*alarm clock rings* As I heard my rooster -a-doodle-doo-ing, I immediately turned my body to the left side of my bed and tapped the sleeping-killer on top of my table cabinet with my right hand.I looked at the clock with eyes half-opened. 8:30a.m.? It’s still early.

 

Still lying on my bed with my body facing the ceilings and my right hand tapping the clock, I heard my mom knocking on the door while softly saying “Dara dear, it’s time to wake up or you’ll be running late”. Too lazy to rise, I replied “five minutes Mom,” and returned to deep slumber.

 

---

 

“Dara-ah! When will you stop your bed?!” I immediately sit up straight on the side of my bed as I hear Donghae shouting at the top of his lungs near my left ear.

 

“Awwwww” I whimpered in pain while scratching my left ear to ease its pain with eyes still closed. I yelled back at him with an annoyed tone “Ya! You don’t have to shout at my left ear just to wake me up you know.” “Fine. Suit yourself.” I heard him stomping his feet towards my bedroom door and voila, a loud bang from the door which I believe that it almost got broken from his sudden eruption and left me stupefied.

 

“Aiggooooo. It’s still early in the morning and there he is, being so fatherly and grumpy as usual,” I complained to myself while scratching my head hardly that I could hear the scratches of my scalps with my two hands. But wwwaaaiiittt!!!!!! I immediately faced my right; reached for my alarm clock and neared it towards my eyes to see what time is it. “Holy guacamole!” I reacted with my eyes popping. It’s already 10a.m. in the morning and my first class starts at 10:30a.m. I thought while striding towards my bathroom and headed for a short shower.

 

---

 

I quickly ran down the stairs, passed through the kitchen and headed towards the front door. As I was about to close the door, my mom asked with a worried tone “Aren’t you going to eat?” I replied “Not now Mom. I am going to be late.” And as I look into my watch, “Oops, I’m too late.” It’s already 10:27a.m. in the morning and my class starts in three minutes.

 

I looked back and just as I was about to walk towards the kitchen, my mom asked, “Weren’t you supposed to be running for your life” *coughs* “school?” I chuckled at the thought that my mom was able to make a joke out of my tardiness. With that, we both marched towards the kitchen while chatting.

“Is he your professor again?” with her brows rose.

“He’s lucky to have me in his class.” We laughed to our hearts’ content as I said that awful joke. Ugh. The thought of him being my professor again diminishes the idea of me getting the diploma that my family had hoped for. 

 

We both know that Mr. Yang or the famous Troll King of our university has problems with tardiness. He records those who came in class before 10 minutes of the class starts and marks as absent those who’d come in class DURING and right after the bell rings. Even if it’s just a single second, he won’t grant. And what makes it worst is that when the student goes to the room right before the bell rings and after which the student decides to go to the restroom before the bell rings, then comes back to the room but after the bell rang, he won’t forgive. I mean, what if he/she needs to go at that moment BADLY? Should he/she wait for the bell to ring first then head towards the restroom? What if by any chance he/she would do that, and now he/she heads towards the restroom, but because of too much waiting, that student pees on his pants/her skirt or the worst because he/she can’t take it anymore. Then who should I to blame? HUH?!

 

Right now, my brows are meeting and my head hurts at the thought of that. Probably you would have guessed that I was a victim of that incident. ☞☜Ba-but I was really suppressing the feeling you know. I-I-just didn’t make it to the restroom >.> The horror of which I was to come back to class makes it worst. I mean I’m too shy to come back because of the mess of which I did. And yes I blame it to Mr. Yang’s “Tardiness Books of Unjustness.” But good thing that Ms. Kyu Hye-Sun, the school nurse, is too kind to keep it a secret and gave me one of the school’s spare undies and pants.

 

(flashback)

 

I was having the time of my life at the cafeteria and in front of me is the cutest, sweetest, prettiest, gorgeous-est, iest, awesome-est and perfect-est best friend in the whole wide world, Suzy. All in all, she’s the most wanted girlfriend not only here in our University but also others’. See, she’s also known from other schools. I am lucky to be her one and only best friend. Truth to be told, she’s the only one who I can count on to that’s why I am treasuring her a whole lot. Whenever there’re men out there trying to woo her, I am the very first person to talk to them. They’re not allowed to pass by me that easily. It is I who chooses who’ll be the best for her. Good thing, I found the one that’s why she’s not only the one I can also count on but also to Kim Soo-Hyun, Suzy’s boyfriend, another gorgeous person of the most wanted person here in our University.

