bathroom stall.

sept

-          yerin stood at the bus stop, cheeks flushed, eyes downcast. already the day was heavy and grey, with a wetness in the air that made her hair frizz.

why didn't i just tell her the truth?

but she thought about jeongguk for a moment, his beaming grin at the front of the class, and felt her heart throb against her chest.

if i told mom he was back, she might invite them for dinner or something...oh god...

just then the rumbling yellow bus pulled up to the curb, and yerin took out an earbud to step in and greet the driver. she usually chose a seat near the back, but today she wasn't feeling much like talking to the neighborhood kids. she slipped into the second row of seats, put her earbud back in and turned up the music.

bzzt. looking down, yerin sighed. it was a text from jimin.

mini123: apparently there's gonna be an announcement first period

shyeri: what's it for?

mini123: a field trip or something? the board just says ANNOUNCEMENT in big letters so

the bus stopped in front of the school with a lurch, and the students filled the aisle and filed out. yerin bustled inside along with the rest, her earbuds still adding a slow soundtrack to her morning.

the crowd took her through the halls, and she stepped out at her first period class: math. she was early, this time, and jimin was one of only a few kids at their desks.

he sprung up to greet her, in typical jimin fashion.

"rin! we're totally gonna get to go on a field trip together! i hope it's to something cool and not a dusty historical museum like last time--"

he promptly cut himself off as the math teacher strode in, high heels clacking on the floor.

"talk to you after class!" yerin laughed as he shrunk into his seat.

as more and more students entered, the classroom grew noisy with early-morning chatter. when the bell finally sounded, the teacher rapped sharply on her desk and the room was instantly silent.

"good morning, everyone. today i am pleased to give you all information about a field trip next week. the entire grade will be going to an art museum about an hour away, after school hours so we may get home a little late. this should be a great experience for you all, so make sure you get these permission slips signed by friday!"