Langour ・❥・Joost Klein・❥・

1.

Fenne adored when people smiled.

Eye crinkles, nose scrunches, bared teeth, rosey cheeks. Even when they grew to loud laughs, or let small giggles slip through, Fenne had a fascination with seeing people enjoy life's simplest pleasure.

In highschool, the young girl would sit quietly with her friends, and watch the way they'd grin. Hanna, her closest friend, was the best at making the group laugh. With outrageous stories and comedic timing, Hanna would have the girls smiling within minutes of being in her presence.

Science class would be filled with surpressed giggles and red faces. Fenne couldn't count how many times her friends were seperated for causing too much noise. She didn't know what it was about Science, but whoever sat at the high benches and tall stools lost the ability to behave.

Fenne Meer laughed a lot during her teenage years and smiled even more. In comparison to her friends, she was the more reserved one of the group, but never missed out on the fun. Fenne's parents expected her to do well in her studies, and well, she did. Her balance of work and social life was perfect, and Fenne could say that she enjoyed highschool.

With her bright, green eyes and maroon hair, Fenne was a wonder to everyone. With her friendly deamenour and soft aura, it wasn't hard for the girl to make friends. This made it easy for her to go up to anyone and immediately ease them into a conversation. Fenne Meer was nice, likeable, and most of all, Fenne was pretty.

Yet to be aware of this, twelve year-old Fenne Meer was unaware of the lingering glances she'd receive. Young boys cooed and rolled their shoulders back when she walked by. Friends would tease each other all while hiding the fact that they, too, longed for her attention. Her brown hair curled with the perfect redness in its strands and her own smile, which seemed ironic, was as beautiful as the ones she loved.

On one of the first days of highschool, Fenne heard a laugh that caught her attention. It neared a high-pitch, but not enough to reach an ear-piercing sensation. She wouldn't have thought much of it unless she hadn't looked to the lockers that lined the right wall.

A young boy laughed at the ketchup that had exploded in his friend's face. From what Fenne could tell, the larger one of the two had squeezed the single-use packet in an attempt to be funny. Fenne would have laughed at the sight, if it wasn't for the boy whose laugh originally caught her attention.

As he clutched at his stomach and stumbled away, the platinum-haired boy continued to howl. The corners of his eyes scrunched with lines and his straight teeth gleamed through his lips. His chest rumbled with his continuous laughter and Fenne was taken with the way the boy's face flushed.

'Dude, shut up! It's Fenne!'

The hushed cry made the girl realise that the ketchup-covered boy had caught her passing. She watched him jam his elbow into his friend's side, and his laughing came to a halt. With red cheeks and a lingering grin, the boy looked to where Fenne walked by. His clear eyes that shown through his balled cheeks met hers, and the laughter died to a choked gasp.

Fenne didn't know how to react at being caught staring. With the one boy still covered in ketchup, and the blonde boy blinking back at her, the Meer could do nothing but awkwardly smile back.

'Hey, Joost. Hey, Stuntje,' she was able to call out. Her eyes flickered between the two, before unconsciously settling on the small one of the two.

'H-Hey Fenne!' Joost Klein called back, trying not to sound eager.

Fenne saved herself any further embarrassment and turned away. She felt foolish for watching the two boys like a creep. The fact that they had caught her staring and even felt the need to greet them afterwards, Fenne hoped that Joost and Stuntje would forget she was ever there.