A Matter of Time - Bbangsaz

Chapter 3

Minji's POV

It was lunch time, I went with Haerin to the cafeteria, we sat at one of the tables.

—Haerin, can you take my siblings to my house when school is over? – I asked.

—Yes, of course, no problem, but tell them to wait for me on the stairs— she said, eating the last piece of her sandwich and opening the orange juice she had in her hands.

—Okay, I'll let them know. Haerin— looked at me—. Breathe, you're going to end up suffocating you. Do you have to go somewhere?

—The truth is that yes, the counselor has summoned me to talk about college.

—College? But there's still a long way to go until we graduate." She looked at me and raised her shoulders.

—There's not much left, you should also think about where you're going to go when you get out of here and what you want to do with your life— she said as if she were my mother.

—Stop Haerin, don't be so intense, right now all I want is for this shitty day to end and go home, but I can't because of the punishment with Pham. Oh! It seems that I summon her— I said when I saw her enter with her group of Barbies through the cafeteria door.

—Minji, can I ask you something? -She said.

—You're already doing it, aren't you? -she smiled.

—I don't want you to take this the wrong way.

—Come on Haerin, don't think about it anymore, ask whatever you want.

It was funny to me how Haerin whenever she wanted to ask me something that she thought would make me angry she would start with " Can I ask you something?"

—What's your problem with Hanni? —I looked at her with a strange face.

—Didn't you have to go talk to the college counselor? —I said to avoid answering her.

—I'm serious Minji. What about...? —She looked at Hanni's table, who was laughing with her friends.

—Haerin, what's the point of that question? You know we don't get along and that's it, that's all that happens.

—I know she's not your favorite person in the world, but you almost hit each other in class today. What's the matter? Are you stupid? —She told me very seriously. Haerin was the only person I let talk to me like that. Seriously, what are you thinking? This month you have already fought with her about twenty times. The director is bored of punishing you, you know that they can take away your scholarship if you continue like this, right? Is that what you want, Min? — she said, clearly angry.

I had rarely seen Haerin get angry.

Very good Minji. Haerin, the girl who only gets angry once a year, is angry. And it's your fault.

—No, that's not what I want, and I didn't know about the scholarship issue either. I'm sorry, but she's the one who starts it.

—No Minji, don't give me that... She starts, you finish, she finishes, and you start. Min, that doesn't matter, because even though I hate to admit it, the only one hurt is you, she has money, who do you think they would expel first, huh?

—Okay Haerin, let's leave the topic here, you will be late for your meeting.

—I'm sorry for getting angry but I couldn't bear to graduate without my best friend, you have to control yourself more, I know you can't stand her but make an effort— I nodded, although deep inside I knew that no matter how much I wanted to make that effort for one thing or another it would end with Pham and me screaming at each other—. Tell your siblings, okay? And behave well—she hit me on the arm and left.