and Chemistry was just average. He would eavesdrop agonizingly as Song Kyung tried to guide Jennie but all he would make out of it was a bunch of longwinded nonsense that got her nowhere.
Funnily enough, both her and Song Kyung remained calm even though their discussions never made her any wiser. It was Taehyung, the witness to the proceedings, who was all agitated.
Finally, one day, he couldn't stand seeing Jennie pondering over another classic ten-year-series algebra sum. When he passed her desk during break time, he tossed a sheet of paper detailing the steps to solving it as well as the thought process on her desk before making a quick escape.
When he returned to his seat however, he found her approaching him holding the same piece of paper up.Before she could speak, he interjected quickly with a beetroot face,
"Don't overthink this. I just can't endure stupidity."
Jennie replied casually "You're the one overthinking things. I just want to clarify what you wrote."
"Puahaha!" The pair turned in the direction of the chuckle. It was Song Kyung who was laughing. When he made eye-contact with them however, he gestured for them to please continue before immersing himself in his study material once again.
Taehyung ignored him and took the paper from Jennie's hold.
"Which word can't you make out? Sigh, you just won't admit you're stupid. Oh this word is..."
In the following days, the students sitting in their vicinity were astounded to observe that Jennie's and Taehyung's interactions had increased and improved.
