it was overcast that day. there was hardly any warm sunshine when classes let out. Jenny had met up with me and we headed to a place we both loved and or tolerated in a favorable way, Mr. Chau's. Mr. Chau's was like an asian lover's oasis in the dullened, but admitably content-giving area that we lived in. we walked in and were warmly greeted.
"ah, welcome! if it isn't you two again, I see. just can't stay away huh?" ask cherri the clerk. cherri was awesome! she would always give us discounts and understood what it was to be a tumblr girl as well as a self shipper. ( internet terms! ) I was reaching for a box of almond pocky when I felt a sensation, like I needed to be somewhere.
"what's wrong?" Jenny asked, sipping some bubble tea.
"I feel like we should be somewhere..." I trailed off trying to think of why.
"somewhere?" Jenny asked and joined me in recallection. then it dawned on me. the science thingy. "THAT SCIENCE APPRENTICESHIP THING!" I bursted out.
"OH SHIT YEAH!" Jenny shouted in requited freaking out and anxiety.
I quickly grabbed the pocky, paid, then grabbed Jenny while she was still freaking out and high-tailed it to the place we were SUPPOSED to have been. on the way there I was trying to think of an excuse as to why we was or could have been late. by the time we reached the place, I was panting, on the verge of hyper-ventalating, and jenny was using all of what strength she could muster from her exhaustion to keep us both from falling over dog tired.
"RUNNING....IS....EVIL!" I managed to shout in my depeated state.
"just shut up and save your energy."jenny managed to say as we entered and made our way to the room. everything seemed to attack my senses. sounds, like just the smallest step or a disappointed sigh, and smells, like cleaning solution and harmless chemicals; it was a bit nausiating. when we got there, jenny propped me against the door frame and leaned against the other side of it as we rested. we must have looked like we'd just come back from war; it felt like it that's for sure.
"Ah, glad you were able to attend." said the instructor.
"s-sorry." I spat out and scanned the room. I saw the board with the name Professor Jenkins written with a dry erase maker. then I saw him. the guy from the coffee shop. I recognized him when he turned around to see who had entered, especially those still deadly cerulean eyes. I managed to build up enough stamina to at least make it to a seat. convieniently, it was beside him. jenny sat at the table across from mine. I only ever realized it, but the room looked like a high school schience lab.
"if you didn't already know, mrs. sarah. the young man sitting next to you is you're partner, mr. Ji yong." the instructor informed.
so that's his name. huh.
ji yong continued to stare at me with his head propped against his hand, probably expecting a response. I turned to look at him and say something but his gaze practially stabbed me. "h-hi." I stuttered. he gave an unimpressed huff to my unsturdy greeting and turned to look back at the board while still propping his chin on his palm.
"not to seem too cliche, but before we begin, I would like you to get to know your partner a little better." said Mr. Jenkins and walked over to talk with jenny, who was his partner since apparently one three people signed up for it, or at least came. ji yong didn't even look back at me, as if due to my poor introduction, I was unworthy to talk to him. either he's a total ass or he's just very socially awkward like myself ( though I can still do small talk )... or both.
"so..." I began, still not getting a reaction from him, "is that your real eye color?"
he looked at me again, still in the same 'do-I-look-like-I-give-a-f*ck' position, and said, "yes." but that's all.
that's SOMETHING to go on I suppose, though he could have subtly and sarcasstically answered my question. kind cool and kinda weird that his eyes are naturally like that if it's true.
"oh, cool! say weren't you at a coffee shop, like the day before yesterday?" I asked bluntly.
"yes." he replied.
"I thought so. when I first saw you I thought that if you were wearing color contacts, that it was a bit counter productive to wear glasses as well, unless those were just for fashion." I rambled.
"no, they're not." he said in monotone.
it started to feel like he didn't want to be bothered... I kind of felt like I was annoying him. so of course in this free chit-chat time ouf ours, I was going to be perfectly honest about it.
