She opened her eyes. WAH~ The morning is such a beautiful sight! The girl rolled over on her bed to get a better look at the clear, blue sky that was delicately framed by the panes of her bedroom’s fresh, white windows. She glanced at the time. 8:45AM. "GAH! I'm gonna be late!"

After getting changed rather messily, she ran for the door, pausing by the kitchen to kiss her mum on the cheek and wave a “see you soon” to her dad, not forgetting to grab the piece of toast—as soon as the little pop! sounded—out of the toaster by her very hungry mouth.

Toast still in mouth, she ran out the door and zoomed right past the bus stop, knowing that she’d make it quicker if she were to just run it to school.

“Good morning, Mrs Kim!” She greeted the old woman with the groceries. Mrs Kim scratched the back of her head, flustered by how polite the young girl was, and perhaps a little scared at how lightning-fast the youth blurred past.

The school gates were now in view, still open, so there was no need to rush as she was not late at all. Instead, she started to skip merrily as the summer’s cherry blossoms fell from the sky, softly landing everywhere but, magically, left the girl untouched—

Beep. Beep. Groan. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Fumbling for the alarm clock somewhere in the midst of a mess on the night table, Aileen woke up.

She opened her eyes. Sighing, she got up and made her way over to the window groggily.

The window was still open from last night but there was no breeze coming through. She threw a side-glance at the stupid alarm clock that just had to wake her up from a nice, peaceful dream. She rarely had nice, peaceful dreams. The digital numbers showed 06:55AM—there was no need to rush. The little writing in the corner of the clock told her that it was September 1, the first day of autumn and the first day of school. Well, from what she was taught ever since she was little, it was. That explains the temperature of the room... It was boiling. “Is it ‘cause I’m hot?” she muttered. Aileen laughed at her own vain joke, surprised that she even retained a sense of humour so early in the morning. Shaking her head to herself, she made her way to resume her daily morning activities.

After making cereal for herself and dumping the empty bowl into the sink for later in the day to clean, she strolled toward the balcony opposite the kitchen unit in order to collect the dried laundry. Before, somehow, she managed to not trip over the mess she made over the past month (her parents were on holiday) which lay in a collage on the wooden boards. This time, however, she was testing her own patience. As stupid as it sounded, Aileen slipped on a banana peel she left lying on the floor yesterday and flew like a spastic bird toward the open balcony. Screaming and flailing her arms like a madwoman, she tried to get a grip on the firm line hanging her clothes. Instead, her hand snatched at a bra and tossed it into the air somewhere unknowingly.

Over on the other side of the balcony, a woman’s piece of undergarment landed on a boy’s head, shocking him speechless.

Aileen didn’t notice, of course, since there was a door separating the two balconies, as she was hugging one of her summer dresses, drooping from the lining, holding on for dear life. “Ohmygod.”

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Aileen Jang. Aileen is a young, petite (5’2, actually) and flat-chested 16-year-old schoolgirl who has bad luck with boys.

♥

“What the heck is wrong with me?” She squeaked to herself, freaking out the old lady walking past who lived in the apartment above hers. Yep, this is reality, she thought, remembering the pretty dream, a reality she wanted but couldn’t have because, well, it was a fantasy. The rest of her walk to school was dull and depressing... until one person showed up. Holding her bra.

At first she didn’t realise. But then Kris came closer, within touching distance. It seemed as though he was just standing there, as if he waited in that exact spot and was expecting her, repeat; holding her bra. They were about only a foot away from each other when he halted in his steps. They commenced into a silent stare-down for at least half a minute. She still didn’t notice what he held in his left hand, not when their gazes were locked like that. For that approximate half minute, it felt like the world had stopped moving around them. As if he was flying and he made her take flight with him with those eyes. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Aileen caught sight of two white round things attached to each other—with an ice-cream/cupcake pattern—in the boy’s hand. Realising what it was, she flushed deep red, refusing to look at him in the eye, so she focused on the ground instead. It wasn’t until he spoke up that she realised she couldn’t just stand there and glare at the ground.

