𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 - 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐬

(FIVE)

School was out for summer, and Jiwoo couldn't be more relieved. It meant she'd finally be free for a few months. No more students pulling her out of her classrooms in the middle of lessons. No more days where she missed lunch because someone had decided they were more important than her eating. No more teachers offering her "extra credit". No more coming home late because she'd been stopped on her way out of school.

Junior year had been the worst of her life so far, but Jiwoo kept reminding herself that once it was over, she'd only have one more year left before she graduated. "One more year" had become the mantra she repeated to herself constantly. It was one of the only things that brought her some semblance of reassurance. Though she still couldn't escape the texts she got in the middle of the night and the phone calls disrupting her daily life, she felt... freer.

Two weeks into the summer, Jiwoo decided she was sick of hiding at home. So she tossed her wallet into a pink backpack, slung it over her shoulder, grabbed her keys, and left. She rolled down all her windows as she blared music on the way to the bookstore. She sang along, tapping the beat on the steering wheel and occasionally interrupting her song by screaming at other drivers making stupid decisions.

Jiwoo took a deep breath as she parked her car a block away from the store and rested her forehead on the steering wheel. She took a moment to gather the courage to go inside, and stepped out of the car.

She walked the remaining block to the bookstore and sighed contently when she stepped inside. It was cold, a stark contrast from the summer sun she'd just been in, but it was a welcome feeling. Jiwoo looked around to see which section she'd go to first when she accidentally made eye contact with one of the cashiers.

The cashier raised an eyebrow and smirked when she caught Jiwoo staring. She sent a smile and a wink the other girl's way, resulting in a nervous Jiwoo disappearing behind a bookshelf. She spent the next hour and twenty minutes browsing the books and occasionally stealing glances at the cashier she'd seen earlier. Every time, the girl met her gaze immediately.

Finally Jiwoo had decided on four novels. She held them close as she skipped toward the front of the store and waited in line.

"I can help whoever's next," a voice called out. Jiwoo looked up from her book and saw the same girl waving at her. She stepped forward nervously and watched in silence as the cashier scanned each of the books. She was very pretty, Jiwoo noticed. Sparkling eyes and a nice smile. Her staring was interrupted when the cashier spoke again. "Hey, I hope this isn't too forward or weird, but you're, like, super cute."

Jiwoo's mood dropped slightly but she smiled and muttered a quiet 'thank you'.

The cashier put all four books into a plastic bag and tapped some keys on the screen in front of her. "Ten—"

"Ten minutes. Meet in the last stall in the bathroom." Jiwoo deadpanned, "I know the drill."

The other girl seemed shocked. "Oh! I was gonna say ten percent discount if you sign up for our rewards program. And I, uh– that's not what I meant," she tried to explain, "I really just meant that I think you're cute. Sorry if I came across too strong."

Jiwoo was confused. "So you're saying... don't meet you? That's not what you were trying to ask?"

"I'll meet you in 15 minutes when my shift ends," she offered, "but not for, uh... that. We can go to the coffee shop next door, I can buy you a drink and we can, I don't know, talk? Become friends?"

Jiwoo handed the girl cash for her books and calmly removed them all from the counter, setting them in her backpack. She took a while to respond, "Sure. That sounds nice."