Wonder About Love | MYG

Chapter 5: The Art of Friendship

Leaves were falling from the trees in droves. It was like a rain of yellow, red, orange, and brown. The wind was slightly blowing and it was cold enough to wear those sweaters that keep you the right amount of warm. This was Akila's favorite time of year, reminding her of all those aesthetic pictures she would see on Pinterest of people sitting in coffee shops and drinking coffee. If she could, she would do the same.

It was now the middle of October, having been nearly a month since she and Yoongi had been tasked with their school project. They had finished with a few more days left to finish it, passing it with flying colors, which is what Akila had been hoping for. They used those days to simply hang out, Namjoon and Jin sometimes joining. Hoseok, being jealous that he had to stay at school for fear of missing something in theater class, would tag along when school ended. Akila enjoyed these moments, mostly because she got to know them a lot more.

Namjoon was quitting football after graduating to focus on what he really wanted to do, becoming a lawyer. Jin loved cooking and was hoping to start his own catering business. Hoseok was, as he put it, "going to become the bright star that I know I am", and become an actor. And Yoongi, she had learned a lot of things about him, including the fact that he had a thing for music, playing the piano in his free time. She had put the thought of skipping school to hang out with her friends in the back of her brain, she was glad to finally have people around her.

She hadn't forgiven Kang for how he spoke to Yoongi, in fact, she was ignoring him entirely. Which didn't seem to phase him much because he didn't exactly pay too close attention to her anyway. She only hoped that she could avoid conflict with him and Yoongi again or any of her friends. She knew for sure it wouldn't end well on neither end.

But for once, Akila was happy with where everything was going. It had been some time since Min-ji had last tried to bring her down and she hadn't tried anything since. Akila had no problem ignoring her now, though she did sometimes feel a slight bit of fear that it wouldn't work. But, with the help of Hoseok's jokes and Yoongi's coaching, she was able to put Min-ji majorly out of her mind and focus on what mattered most to her. Her grades, her friends, and her books.

Akila was finding time out of her school day to come into the library more often to read. She would ask her teachers anytime she was done with her work if she could go to the library, which was the best part of her day besides lunch. It took a while for Hoseok to realize what she was doing, sending her concerned texts when she didn't walk out of the classroom. "Kila, you have to tell me these types of things! How else am I supposed to know where you go? I gave you my number for a reason, girl, use it!" He would exclaim, making her laugh as they would walk to where they would be going. Eventually, he picked up the pattern of when she would go and started meeting her there.

Hoseok walking with her down the hallway wasn't even about Min-ji anymore. As long as it had been, they had both become accustomed to the other being with them each time they were in the hallway. If they were not walking together, it felt awkward. "It's almost like being naked," Hoseok would say. "And if you ever get another walking buddy, I might kill you,"

Today was one of those days where Akila had allowed herself to migrate to the library after getting all of her work done in her class. She had cracked open a new mystery book that she found, one of those hidden gems that you stumble upon and aren't looking for. She had found a nice couch to sit on and was completely immersed when she heard a voice next to her. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you. Have you seen a yellow binder anywhere? It's filled with my science notes,"

A girl was standing next to her, with brown sugar skin, long wavy hair, and dark brown eyes. She was bundled up just like Akila was, in a sweater and jeans for the wind whipping around outside. Akila had seen her before, but never in the library, maybe during passing periods. She was new, Akila remembered, having only been at school for a few weeks. She had no classes with her, but word traveled around school fast.