“Hey, aren’t you going to take this back?” Her eyes glowered at him, startled at the sound of his deep voice though she’s heard it almost every day from her childhood. “I never knew you were a 32-A,” he stated calmly; a little too calmly for her liking. “I thought you were a 28-AA or something,” he joked. dropped open.

“You. Are. A. Jerk.” She spoke each word slowly and distinctly, snatching back her item, furious with him. Abruptly, she swivelled around his tall, looming figure and started to walk briskly. Kris jogged forward, catching up in no time with those long legs of his. Damn those stupid things, she thought angrily.

“Hey, I was joking,” he said seriously. Aileen flinched as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Warm wasn’t even the accurate word to describe the feeling; the way she felt. Shaking her head visibly, she refused to develop on this. Why the hell am I acting like this? Perhaps the weather was too hot. She avoided placing the real answer to that question. It will only hurt her. She could already feel the distance growing between them, ever since that last day of the summer school term, before the summer holiday... How can she be so stupid to do such a thing?

She shrugged his hand off (it still burned where he had touched her) and then he slowly pulled back, looking a little upset. As soon as that expression came, however, it disappeared and transformed into the famous “poker face”.

“More like face,” Aileen muttered, unintentionally thinking out loud.

“What did you say?” Kris raised an eyebrow, hoping that he’d misheard.

“Nothing,” she sang, trying to dismiss it with a wave of her hand. She was only joking, and he knew her humour. Simply nodding in reply, Kris walked with her on the way to school, by her side, always.

♥

Aileen and Kris were nearing the school gates. That was exactly when Aileen spotted Kai, the school’s kingka, walking by himself. Then a light bulb inside her mind.

“Kai!” She called, arms waving. “Annyeong~!” She skipped toward him cheerfully. The boy turned his head, smirking when he saw her.

“Hey,” he greeted, still smirking. Then his eyes bulged out of their sockets. Aileen didn’t notice.

She had one thing and only one thing on her to-do list. She had to show to Kris that she was capable of doing this. However, the words which came out of were less enthusiastic and more half-hearted than she’d actually intended. “Go out with me?” Why not? They were both popular, good-looking and sociable. Word will become big at their school. Aileen was still very aware of Kris’s presence, lingering a few feet behind the pair. She didn’t dare to look back, though. She didn’t dare to find out how he saw this act, how he was judging her right now. She didn’t dare to relive that moment of rejection, that one day before the holiday. She could only hope, and hope lay in Kai’s unspoken words.

“What are you doing with a bra?”

This time it was Aileen’s eyes that bulged out of their sockets. Her bulging eyes travelled from Kai’s equally round ones to the item in her left hand. Hurriedly, she opened up her bag and stuffed the object of her embarrassment in.  Aigoo! I’m such an idiot! How can she not have realised she was swinging her arms around with a bra all this time? And Kris had nothing to say about it! She resisted the urge to snap her head back at the older boy who was most definitely still standing behind her. Maybe he was so used to her crazy, cringe-y moments... But he could’ve at least said something! Kai, say yes now or I’ll go NUTS!

Kai’s eyes stayed wide, but the words which came out of his mouth after also didn’t come out the way he’d wanted. He couldn’t just reject her. She was the queenka of their year, like him; a kingka, even if she carried bras in hand with her. They had never really been in contact, never really talked to each other, and, to put it quite bluntly, never really paid attention to the other. But now he came to realise that this was a gold opportunity. His popularity bar could rise to a whole new level, and maybe, just maybe, she will finally notice him. The girl of his dreams. “I’ll think about it.”

♥

“Hey, Aileen! Over here!” In the cafeteria, a voice called for her. Squinting over the sea of heads, she finally matched the voice to a familiar face. It was one of her friends, Ami. She wouldn’t consider her a best friend because she hadn’t known her for very long. Nonetheless, she was a friend, so Aileen waved cheerfully while balancing her tray on the other hand. Her best friend, Sooyeon, sat next to Ami on the lunch table. Grinning, Sooyeon jumped out of her seat and rushed to Aileen.

