pointed teeth || iz*one

1

A girl sat on the lowest bleacher bench with her olive bookbag resting against her thigh, watching the school team kick around a football and, occasionally, whoop and shout when it smashed into the net.

She fiddled with her name tag, wanting to unpin it from her blazer.

미야와키 사쿠라
 
A bright happy feeling washed over her seeing friends playing together, leading her to grin, covering her mouth with her hand. Then she plastered on a straight face again.

Because who'd wanna be friends with me?

"Hey! Do you wanna play?" a boy with curly black hair called out, holding the muddy ball tucked under his arm. Sakura shyly shook her head no and seemed to shrink back into herself.

Not out of embarassment or to hide a blush, but out of fear.

She faked a cough to give her an excuse to hide her hand. "No, sorry, I'm actually supposed to get to class. I just stopped to see you play," she replied softly.

The boy nodded curtly and jogged back to the rest of his friends, leaving Sakura alone again.

She slung the strap of her bookbag over her shoulder and walked her way to the second floor.

Timidly, she pushed the door open and stepped a foot in. The sound of boys and girls alike made her uneasy, and her stomach twisted in discomfort.

...

"Hey, it's the freak!" a girl with the school blazer tied casually around her hips laughed. Her friends sitting around her giggled softly, but paid no more attention to Sakura as they continued their gossip.

She felt the dull, crackling humiliation again, redness creeping its way to the tips of her ears, but made it to her seat anyway.

Sakura stared down at her hands.

She couldn't draw in fear they'd laugh at it, or tear the paper. She couldn't hum her favourite song, paranoid someone might hear it and tease her.

She didn't dare do anything to ease her boredom as the class waited for their class teacher to arrive in case Miyun and her little gang started it again, teasing her for her ears and silent behaviour.

So she stared at her hands, tracing her sight over the lines in her palm, every joint in her fingers. How I can just stare at my hands for half an hour every day is amazing, she thought, grimacing.

"Hey," a girl whispered, lightly touching her wrist as she walked past, "teacher's in. Don't sleep."

Sakura looked up to see a smiling, pretty oval face framed by rich brown hair.

Kang Hyewon was probably the quietest girl besides her, and too kind to be one of Miyun's friends.

Perhaps she could try opening her mouth to her.