Geek [LeeJihoon/Woozi]

[1] What a Geek

I searched the small playground, eyes skimming over many. I walked around until my eyes were locked on a light brown, messy tuft of hair. The boy had his back faced me and was playing in the sandbox, of course, doing what every kid would do in the sand: creating a sandcastle. I skipped over to him with a bright smile, ignoring the snickers and laughs from those who I've passed by.
I squatted behind him.

"Jihoonie!" I tapped his shoulder. Jihoon tensed and turned around to have his shock replaced by a smile. I excitedly pointed to my teeth, "Look! I got braces today!"

He blinked. It took a second or two for him to start laughing. I swear it felt like a whole minute of him laughing his butt off. "I-," he covered his mouth before he could take it too far.

My lips formed a straight line, "I look funny, don't I?"

"What?" He shot his hands up in defense, "No, I didn't-"

"I know I look funny," I forced a smile. "My classmates laughed too, so it's okay," I poked the sand in between us. I don't know why but a part of me wanted him to react differently from everyone else. I should've expected it. Why as I even excited to show him in the first place? Huh, the ground seems interesting all of the sudden.

".._____?"

"_____, look at me," Jihoon held onto my shoulder.

Hesitantly, my eyes slowly lifted to meet his milky dark brown orbs. Jihoon looked different. This was the first time I've seen him with a serious expression.

He took a deep breath, "I didn't mean it like that, alright?" His hand fell from my shoulder and continued, "It's just that it'll take some time for me to get used to it." The corners of his mouth lifted up and revealed his pokeable dimples, "It won't take me long to, so don't worry." His smile, like always, was contagious.

"Also," his eyes bore into mine, "your classmates shouldn't be the ones laughing. Trust me, _____, once you get those off, everything would be worth it. You'd be the most beautiful person inside and out. So we'll just wait for that day, okay?"

From that day on, I knew I wanted something more from this friendship.

                                                                                                    ~~~~~

Years have passed and I still have these stupid metal brackets on my teeth. Ugh, Jihoon has no idea how annoying these are.

At least in high school, people are mature enough to accept people's appearances but that doesn't mean they're not judging how others look. It's still school. That meant you have to fit in or else everything would be hell for you.

In the past, I was called geek, nerd, dork, and ugly. To make things worse, I got a pair of nerdy-looking glasses in middle school. My parents promised me contacts soon, but until now, I haven't gotten them. Might as well not to expect them for a couple more years.

What the hardest for me in school was first impressions. One good glance at me and you'd think to yourself, "Wow, what a geek." I'm used to this. And you know what people always say? "It's not what's on the outside. It's what's on the inside." To an extent, it is true. But in today's society, unfortunately, appearance defines what kind of group you belong in. Me? I'm classified with the weird but smart students.