Les Infires//Multifandom

Chapter 11: Enough?

×Yeji's p.o.v×

12 p.m. One hour before prep class ends. We helped Elle close shop, asking her various questions as we go. The shop was basically the heart of the school, whatever was about to happen, hints would appear at the shop. Or should I say it was the kidney of the school? Anyways, it was where we got everything on demand. Sports programme? There would be posters two months before the real event. New uniform? Stocks will be available weeks before the announcement.

"Elle, I didn't see these versions here last year." I gesture towards the new stocks of workbooks and notes for this semester's classes. Ryujin also takes a quick look at them. They definitely weren't the ones for last year's class.

"Oh, haven't the school board done any changes yet?" Elle asks, aloof, "They should. The new format's harder than eleventh grade's, they say. Even Mrs. Min told me so."

"Okay, hold up," I signal for her to take a pause, "Did you just say new... format?"

"Well, yeah," Elle shrugs, "For the tenth grade evaluations, there's a new format for the exam itself."

"But the format won't be as different than before, wouldn't it?" I ask, trying to throw all negative assumptions away. 

"Hasn't anyone heard?" Elle continues, "Starting from this year's class, the exams will include eleventh grade's studies and twelve grade basics as well. And the rates are higher as well. You all even have one to one exams, I think it was for English exams. They say it'll help you all pass the college entrance easier, and it'll help save a lot of time for all of you to do revisions before the real college entrance exams."

If we're able to even stay here, I thought. My head hurts at all the thoughts. I wanted to throw a tantrum right there, yelling that this isn't fair to everyone who'll listen. The tenth grade evaluations mean everything to us. 

Because if our results came out and our GPAs were lower than 3.75, we might not have a second chance to be here anymore.

***

At the dorm, I find myself wanting to talk about this. After I put away my bag, I snuggle beside Chaeyoung, burying the lower half of my body in her Minion blanket and giving her shoulder a little nudge. She acknowledges my presence with a simple nudge back. 

"This is crazy," I start, "They shouldn't have raised the bars for the evaluations. The school board knows last year's upgrade already cost more than fifty students to drop out even before the exam. Do they really want to lose more students?"

"I know right. And then they tell us not to get stressed out? Well, let's see who's fault that is." Chae agrees, but I sense that something isn't right. I just know it.

"What's wrong?" I ask, and it's obvious that I caught her off-guard. Though, instead of denying it, she answers, looking straight at me, "Don't you think we should be thinking about whether we still want to stay here, and the opposite?"

I try not to sound shocked, scared even, "What do you mean? We love it here."

"We love the people here, Yeji." Chae smiles as Lisa and Ryujin come beside her, and gives them a brief explanation about what we were talking about. Then she adds, "If possible, maybe I'm switching schools next year."

I didn't see this conversation taking a turn to this.

"If there are any opportunities," Ryujin speaks up, "Maybe I'll consider switching schools as well. If I have any other offers, I mean. My first choice would be staying here," she's aloof, but why can't I relax at the thought of them even thinking about leaving?

"Don't take us wrong, of course we love Les Infires itself," Lisa adds, "But if there are any other offers, I'd totally consider them."

"But the other schools would be different. Very." I try not to make any change in my tone, but inside, I felt crushed. 

"I'd maybe choose a school where the schedules aren't so uptight," Chae continues, not a sign of decreasing confidence in her statements, "And I've even started looking for art schools around the area of my hometown."

"You've started looking?" My surprise isn't hidden anymore. We used to talk a lot about switching schools, about how the system here was too stressful, how all of us had to stay away from home, how it would be better if we switched to, I don't know, somewhere over the rainbow, maybe? But at those times, those conversations were abstract and just thoughts on the future. Now, they felt real. And I'm freaking out. What if they all leave? 

"Hunh, I'm tired." I slip away when they keep on talking deeper into where and how the should switch. They seem really focused on the subject. "Wake me up during lunch."

The three of them just tell me to have a good sleep and promise to wake me up when they go down for lunch. Then they focus on switching schools, again. But I couldn't sleep. I wanted some kind of promise that we would stick together, but they can't promise me that. And the lack of promise scares me.