unstuck in time

In his 17 years of life, never did Park Jimin think that he would be an ace of any kind of sport team. But there he was, standing gloriously on batter box while Ansang High's best cannon was preparing his pitch and his teammates' eyes was glued on him. It was only a training, but Jimin felt a pressure as if he was standing in a major league stadium. He tried to shrug off those uneasy feelings and focus on the pitcher.

And just before he knew it, the field was erupted into the loudest sound he had ever heard lately. "Fly ball, fly ball!" That was the cheers said and Jimin just realized that indeed he hit a fly ball into fair territory. His teammates pounded him with friendly pats on his back when he approached them. He didn't really listen to what they said, he bet it was same old flatters that he had been really used to hear.

"Park Jimin, that was my best pitch and yet, you hit it with such ease!" The pitcher, Kim Taehyung, grunted playfully. Jimin only laughed awkwardly at his complain. "But that doesn't matter right now. Because with you, Blue Jaws team from Dongwok High will have nothing on us. Right, Coach?" Jimin took a glance at the coach and felt relieved when he saw a glint of approvement from his eyes although the coach didn't respond anything at the remark. His teammates, once again, erupted into an unfathomable cheer for him.

He took off his helmet and gears and walked out slowly from the training field into the locker room. His teammates tailed him while animatedly chattering about how they would crush their opponent in summer game. Once again, Jimin sighed at the thought about the game. He envied how his friends could be so... at ease about it. He envied how everything seemed so easy for them.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Jimin was startled when Kim Taehyung suddenly appeared beside him. "Sorry, what?" Jimin was quite confused with thesudden question.

Taehyung shrugged and repeated, "You mind to tell me what's bothering you?"

"What do you mean with 'bothering'?" Jimin laughed, hoping Taehyung would buy his attempt to avoid the talk. Taehyung was not only his teammate, he had also been his best friend in Ansang High since he could remember. Jimin felt guilty for trying to push him away, but Jimin didn't see the point why he should not.

"Your frowns lately." Taehyung leaned on his locker while Jimin took out the school uniform from his. "You okay?"

Jimin was seriously contemplating if he should tell Taehyung about what he had been keeping in his mind these days. But in the end, Jimin decided to zip his mouth tight. "I'm not frowning. It's just my face, Tae." He joked lightly.

Taehyung didn't laugh. "You know I was joking back there, right?" This time, Jimin was really frowning at his best friend. "I didn't mean to pressure you. It's still a game of nine, plus three substitutes and that scary coach we have in the dugout." He patted Jimin's shoulder. "You're not alone."

"I know."

Taehyung's lips stretched into an ear-to-ear smile. "So, we're going to win this summer game, right?"

Jimin couldn't help but mimicking his best friend's expression. "You bet."

Taehyung seemed pleased about his reaction and nodded in appreciation. And then he talked about something else that Jimin could hardly care. Taehyung was talking about new student... or something, Jimin wasn't sure. He knew how Taehyung always talked incoherently --unless it was about baseball-- and Jimin was relieved because he knew Taehyung wouldn't push him for any response when he talked like that. He could go back into the rare solace he could find inside his head.

After they freshened up, both of them grabbed their bags and hurriedly walked to the school building. The school was really quiet, the rest of the students were already in the classroom after all. It was a tradition that Ansang's baseball team got a dispensation to skip the first period on Monday to train for summer game in exchange of bringing the champion trophy for the pride of the entire school. As he walked with Taehyung in deserted hall, Jimin took a deep breath and looked up to the perfect blue sky from the window pane. He smiled a little at a funny shaped cloud he found up there. "Doughnut."

"Have you heard?"

A long pause. "...about what?"

"The new student."

"...I have. She was my neighbor." Oh Sehun ceased his pen movement as he tried to remember something. "That was before her family moved somewhere else years ago."

"Oh?" Bae Joohyun raised her brows. And then she took a file that Sehun silently handed to her. She opened it and was taken aback when she saw a student file in it. Joohyun skimmed the files and glanced over the man who sat across her and didn't seem like going to give her more information about his relationship with this new student. So she asked, "Were you close to her?"

Sehun was still focusing on the paperworks in front of him without seeming quite aware about the question for him. But Joohyun had already known him for so long, she knew he would answer it eventually. And she was right. Minutes after the silence, Sehun finally raised his gaze from the papers and stared at the distance as if trying to remember something vague. "Not really. The last time I met her, she was still using training wheels on her bike."

