I love cycling to school especially during autumn. Watching the leaves change colours day by day as they fall onto the pavement is so fascinating. The way the cool breeze blows through my hair as if it's greeting me with a gentle "hello" every morning gives me the motivation to hop out of bed for another long day at school. Mornings like this make me feel as if nothing can go wrong, feeling almost as if my life is complete.

"Jihyo! Wait up!" 

I brought my bike to an abrupt stop as I analysed the voice in my head. I spun my head around to see the ever silly Gary running after me. I stifled a laugh as I watched him stumble over his own feet. Typical.

Things have changed quite a little ever since the first time I met him. The rest of the oppas and I finally let him into our playground and from that day on, we were inseparable. it seemed like he had loads of common interests like mine and we hit off like a house on fire. We began sharing secrets, jokes and even food. I like how he is gullible and clumsy both at the same time and he makes it so easy to have fun with because of his easy-going personality and weird sense of humor that the oppas and I hardly get.  He has become my best friend, almost like another elder brother. 

I definitely get teased in school a lot. I don't make friends easily and my hot temper doesn't help much. I'm much more comfortable sticking with the friends I've known almost my whole life it's much easier than having to start from scratch. Anyway, hanging out with guys mean less drama because they're much more chill about everything except that they're all extremely playful. Without a doubt, everyone mocks me for hanging out with boys and joke about Gary and us being a couple. People like them make me laugh. He's just like a gay best friend, making it impossible that we will ever get together.

"I got you coffee the way you like it." He smiled passing me a brown cup.

"Iced Americano?"

"Yup just the way you like it," he said as he readjusted his cap. He has a very strange attachment to his cap and I've never seen him without it since the first time we met. He refuses to tell me the reason behind the cap and why he treasures it so much. Once, when Jaesuk oppa accidentally spilt chocolate milk on it, he got extremely upset and refused to speak to him for days. It's so weird and the curiosity always burns in me to ask him about that cap. But I'll save that for another day.

I took a long happy sip of my coffee as I gave him a mischievous grin.

"I'll race you to school! See you later Kang Gary!" I waved as I hoped onto my bike, leaving him behind on the pavement. His face turned into a frown as he yelled after, "how on earth am I supposed to beat you? Just you wait Mong Jihyo, it this how you repay my kindness to you?" 

I waved after him screaming, "I'm not afraid and it would be wrong for you to beat me!"

A few of the passerbys gave us the evil eye and made me be more aware of the attention we were attracting to ourselves. I decided to leave the sleepy Gary behind as I raced towards school.

I guess some things just don't ever change.