Mark's Thoughts
When Nothing Goes Right... Go Left
I am scared and alive
I wonder about my future
I hear a little girl laugh
I see a world map
I want to travel the whole world
I am afraid and alive.
The first bell rang, and Mark closed his journal, clipping his black pen along the metal spirals on the side. He pushed himself off the spiky grass, hobbling into the large gym, where students were now piling in from the other entrance- the one entrance he had never used. It was always too crowded, with people shoving against each other just to try to enter. So instead, Mark always prepared himself to enter through the side entrance, which was conveniently located where he usually spends his time at lunch: in his own peace and quiet.
"Mark!" He whipped his body around as he heard someone call his name. A waving hand indicated that it was no one other than his friend of two months, Jae Bum. JB and Mark had somehow developed a bond one Friday afternoon, when Mark had cluelessly been wandering the halls on his first day of school, one sweaty hand gripping tightly onto his heavy backpack strap, and the other nearly drenching the slip of paper that was his schedule. "Hey, Mark." JB jogged up to fall into step beside him. "Lost again, bro?" JB jokingly remarked.
Mark let out a low whistle. Lost in my thoughts, you mean? He shrugged. "Yeah, a little." They transgressed the gym and entered the musty male locker room. That stench had always made JB cringe. And the thought of having to change in front of others bothered the daylights out of him. This is for my P.E. grade, he reminded himself on a daily basis. Just one more year of Physical Education, and I'll be done.
Mark and JB split ways as each headed to his respective locker. Upon approaching, through years of training for this dreadful task, Mark skillfully unlocked his locker, changed into the ranking sport uniform, and shoved his backpack in, clicking the lock closed. He breathed out a sigh of relief and headed back into the gym to wait for the rest of the class. "Stupid sports," he muttered to himself. It was just Tuesday, the second day of the school week, and his uniform already stank of drenched sweat from the laps they had to run the previous day. The only motivation he had was his grade.
Since he was the first one out, the gym was usually deserted, leave for a couple gym teachers setting up for their classes. There was Mr.Yoo, who was pulling up mattresses for the sit-ups his class was supposed to do today. "Whoopie," Mark murmured.
He plunked down on the farthest corner of the bleachers so that, when more students entered, he would still be away from the crowd. Sensing that class wasn't going to start anytime soon, he was just about to think up some new lines for his journal, when the door to the gym creaked open, and a ray of bright sunshine sliced into the middle of the large room. Mark had to shade his eyes to properly make out that a figure had just stepped in.
Mr.Yoo sternly boomed from the opposite side of the gym, "You there! Hurry up and get changed! You're late."
The figure, which turned out to be a girl no older than Mark, bowed apologetically. "Excuse me, Mr... Yoo?" Her wavering tone only emphasized how uncertain she was in the situation. "I'm Kyrielle, a new student to the school. I believe I'm in your... fourth year gym class?"
Mark nodded to himself. Oh, so she's a senior like me.
Mr.Yoo straightened up from his position as he set down the last mat. "Oh, then sorry about the accusation, Ms.Kyrielle." He made his way past Mark, without giving him a glance, to greet her. Mark shrugged it off. He was used to being ignored, even by teachers.
After some conversation, Mr.Yoo exclaimed, "Oh, you're a junior? How are you in fourth year PE?"
Kyrielle's light laughter ricocheted off the walls of the empty gym. Still, no one was done changing yet.
But something about her captivated Mark's attention. Her dark hair that was cut to a medium length gave her a bold style, unlike the long locks that too many girls at the school sported. Mark liked a girl who was confidently unique, a stark contrast to his own personality. They would make a good couple. Opposites attract, don't they?
Among his thoughts, Mark had missed her answer. Mr.Yoo was now directing her to the girls' locker room, where he sent her off to prepare for class. Mark was so entranced that he hadn't even realized what had happened. Did they... - more specifically, she - look in his direction as they passed by? Mark shook his head, trashing the hope. "It's not possible," he said under his breath. "No one ever notices me."
It was then that the gym finally started to fill up with people.
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