Joohyun nodded faintly. "It's kinda unusual for someone to move to new school a month after new academic year, don't you think?" She muttered. Sehun only responded it with shrug and moved his focus back on the paperworks that he was currently working on.

Both of them was engulfed in silence for the longest time. Only the sound of pen scratching and papers flipping that could be heard from the student council's room. Both Joohyun and Sehun had to hand over their positions by the end of the semester so they could focus on their university preparations. That was why they had their hands full of paperworks that needed to be done right now.

"Have Kang Seulgi or anyone to submit last semester's school festival report on their first break. I can't find it anywhere." Sehun cursed silently as he tried to find the said report on the pile of papers in front of him.

Joohyun sighed. "Here." She grabbed the obvious papers on the top of the pile that Sehun had been searching. It had been a year for Joohyun to take care of the clumsy president to run the student council smoothly. His careless side, his awkward nature, his lack of emotions, and his infamous poker face; Joohyun had already been used to that. Sometimes she felt like a baby-sitter instead of a secretary of student council; she didn't complain, though.

Sehun muttered a silent thanks for her help before focusing on those papers once again. The atmosphere became silent and serious all over again.

"...so, med-school, huh?" Joohyun finally spoke up after minutes of eerie silence.

This time, Sehun immediately raised his gaze to meet Joohyun's. His lips curved upwards in amused manner. "And you, law school?"

She cracked an ironic smile. "Touche." Suddenly the corner of her eyes caught something on the window. She turned her had to awe at the march of the clouds on the blue sky as she pointed something with the pen on her hand. "Look, a doughnut."

"...ang... Zhang... Mister Zhang!"

Zhang Yixing jolted from his seat as he hastily took off the earphones on his ears and closed his laptop. He straightened up his sit position in one swift move and looked at the Head Teacher who stood in front of his table with stern face. "Yes?"

"I assume you knew already about the new student in class 11B." Yixing tilted his head in confusion before his eyes widened as if something just hit him. The Head Teacher sighed and placed some files on his table, "This is her files and I hope you'll take care of her."

Yixing nodded. The Head Teacher put him under his scrutiny. Unruly hair, loosened tie, wrinkled shirt; Yixing looked more like an unemployed guy instead of teacher. The grey haired teacher sighed as he crossed his hands annoyedly.

"Listen, Mister Zhang, I truly appreciate your brilliant mind and I'm very glad that you're willing to fill the vacant position of chemistry teacher in your almamater and your willingness to take Mrs. Jang's responsibility as a homeroom teacher of class 11B is very admirable." The Head Teacher heaved a heavy sigh as he fixed his glasses with his finger. "But you really to get your head in the game, you know? I have to be sure that you want this. You're not here just because you're our former student, you know."

The twenty-something guy nodded once again, but everyone could see that his mind was elsewhere. The Head Teacher really wanted to go anywhere else but that laboratory and ditched the young teacher, but knowing Yixing as his former student, he couldn't just walk away. The middle-aged man pulled a chair and sat in front of Yixing. "You okay, Yixing?" He asked carefully.

Yixing managed to give a smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

"You really need to snap out of it, okay?" The Head Teacher told him with a tone that a mom usually used to her slacking kid. "I know life has been a real to you for these past few months, but the more you realize that you can't do anything about and accept it as it is, the more you'll make amend with yourself."

Yixing looked like a deer-in-the-headlights as he narrowed his eyes questioningly. "Head Teacher," He said flatly. "I'm fine."

The Head Teacher groaned. He lifted his hands, completely defeated. "Okay, okay. I understand." He got up from the chair and walked out from the room. But before he exited, he turned around to look at his former pupil once again, "Don't scare the new student with your 'fun tricks', okay?"

This time, Yixing smirked. "Have I ever?" The Head Teacher gave him a look and Yixing gave in. "Okay, okay. No funny tricks. Duly noted."

"Don't explode anything on her first day."

"Yessir."

"And don't teach her how to make meth."

Yixing laughed. "Geez, is she some kind of a daughter of the president or something?"

The Head Teacher was silent for a moment. "She's something. So behave, okay?"

Yixing mumbled an 'okay, okay'. He slumped his body on his chair once Head Teacher disappeared from his sight and opened laptop. He continued his works where he left before the Head Teacher stormed into his safe haven. But somehow, the pile of files on the corner of the table caught his attention. Yixing grunted lowly as he ceased his typing and grabbed the files of the new student that --somehow-- made the Head Teacher looked uneasy.

