A Dangerous Friend

1

Finally adapting one of my fav characters.
All credits & rights goes to the owner.

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A DANGEROUS FRIEND

Shin Ryujin sat in the library, making notes for her History test. She became aware of a hovering behind her. It was an insistent hover, a hover that craved her attention, so she did her best to ignore it as long as she could.

"Hwang." she said eventually, when she couldn't stand it any longer. The other girl slumped gratefully into the chair opposite.

"Hey." She said, brightly. "Whatcha doing ?"

Ryujin looked pointedly at her pen, then at her notepad, then at the open book in front of her, then back at Yeji.

"I'm pony-trekking in the Andes. What does it look like I'm doing ?"

"Oh, right. Sorry. Well, the thing is," Yeji said. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay." Ryujin put down her pen and waited patiently. Yeji opened and closed her mouth a few times, as though practicing what she was going to say.

"I was just wondering," she said, finally, "What you wanted to do after school."

"I'm busy." Ryujin said, flatly.

"It's just that... What?"

"I've got revision to do for this last exam, and then Bobby needs me to go over to help him rehearse for some stupid audition."

"No, I mean after school, school. We'll graduate in a few weeks, Ryujin."

"Really ? Man, I have got to get me a diary, and make a note of this kind of thing."

Yeji sighed. "Look, I just wanted to know if you were, you know, planning on staying in touch. With... everyone."

"I guess," Ryujin shrugged. "I'm pretty sure
Bobby's going to, so I suppose I'll have to put up with them all once in a while."

"Oh." Yeji picked at a fingernail. "Right."

There seemed to be something more. "Am I missing something, Hwang ?"

"No, it's just... I was really wondering if you were planning to... I mean you don't have to, obviously, but-"

"What ?"

"I wondered if you wanted to stay in touch with me."

Ryujin was a little taken aback. She widened her eyes into an expression of bemusement. "With you ?" She said, in mock horror.

She wasn't sure what she'd expecting from Yeji, but she wasn't prepared for the look of absolute devastation on the other girl's face. She looked as though she'd been slapped. The chair scraped back and hit the floor, and she was gone.

Ryujin groaned. Despite what everyone believed,
she didn't like to see Yeji upset. She liked it when she was angry, or confused, or embarrassed. She even had a soft spot for 'sad' Yeji, with her puppy-dog eyes and long face.
But she didn't like to see her genuinely hurt - particularly when, it could be argued, it was entirely Ryujin's fault. "Hey, Hwang !" She shouted, grabbing her notepad.

"Hwang ? Damn it, Hwang, wait up ! Yeji !"
She finally caught up with her in the hall.
Yeji was furiously shoving books into her locker, from where they slid untidily back out onto the floor. Undeterred, Yeji picked each one up as it fell and rammed it back in. She ignored Ryujun's approach.