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˚    ✦   

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˚    ✦   .  .   ˚ .      . ✦     ˚     . ★⋆. ࿐࿔
   .     ˚     *     ✦   .  .   ✦ ˚      ˚ .˚    ✦   .  .   ˚ .                       ੈ✧·˖✶ ✦  





THE sound of chalk scratching against the board was faint background noise as Aeri's thoughts drifted far from her math class. She found herself daydreaming, her gaze wandering to the boy sitting across the room. Her crush Sim Jake. Today, he was sitting with his chin resting on his hand, his messy hair falling over his eyes as he focused on his notebook. He looked like he was in his own world, completely lost in whatever he was writing.

Aeri was completely lost in her daydream, eyes unfocused as she stared out the classroom window, imagining herself in some alternate reality where Jake had noticed her. She was thinking of the way he'd run a hand through his hair or how he'd laugh when he was with his friends. She didn't even realize she had a tiny, goofy smile on her face. She imagined a scene where he turned, smiled, and walked over to her desk—

"Aeri."

She blinked, faintly aware that someone had called her name. But she barely noticed, her thoughts still wrapped around the daydream of her crush looking her way.

"Aeri!"

The next thing she felt was a sharp pinch on her arm. She gasped, snapping back to reality and blinking rapidly, only to find herself facing the entire class, who were staring at her with wide eyes and stifled laughter. Jiah, her friend beside her, had the guiltiest smile, clearly trying to hold in a laugh.

She turned slowly, meeting her teacher's stern gaze and froze. The entire class was staring at her, some giggling, others just watching with raised eyebrows. And there, at the front, stood her teacher, arms crossed and eyebrow arched.

"Done daydreaming, Aeri?" the teacher asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And while you're at it, wipe that drool and come answer the equation on the board."

Heat flushed to her cheeks as she quickly wiped the corner of her mouth, horrified to find there was, in fact, no drool—but the damage was done. The class was already chuckling, and Jake was looking her way, trying to not laugh.

As she picked up the chalk, her mind went blank. The equation on the board might as well have been ancient hieroglyphics for all she understood. She felt the embarrassment rise again, her cheeks burning as she tried to focus.

"Any day now, Aeri," the teacher sighed, tapping his foot impatiently.

Jiah gave her an exaggerated thumbs-up from her seat, which only made her more flustered. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to piece together the equation, writing down whatever she could remember, even if she wasn't entirely sure it was right.

Just as she lifted the chalk, the shrill sound of the bell rang out, signaling the end of class.

Aeri let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, her shoulders sagging with relief. She quickly placed the chalk back on the tray and turned toward her teacher, offering a nervous, apologetic smile. Her teacher raised an eyebrow but simply sighed.

"Saved by the bell, Aeri. But next time, I expect you to actually be paying attention."

Aeri nodded quickly, muttering a quick, "Yes, Mr Kim," before darting back to her desk. Jiah burst into quiet giggles as she sat down, clearly delighted by the whole scene.

"You were so out of it," Jiah whispered, nudging her playfully. "What on earth were you daydreaming about?"

"Nothing!" Aeri protested, though her cheeks were still flushed. She quickly gathered her books, doing her best to avoid eye contact with anyone else as they filed out of the room.

"Uh-huh," Jiah replied, unconvinced. She leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Let me guess... it was about him, wasn't it?"

Aeri felt her face heat up again but avoided her friend's gaze, keeping her eyes firmly on the floor as they walked. Just when she thought she'd managed to dodge the topic, Jiah laughed and said, "You know, I could always help you talk to him..."

"No!" Aeri nearly tripped over her own feet, her voice louder than she'd intended. She cleared her throat, glancing around to make sure no one hadn't heard. "No," she repeated, quieter this time. "That's—no. I'm fine."

"Alright, alright," Jiah replied, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "But you know, sometimes you've gotta take a little risk to get what you want." She winked, and Aeri felt her cheeks burn even hotter.

As they walked down the hallway, Aeri was grateful for the flow of students around them, letting the topic fade. 

"Speaking of risks," Jiah said suddenly, digging through her bag, "I actually just got a new number yesterday. Here." She handed Aeri a slip of paper with a hastily written phone number on it. "Text me later if you need help with math or... you know, just need someone to talk about you-know-who"

Aeri took the slip, relieved for a subject change. "Thank you! Life saver, see you tomorrow rat!," she joked, glancing at the number before tucking it away in her pocket.

₊‧.°.⋆✮⋆.°.‧₊

+82*****50

APRIL 6  

aeri 💋

girl!

could u please send me the math notes we had today? 

SENT 19.30 PM

+82*****50

I think you have the wrong person. 

READ 19.50 PM













50 PM

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au:// im back from the dead!

au:// im back from the dead!

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