And by the time Yixing finished reading half of the files, he slightly understood why his former teacher was very jittery about the new student. He gave this girl a thumb up for being able to distract him from his new project on his laptop just by providing a written information of her. "Adding doughnut and coffee with this, it would be perfect." He chuckled as he continued to read the rest of the files.

It was hard to be different these days, especially when everyone wanted to be different in the exact same way. Ivory skin, big and round eyes, and perfect s-line; such creativity. Being cute, pure, and adorably dorky at the same time; Salvador Dali had nothing on these wave of avant-gardes. It was just a matter of time until people only got serial number for their name. Being different was... overrated. Wanting to blend in was not a sin. Wanting to be the same like wearing a perfect camouflage was not something to be ashamed of.

At least that was what Son Seungwan thought on her first day of her new life in her new school.

She tried to walk slower as she approached the principal office, but she always failed when her mother glanced over her shoulder with sharp gaze. Her mother walked few steps in front of her with much more confident that Seungwan ever had in her whole life. At time like this, Seungwan could only wish she had a drop of her mother's confidence. She sighed in defeated manner when she realized that her wish might not ever come true and she knew she would learn to accept that eventually.

And when Seungwan woke up from her daydream, she realized that she had already been in the principal's office. The room was pretty big and really white. Seungwan found herself scrunching her nose in distasteful manner. All-white room always reminded her to a room she once shared on weekly basis with her shrink. Seungwan heaved heavily as she tried to regain her attention before her mother clucked her tongue in annoyance and embarrassed her in front of someone who would pay an extra attention to her for the next two years, give or take. And adding the fact that her new principal was her mother's friend, looking like a daydreamer loon might not be the best idea either.

"You're going to love this school, Miss Seungwan."

Seungwan smiled brightly. "Of course, just like I loved my 3 previous schools."

Her mother glared at her daughter and abruptly sent an apology to the principal. But the old man only laughed at her remarks, which quite a surprise fo Seungwan. "I like someone who can appreciate dark humor, Miss Seungwan. Now I can really tell that we will get along somehow."

The brunette girl chuckled nervously for she didn't expect such comeback. "I agree, Sir." Her voice sounded coarse like a horse. She muttered a low curse at her lameness, but quickly shut and sent a short glance to both adults in the room. Seungwan was relieved when both of them didn't seem having their attentions on her. They talked about... something. Seungwan wasn't quite sure and she didn't care either. She casted her glance to window and gazed at the clouds. The spring almost turned to summer. Seungwan smiled when she saw a familiar shape on the sky. She muttered unconsciously, "Doughnut."

"Mm? Did you say something, Dear?"

Seungwan quickly fixed an innocent smile for her mother. "What?"

Her mother looked at her questioningly, but gave up when she knew her daughter could stay with that creepy smile forever without telling her anything if she wanted to. So she let her go and turned her attention back to her old friend. "Thank you for all your help." Seungwan's mother smiled genuinely and shook the principal's hand. "I'll hand her over to your care."

"You can count on us." The principal said with such confident tone that made Seungwan wanted to chuckle. Fortunately, she had better self-control than she did few months ago. "Now, Miss Seungwan, say goodbye to your mom and I'll take you to your class."

Seungwan wanted to roll her eyes. She wanted to do so many things that could shake the earth where her mom was standing. But once again, fortunately, she had so much better self-control right now, even she herself was surprised. "Well, Mom," She said with cheeky smile. "...see you when I see you, I guess?"

Her mother smiled and hugged her. "Be good, Dear. And call me whenever you can, okay?" Seungwan nodded faintly. Her mother ended their awkward hug and bowed to the principal once again before she left the room, leaving Seungwan sitting awkwardly in the white room alone with the middle-aged man in front of her. They just sat quietly for minutes... or hours, Seungwan couldn't tell; but the silence was deafening. The semi-bald principal was staring at her as if she was an art exhibition and he was the currator who tried to value her.

She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Shouldn't we go to the class... or something?" Seungwan broke the silence.

"I'll make sure you'll have the time of your life here, Miss Seungwan."

Seungwan frowned. "Pardon?"

"Your years here will be the time of your life, I can promise you that." The principal smiled warmly. "Now, shall we go to your homeroom class?"