“What took you so long?” Sooyeon was still grinning like the dork she was. Aileen found her best friend adorable, though any normal person would find Sooyeon rather intimidating because of her tall height. She was almost as tall as Luhan.

“The head.” Aileen smiled as understanding lit up Sooyeon’s face. That’s what she loved about her best friend. A few words or even a glance could mean so much to them. “He asked for me, said he wanted me to show a new student around. Oh-something. 'Forgot its name.”

“Oh. That surname sounds familiar. And 'it'?! You can't just forget if it was a guy or girl! Seriously, you're so careless." She poked Aileen's cheek. Aileen did not know why she even allowed that to happen. "Anyway, when’s the new kid coming?” Sooyeon was genuinely curious.

“Not until a few weeks time—I don’t have to worry about it—for now.”

“Hey, when will you guys sit down?” A male voice sighed from their table. “Aileen’s food’s getting cold.” Luhan, a boy in the year above and a good friend of theirs, scolded Sooyeon. The latter puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

“Alright, alright. I was only welcoming my best friend.” She slumped back to her seat next to Ami.

No one took notice when Luhan rolled his eyes with maybe a tiny pang of jealousy at the last three words that escaped Sooyeon’s mouth. Except Aileen. The smallest girl raised an eyebrow, feeling a little mischievous.

“Luhan oppa, you always treat me like a baby.” Aileen pouted, turning up the aegyo level to maximum. Then she took action: “and you’re always shouting at Sooyeon.” Before Luhan could retaliate, Aileen shocked everyone by scooping up a mountain of rice with her spoon, stuffing the load into . She was not one to eat so unmannerly. Through muffled chewing, she stated; “I think you like her.”

Luhan and Sooyeon choked simultaneously. “I need to go to the bathroom,” they both said briskly at once.

“You can go first.” Luhan tried to look away coolly, but couldn’t escape the light pink brushing his cheeks. What the hell, oppa? The girls’ and boys’ toilets are separate! Aileen had to keep on chewing to stop herself from spitting out her food with laughter, deciding not to announce her thoughts and embarrass Luhan even more. Turns out Ami voiced it for her:

“Luhan oppa, you don’t have to wait for Sooyeon to come back in order to be allowed to go to the loo.” This time Luhan was the only one choking, while Sooyeon just sat there going beet red.

“Bye.” They got up at the same time, racing to the bathrooms.

Once Luhan and Sooyeon had left, only Aileen and Ami were left at the table, along with two other uneaten trays of food. They stared at each other for a while and then cracked up laughing. “Oh my God, that was so funny!” Aileen held her stomach, trying to prevent cramping. “I know, right?! They should ask each other out already!” Ami high-fived Aileen. Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over their frozen-in-laughter bodies. Aileen felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise up.

“You’re making too much noise.” She tensed at the too familiar voice. It was Kris. He was always there.

“No we weren’t.” Aileen pouted. She still didn’t forgive him for the bra incident earlier on.

“Yeah, there’re other students in here making louder noises!” Ami chimed in.

Kris dismissed her comment, dark eyes penetrating only Aileen’s, observing her. She wanted to shiver under them, but showed no weakness. “Whatever, I’ll see you later.” He ruffled her hair, walking away.

Aileen was in a daze when Ami mumbled something next to her. “Sorry, what?”

“I said he’s the only one you allow to do that.” Ami raised her eyebrows, like it was surprising. And, well, it was. Aileen understood what she meant, nodding. He was the only one she would let ruffle her hair. Hardly anyone else ever touched her hair, simply because she got annoyed whenever any person tried to. She began to wonder if he would be the only one to ever, but then shook her head and changed the subject.

“I think I have a crush on Kai,” she claimed, nonchalantly. She didn’t notice the flash that gleamed across Ami’s brown orbs.

“No way! He’s the kingka in our year!” Ami mused, up milkshake from her straw excitedly. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Aileen shrugged. “I asked him out this morning. He said he’ll think about it.” But a part of her wanted him to say no, to reject her. That part longed for somebody else, but her mind warred with that; it told her that it would be the only way to let her move on.

