my hero by wishyourgirlfriend on tumblr
There were a lot of differences between you and Nayeon. For one, Nayeon was the easily the most well liked, most beautiful, and most kindhearted person to attend your school. It was an honor to be acknowledged by her (which wasn't uncommon, because she was sweet to pretty much everyone, telling classmates who she never spoke to prior that they looked cute that day, or helped another student in class when they were struggling with some work), and wherever she went, smiles erupted in masses. Her personality didn't quite fit her appearance- when you had first seen her, you were convinced she was going to be much like those stereotypical popular snobs, but you were so very wrong.
You, on the other hand, were apparently not as appealing as Nayeon was, according to your classmates. You considered yourself to be average, not stunning but not repulsive either, but compared to Nayeon, people seemed to think you looked the equivalent of a trash heap, which was entirely unfortunate for your social standing.
Nayeon was also so incredibly involved with extracurricular activities, you sometimes wondered if she had a life outside of school. Every day she stayed after the school day ended, whether it be for cheerleading practice in the fall, track practice in the spring, or the drama club- she was pretty always on the school grounds.
You, not so much. You didn't really associate yourself with the rest of your students- not exactly by your own decision, but moreso everyone else's. You were dubbed the "nerd" early on in your schooling, just because you were really smart, and that stuck all the way until high school. Most of your classmates didn't talk to you- some even bullied you, which was completely unfair, given the fact that there was nothing wrong with being smart, and you never did anything to harm anyone. It wasn't fair at all.
And, of course, with Nayeon's popularity, it was a given that she had a hot boyfriend- Park Jinyoung, senior, football captain in the fall, soccer captain in the spring. His grades were lacking all around, but who ever looked at grades when your athletic capabilities were extraordinary? (the answer is no one. Jinyoung should have been expelled by now, with the way his grades were, but no one gave two shits because he was the school's star athlete.)
And you? Hardly anyone ever looked your way. That changed, though. It just took a lot of time.
"Hey, (Y/N), forgetting something?"
You had just been walking out of class when Jinyoung called from behind you. You turned, and he flashed you a wide, entirely fake smile as he waved your notebook in the air, his eyes staring you down as if he were a lion and you were his prey.
You shuffled back to him and held out your hand. "Give me my book, Jinyoung." You huffed, your patience already wearing thin after he kept throwing paper balls at you during class. "Give it back now."
"Hey now," Jinyoung laughed, elbowing Jackson playfully as he raised an eyebrow at you. "That's no way to ask someone for your book back. Try again, this time a little more politely, if you don't mind."
The growl that escaped your throat was heard by only Jackson and Jinyoung, who both cackled, and you looked up and tried to make eye contact with your teacher for some help, but he avoided looking in your direction (of course, because although Jinyoung was stupid, he was still the teacher's favorite. You had to admit, Jinyoung was charming. He really had a way with words when he wants something). "Give me the book, Junior." You hissed, feeling a bit of satisfaction as Jinyoung's face fell ever so slightly. He hated that nickname- growing up, his friends always called him that, but as Jinyoung grew older, he grew out of the childish nickname. He became too cool for it).
Jinyoung took a step forward, with Jackson snickering behind him, and shoved you, his hand making contact with your shoulder a little too hard, causing you to stumble back quite a bit. "Watch yourself, loser," He said, dropping your notebook to the floor, "You don't get to speak to me like that. Ever. Learn your place, bitch." Then he was gone, Jackson right behind, leaving you in the class alone, aside from the teacher.