 

As of this moment, we’re talking about the approaching midterm exams. While we’re at it, I saw at the corner of my eyes the infamous mean girls with smoky air surrounding them. Here they are, approaching us.

 

“Oh, if it isn’t the so-called princess of this university with her goody-good-two-shoe or should we say, Suzy’s lackey, gossiping about us,” Bom scoffed devilishly with her left arm holding her waist like a model (ppfffttt as if) and behind her are her evil minions, Chaerin and Minzy, laughing wickedly. Ugh, I hate the sound of their high-pitched laughs. We’re not even in the haunted house.

 

As I was looking for the mirror inside my bag to make a move, Suzy stopped me while looking to them and said, “If you’re going to talk to yourself, please go to the restroom. There’s a large mirror waiting to be entertained by your polite words,” flashing her sweetest smile at Bom. I laughed at the idea that we both think the same. I knew it; the famous line “great minds think alike,” works well on both of us. I did not regret befriending her from the very moment I first laid eyes on her.

 

“Well excuse us,” Bom said turning around while flipping her hair for us to see her newly dyed reddish hair. It perfectly suits you, you devil. I said at the back of my mind. While marching her heels away from us, her two evil minions followed her while the other one said, “Be thankful, she’s not in a good mood talking to you or else you’ll be begging on your knees right now.” Just like that, they disappeared as if nothing happened.

 

Right after they’re nowhere to be seen, we laughed endlessly at the thought that “hahahahahaha Did you… hahahaha… see… that… hahaha” I said in between my laughs while holding my belly to restrain the acheness because of too much laughter. “Haha.. I…I…hahahaha… know…. and.. hahaha… her reaction.. hahahaha… PRICELESS.. hahaha” she said while also while also holding her belly and with her right fist stomps the table.

 

“What time is it?” Suzy asked with surprised eyes, ending the laughs. Oh shoot. “Omo, it’s already this late?” I said while fixing my things and bidding her farewell. “Can you?” I asked as I am waving my hand. “Yes, so go now. He’ll be here any minute now. So, shoo shoo. I don’t want to be the reason why you’re going to be late,” she replied with her hands gesturing like a person who’s shooing a stray dog.

 

---

 

Here I am now running for my life to go to class. Ten minutes. I thought as I hurriedly run to my next class, Troll King’s class. I think I’m gonna pee. I said in the back of my mind. Aiiisssshhhttt, it’s Bom’s fault for making me laugh so hard that I need to pee.

 

Without thinking, I went straight to my class with five minutes left before the bell rings. I waited for my name to be called so that I could do my thing. “Miss Park?” that’s the cue; I said nervously while raising my right arm, “here.” I am patiently waiting for the bell to ring, holding my hands near the location of my kidney. The bell will ring any minute now, please wait some more. I said to myself while hugging my desk and my face touching it while eyes closed. Wait ‘til I get my hands on you Bom. This is your fault for making me laugh non-stop.

 

*school bell* As soon as I heard it, I dashed out of the room and off to the kingdom of heaven. I smiled wickedly as I saw the restroom nearing its way to me. I was running the time of my life until I stumbled upon a pencil case lying on the floor. *blag* I found myself lying on the floor, face kissing the floor, arms raised but hugging the floor (like a person who happens to be a suspect of a crime but facing the floor) and legs spread apart.

 

*hiisssss* Oh no no no no no. Please don’t let me think that what I’m hearing is supposed to be heard only in the restroom, please. I sat up on my legs and look at the mess that I’ve down. I immediately put my hands on my face as I let my tears flow done. Only few more steps and I’m already there but why? Is this the price to pay for laughing at Bom? I just returned the favor to her. Clearly, she was humiliating me in front of Suzy; and now, I got to have the punishment. I thought I as let my cries out.

 

Good thing that there was no one around the area for, obviously, it is class hours. As soon as I finished crying, I immediately go to the restroom and searched for the mop to clean the mess. My eyes darted upon seeing the root of all this cause. Stupid pencil case if it weren’t for you to be lying there, then, I would not be wasting my time cleaning this and be humiliated likes this. I kicked it as I spat endless curses on it.

