Idol Island

Prolouge

I turned my head as the familiar ring of the school bell hit my ears, watching as students began to file out of the cafeterias doors.

"You okay, Jia? You look tired." My best friend, Jisoo, turned to me to ask.

"Doesn't everyone here look tired," I grumbled. "School is so boring."

"It's so weird that you say that when you're one of the top of your class," she laughed and smiled. "Come on," she said, tugging on my sweatshirt.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," I muttered, following her out to our next period.

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My eyes were only slits, my thin window to the to world around me. I had propped my head up on my hand, as my drowsiness was overwhelming. It was Biology, a class I loathed. It's not like I bad at it... I was one of the top students, as Jisoo mentioned earlier. Its just that I knew pretty much everything being taught already, which made this class complete torture.

I did love survival shows, and the whole concept of trying to make it on your own out in the wilderness. If something had to do with survival you'd better believe I was paying attention, and thankfully we got some of that in biology. Aside from that, I didn't bother listening to most of what the teacher said, as after I read over the textbooks I knew most of the information.

"Electrolytes are vital for homeostasis within an organism. Can anyone name a good source of electrolytes for humans?" The teacher asked, turning to scan the room for raised hands.

Jisoo, who was sitting a few seats away from me, excitedly raised her hand. The teacher, calling on her with a bemused expression, said, "Yes Jisoo?"

"Sports drinks! My brother drinks those a lot and he says they're good for electrolytes. He likes Gatorade the most." She looked quite happy. Jisoo was not the smartest, and she was rarely able to answer any questions at all, especially in a hard class as this. In her constant attempt to impress and befriend her teachers, she often raised her hand only to give a poor answer, which was usually followed by a scathing response.

"I mean, if you want to get diabetes, it sounds perfect. You need to watch the sugar content of the things you drink, Jisoo." My friends happy expression withered, and her hand slunk back down to sit in her lap. Hah, I thought. Jisoo was cute, but I actually quite enjoyed my professors cynical banter.

"Can anyone think of a smart way to get electrolytes?" The teacher asked, putting a little too much emphasis on the word "smart." I raised my hand, and she nodded towards me.

"Coconut water is a good source. Lots of potassium."

"Excellent." The teacher said, and continued on with he lecture. Jisoo glanced at me with a hurt expression. I felt a little guilty, but shrugged it off. I'll buy her ice cream later to make up for it.

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"Can I speak with you for a moment?" My biology teacher beckoned to me as soon as class ended. I stepped aside, waving at Jisoo when she looked back in confusion.

"I'm doing recommendations for next years classes soon. You're a smart girl, one of the smartest in our class, and I can see how bored you are. You need something more challenging. I'm recommending you for AP Physics, as well as all other AP sciences in case you want to double up." I stared at her, intrigued.

"Honestly, you should have been in AP Physics this year. I know you're only a first year in high school, but you're already in Advanced Calc and you could probably would be doing fine in AP Physics II if you wanted. So I assume you'll be taking it for next year?"