EMI POV

 

The pounding in my head served as a reminder of my act to relieve my stress last night. The last thing I could remember was wobbling out of a cab in front of my apartment at some ungodly hour before collapsing onto my unmade bed with no motivation to set my alarm the next day.

 

Boy did I regret that now.

 

I picked up my phone from the night stand as I finally sat up, awakened by the Monday morning sun finding its way through my navy blue curtains.

 

8:15 am.

 

Dammit.

 

I was already five minutes late for my first class of the day, Application Chemistry. It wasn't enough that I’d been handing in self-plagiarized lab reports, but now the professor would have yet another reason to call my parents and threaten my spot in his ‘prestigious lecture hall.’

 

I darted out of my bed, and brushed my teeth while searching for my shoes. I didn’t bother changing out of my sweatshirt and skinny jeans. Now was not the time to care about appearances. Now was the time to twist my messy hair into a sloppy bun and run two blocks to campus so that I could at least turn in my latest assignment before it would be marked as missing.

 

I tried to sneak into the hall through the back door, praying that no one would notice. Thankful, I didn't earn any glares as I quietly made way to my usual seat – back left corner, next to the window. Apparently the professor had stepped out for a bit, giving me the chance to slip my overdue assignment underneath some other students’ work.

 

Although I didn’t enjoy it, I’ll admit that my classes were no joke. I’ve heard in the news of how many students were dying to be enrolled here. They took those smart drugs so that they could cram for the entrance exam, but the admissions office only selected x amount of students for each department, medical practice being the most competitive. I’m not fool, I know that much. Passing the entrance exam didn’t demand any last minute stress sessions from me, or burying my nose into a textbook for months. Being that mommy and daddy were persistent in sending their only daughter to med school or law school so she could “be a useful wife to her future husband,” money wasn’t an issue, as it’s been ready for me since I was potty-trained.

 

I went straight to my seat after delivering my assignment, not joining in on the conversations going on around me. What was the point anyway? These people talked about the same things every day. Not understanding the work, not completing an essay, and missing home. Learning came easy to me. Essays flowed out of my mind and onto the paper like they yearned to. And home? I guess a house is considered a home, but that doesn’t mean I was obligated to miss it. I pulled out my journal and a pen to write down these thoughts before flinging my book bag carelessly onto the seat next to me. When I let go of the bag, I heard a pained “oomph.”

 

I turned with a puzzled expression across my face. That seat was always empty. Nobody wanted to sit next to the antisocial smartass with no personality.

 

“Hello there, I’m Kikwang! Lee Kikwang!” the too-perky-for-my-taste red haired boy said, bowing forward and offering a hand with a wide smile, like it was his first day of kindergarten and he was trying to make a new friend.

 

“Hi.” was all I chose to say, ignoring the gesture and not returning the cheesy grin. I could tell his kindergarten heart was crushed as he awkwardly set my bag on the floor, and sat quietly in his seat.

 

I opened up my journal, about to let my pen kiss the pages. If the professor wasn’t going to return soon and I was forced to wait in my seat with no instructions, I might as well do something productive.

 

When I was writing, I no longer felt alone. Whether it be a story about the one day I’d find someone just as lonely as I, or if it be the hopeless fantasy of finding something that could bring light back into my life.

 

The sun may have already replaced the moon in the clear blue sky, bringing new light to a new day, but there was still the feeling of--

 

Suddenly, I felt eyes staring holes into my head.

 

“Watcha writing there?” Kikwang asked. It wasn’t just his sickeningly chipper attitude of his that got to me, it was the way he kept on smiling at me like a puppy that paws at you until you finally rub its belly. I was not about to rub his belly. He was already starting to peer over my shoulder so I immediately shut the journal and glared at him.

 

“Do you get a kick out of disturbing the peaceful?” I sent him a glare, finally saying something.

 

His grin was replaced with a frown and his eyebrows furrowed. For a second, I thought he was about to cry, but soon he broke the silence with an even wider grin and countered, “You didn’t seem very peaceful in my opinion!” before laughing loud enough for the students around us to stare in curiosity.

 

I rolled my eyes and replaced my journal with my notebook, waiting for the professor to return and explain why this goofball is in the seat next to me in the first place.

 

After a few more dreadful minutes, the professor shuffled through the front door, greeting us good morning.

 

“Ah class, I apologize for my tardiness but I had to discuss an important matter with a colleague.” The professor scanned the class to make sure everyone was present and stopped at an alert Kikwang, next to my noticeably unamused expression. “Ms. Emi, I see you’ve met our new student! What a pleasant sight. Everybody, please turn to the person next to you and say hello to your new lab partner for the last semester of the course!”

 

Oh how wonderful.

 

“So your name is Emi?”

 

I nodded. How hard was it to figure out what my name was when the teacher just addressed me by it? Then again, he does seem like the type to say anything if it will initiate conversation.

 

“It’s pretty. The name suits you well.”

 

I turned my head just to see if that stupid grin was still plastered from ear to ear, but to my surprise, he had a soft look this time. The corners of his mouth curved up a just enough to display a sincere smile, and his eyes opened wide enough for me to see my reflection for the first time that day. What he found pretty about a raccoon-eyed, sloppy-haired, just rolled out of bed looking girl is still a mystery to me.