 

After cleaning my mess, I went straight to the school clinic thinking that there would be spare clothes for me to wear. I knocked on the door and opened it. A ray of bright light flashed through me before finally seeing the person seated before a table. With a worried tone, the beautiful and angelic-like nurse seating before her desk asked me, “What can I help you?” “Ummmm, this,” I mumbled while looking down on my pants with flushed cheeks.

 

(end of flashback)

 

This is already my last term. I’ll be biding good-bye to this second home of mine. However, that wouldn’t be possible if I were to fail his class because of tardiness. I got him for my class because I’ve got no other choice. Other professors who are really both good in teaching and generous in grades are not available for this term that’s why he’s my professor for the third time. And what makes it worst is that it’s thrice-in-a-row. See, how lucky he is for having a big time student like me. I mean, I’m just the goody-good-two-shoe of this school but the problem is that I’m late during first classes. I have no problems with him during the last two terms with him because those were my second classes so I don’t have the reason to be late, unless, my first class would be free cut.

 

Okay enough with the negative sides of Mr. Yang. He’s really nice and funny. But not funny at which he cracks jokes, he’s funny in the sense that he would announce quizzes/ projects/ exercises/ homeworks to be passed on the said date but he later delays it during the said date. But of course, not always, which makes us even tenser because his quizzes/projects/ exercises/homeworks are hard. Not just hard, but very hard. Maybe very hard may simply be easy for you so I’ll make it very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very hard. “Ms. Storyteller, mianhe for making you write many ‘very’s’ but those were not enough.” (ST: It’s okay for it’s for you. I’ll do better next time ;) ) And to the readers, “Mr/Ms/Mrs. Reader, mianhe also for making you read those many ‘very’s’ but just like what I’ve said to Ms. Storyteller, those were not enough though.” I’m not over exaggerating for it’s Troll King’s fault for making us impossible to pass his class. Oops, sorry. I forgot that we’re through with Mr. Yang’s negative side. But I guess I have no more good sides of him to tell you for I can’t recall other than him trolling over our deadline for submission and him teaching well. But still, his teachings are not enough for us to answer his quizzes/ projects/ exercises/ homeworks.

 

---

 

Going back to reality, here I am munching my bacon, scrambled egg, and rice with my mom sitting in front of me writing some ummm, I don’t know? Maybe grocery list or to-do lists for this week?

 

I heard footsteps nearing the kitchen but I don’t know who it is for my back is facing the door. Maybe it’s Sang Hyun or Doorami. As I was about to turn my head to the right to check whether it’s Sang Hyun or Doorami, I was shocked to see Donghae leaning against the kitchen’s doorframe. I asked myself, is he also ditching the first class?

 

“Good Morning Donghae!” I greeted him with a wide grin on my face and eyes nearly smiling as well while my arms rose high inviting him for a big warm hug.

 

I put my hands back on the table for Donghae just ignored me as if he didn’t see me at all. I rolled my eyes for it annoys the heck out of me with his annoying attitude. When can we have a good morning talk?

 

“Good Morning Mrs. Park,” he was saying that while walking towards the next seat of my mom and flashing her his sweetest smile I’ve ever seen. “As expected, you’re always pretty and tidy,” now turning at me with his eyes staring at me which could get me killed at this moment if he were to be Cyclops of X-men while seating next to mom. Now what did I do? But wait; is there a second meaning behind his statement? Oh, you’re getting on my nerves early in the morning you Donghae person. Not only you screamed at my left ear but also you slammed my bedroom door that almost got broken.

 

Donghae looked at my mom for she asked “Good Morning, too, dear Donghae. Skipping class?” giving him also her sweet smile. Thank you Mom. I almost got killed with his eyes. I know I really love for you have saved me countless times because of grumpy Donghae. I owe my life to you. I thank Mom at the back of my mind thinking that she’d never let me down by saving me to this Donghae person.

 

He replied looking at my mom “I have no plans on skipping class on the very first day of my last term.” With my right eyebrow raising, I said, “Huh?” Is he insane? It’s already past 10:30a.m. and here he is, making himself look like there’s more time before our first class starts. Now turning his head to his right, he’s now looking at me with a wide grin on his face, “There’s one and thirty more minutes before our first class starts.”