The Other Campus - Part One

Mari

"You sure you wanna catch the bus? I can just drop you off at Brian's," Jana offers, tossing her backpack in the backseat of her car.

I nod. "I wanna surprise him... besides, you already went that way yesterday. I can't have you do it again today."

"It'll give me a reason to see Jae."

I roll my eyes at her. "You two saw enough of each other. Bye."

Jana laughs at me, shaking her head. "I'll see you tomorrow. Stay safe, Mar."

She gets in her car and I step aside to let her reverse and head home. I jump on the next bus to his town, and what would normally take an hour by car took two hours by bus. He should be at home by now, and if he isn't, I'll just find him later.

I get dropped off at a bus stop a block away from his house, and I hurriedly walk to his place.

Guess who's here? I text, standing at his front door.

Not even 30 seconds later, I hear him unlock his front door. Young K rushes out, quickly wrapping his arms around me.

"Baby!" he exclaims excitedly, dotting kisses all over my face. "What are you doing here?!"

"I wanted to surprise you," I giggle. "I felt bad for upsetting you last night, and I wanted to make up for it."

"No, no, no," he breathes, squeezing me a little more. "Don't feel bad, babe. I should be going to school and class regularly anyway..."

I nod, making him put me down. He leans down and presses his lips to my forehead. He's missed me a lot more than usual, and his reaction to me being here is absolutely everything.

"Mom is gonna be so happy to see you. You didn't have any homework? Dad is cooking right now. I hope you're hungry," he rambles without taking a breath. He takes my hand and guides me into his house. "Don't mind the mess. We're, like, still rearranging and stuff."

"Baby, breathe," I laugh.

"Do I hear Mari?" an older woman's voice chimes. Young K's mom steps out from the kitchen, and, without missing a beat, we're both squealing and running to each other for hugs. "Oh, god, it's so nice to see you again!"

"It's nice to see you too," I giggle. "I missed you guys!"

"Mari, take a seat! I'm almost done cooking," his dad calls from the kitchen.

Young K holds onto my hand as we make our way to the dining room. I'd only been here once when they first moved in, and now that it's being filled, it feels like an amazing home for Young K.

"How's school been treating you?" his mom asks, setting the table.

I look at Young K, then at her. "Sc-School is great," I sigh.

"Good. Education is so important to us. We're really happy you and Brian have a good education under your belts."

I chew on my bottom lip, and Young K tries to reassure me by holding onto my hand.

"Brian's finally begun to make friends at his new school," his mom says chirpily. "Tell her about the Dowoon boy!"

"Mom, she knows," Young K murmurs. Poor boy is getting so embarrassed.

"Dowoon is actually my best friend's boyfriend," I explain.

"Is your Jana friend still dating Jae? He goes to the same school as Brian, doesn't he?" his dad asks, sticking his nose into the conversation.

A wide smile spreads across my lips. "As a matter of fact, she is, and the other day, Brian had a game against him."

"Oh, the basketball scrimmage? Why don't you make friends with those boys?" his dad asks.

"I'll make friends later," Young K drones, getting up to grab the other dishes of food in the kitchen.

I look at his parents and smile sweetly. "He's going to be fine."