♥

Sooyeon raced to the girls’ lavatory, not saying a thing to Luhan although he was speed-walking just as quickly as her to a similar place for a similar reason. They parted ways without a word or pause: him entering the boys’ toilets and her entering the opposite.

She rushed in front of the mirror, turning the cold tap and splashing her face with a little water. She sighed, feeling relieved from all the embarrassment. She didn’t care when some girl looked at her as if she was mad and ran for her life out of the place. Sooyeon looked at herself in the mirror. She didn’t care if her face got wet because she never wore make-up; it wasn’t her thing. Aileen always said she was a natural beauty but she always shook her head, never admitting it. Sooyeon didn’t admit a lot of things. But there was one thing she had admitted; it was about someone else though, and it resulted into a secret she must keep...

“I think you like her.”Sooyeon gazed after Aileen, the petite girl running into the shop with Luhan to buy sweets for all of them. She glanced at the boy beside her, waiting for a reply.

Kris was also looking into the shop’s windows, eyeing Aileen, whom was picking out their favourite sweets with his other friend. “I love her.” It took a whole five seconds for the three words to register. Her eyes widened. He’s finally admitting it?“Like a sister.” Her giddy grin dropped into a frown.

Right on time, Luhan and Aileen scurried out of the store with some candy and lollipops in hand. Kris started walking ahead first. Sooyeon stared at his tall, retreating figure.

“Is there something wrong?” Luhan asked, as Aileen sticks a lollipop into with the same questioning look. Aileen found Sooyeon’s eyes glaring at Kris, who had already crossed the road. “Did he say something stupid?” She blinked. Yes, she wanted to say.

“No.” She shook her head.

It’d been a year since then, and she has been keeping this secret welling up inside of her, bursting to come out. No matter, she must keep it. She was sure Kris loved Aileen, but in what way? She wasn’t certain, even after he’d said “like a sister.” The words had hurt herself like a bruise, and so she couldn’t imagine how much it would hurt Aileen. Sooyeon couldn’t bear feeling the pain in her best friend’s expression once she finds out. She won’t, she firmly told herself.

♥

It was the end of the day and the group of friends were standing by the school gates. Aileen hugged Sooyeon, Luhan and Ami goodbye as they all had to get to the same bus stop. This left only Kris and her. Out of perfect timing, Aileen spotted Kai with his friends in her peripheral vision. She swivelled to face her back to Kris, shouting at Kai. “Hey!”

His friends noticed first, nudging and teasing him. He waved back awkwardly, rubbing his neck. I wonder if he’s made his mind up yet, she thought.

“Are you ready to go or not?” Kris spoke up, voice a bit gruff. Was it just her or was there a tiny hint of jealousy in his tone? His voice softened. “I’ll walk you home,” he offered.

“No, that’s okay.” She shook her head. “I’ve got work.”

“Seriously? Your parents are on vacation—surely they’re sending you enough?” She didn’t like the accusing tone of his voice.

“They try to! But I don’t accept it, okay? I don’t want to be a nuisance to them.” She huffed stubbornly. “I like to earn my own savings.” It’s none of his business, anyway.

“Fine.” He ruffled her hair again. “I’ll walk you to work, then.”

▌A/N: Hi guise! 3,000+ words! Phew~ First time I’ve written that much for a first chapter. I guess EXO are kinda making me all excited and fluffy. ^^
So what do you think happened on “that last day before summer holiday”? And what’s with Aileen (or you) trying to get her hands on Kai? Are the answers to both questions somehow linked together? It’s quite obvious, but that’ll be revealed in the next chapter! I hope you like my OCs too! Sooyeon and Ami are there for a reason, not just thrown in there for comic relief. For those of you waiting for Chanyeol, he pops up real soon and I can’t wait myself so STAY TUNED~!
Don't forget to leave your thoughts & comments~ ROLL LIKE A BUFFALO. <3