"sorry if I'm annoying you." I said.
"what makes you think that?" he asked, almost surprised.
"well, you're kind of acting like you don't care... also... you kinda look like you don't want anyone to disturb you with that glare of yours." I said.
"oh sorry." he said.
"now I feel even more awkward because I'm saying so much and you're barely saying anything! or asking anything for that matter." I said getting a bit agitated.
"is that your real hair color?" he asked, humoring and possibly mocking me; he almost looked like he would have played with one of the slivers of my ginger mane but didn't. I sighed deeply. "yes." replied.
okay, I understand now.
"heh. sorry." I said.
"what are you sorry for?" he asked.
"I kinda blew up on you for not doing what was expected, I guess(?). I was probably asking questions you get all the time." I said.
"well, at least I know now that you learn quickly." he said and looked back at the front as the teacher aproached his potium.
wait--what? what was that? no 'it's okay' or 'yeah' or any verbal gesture of mutual emotions on the matter, signifying something we could use to become friends or at the least tolerable, casual aquaintances? what kind of asshole is this?
"alright class, we won't be using any chemicals today but we do have work. I suggest you look up the well-known chemical table, pick on that you like and give me a one page paper on what it does, how it affects us, negatively or possitively, an interesting reaction to another chemical and why you like it. it will be due friday of next week." he said then let us know we could leave.
this class almost feels like... well... a class.
after Jenny and I left and returned home,I started to research. I already knew which one I wanted; neon. jenny chose fermeldahide and we began the silent and rather passive-agressive battle with the internet wifi we shared.
by next week our paper was typed and ready to turn in among the rest of our assignments. I was awared with a 'good job' from the instructor like I was an elemtery school student ( well I definitely reacted to the praise like one. ) and did a happy dance with jenny over it.
later, after that, we were checking our stats and I realized... I was sucking ass bad ( my grades were sucking hardcore ). I need someone. I needed a tutor.
I decided to push this disgust of myself off and go to Mr. Chau's. as soon as I got there, there he was. what was Ji yong doing here?
"hey." he said, surprisingly a little more friendly. probably mistaking it for 'friendly' rather than slightly surprised recognition of my prensence in the establishment.
and he has the gawl to treat me like a lesser mind because of my pittiful greeting.
despite the fact I really didn't want to ( not just asking him for help, but asking for help in general.), I think he would have been the best person to ask since he is supposedly a brainiac.
"um hey," I spoke in my unintentionally usual soft spoken/quiet tone.
he looked at me, "yes?"
"I..um. could you tutor me?"
"tutor? you?"
it felt like he was about to do one of those snooty scoffs and leave me to hang on that high-up tree branch in the middle of no where.
"okay." he said, writing down something.
"thank you.. uh, what are you writing?" I asked as he finished writting.
"my dorm room adress. meet me there when you can. I'll be tutoring you there." he said handing me the piece of paper.
I took it and said, "but.. why can't we do it here?...with witnesses?" as I scanned the room, as well as intentionally or unintentionally implying that I may have thought he was a murderer or something.
"this place is too distracting." he said, "with you're ADHD, it's a bad environment to teach you in."
"how do you know know I have ADHD?" I asked suspiciously.
"I noticed by the way you figet, how you change from subject to subject, that you're rather fast paced and how you get easily distracted." he said, "but considering you seem quiet smart, I assume you're quirky behavior is just a way to burn off that excess energy because you're probably on focus medication."
"uh... yeah. Vyvanse actually."I relpied a bit dumbfounded.
he must have been paying more attention than what I originally though... which was pretty much none.
"well, make sure to take it when you come over."he said.
"yeah. don't want to be hindered by something I can help." I replied again awkwardly.
I quickly purchased something I grabbed randomly and left in a hurry.
that... was torture... talking to people. not that I don't like talking with jenny or cherri but... I just don't know him, and plus we didn't really start off well.
