The Black Sheep
The Outcast Club
Growing Pains 2 - Cold Cherry
*Ssem = slang for teacher, similar to "teach"
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If there was one fact that Han Yura knew for certain, it's that society liked to huddle into groups, embrace similarities, and ostracize those with differences.
To a teenager, the epitome of all these cliché cliques was high school. Four drama-filled years of gossip, pressure, and kids in constant rivalry as they squirm and mount up the social ladder of hierarchy, each trying to "one up" the other.
For some, it was a hotbed for socialization.
For Yura... Well, lets just say that "hell on earth" would have been a much more accurate description.
At Hanyang High, those that were rejected and those that were socially accepted were as opposite as night and day, separated by an insurmountable wall.
The rejected were the black sheeps. They were the absurd ones, the rebels - the losers who refused to follow the norm. Rejection was their biggest fear, and loneliness was an all-too familiar friend.
The truth was that life , and Yura had the battle scars to prove it.
*
“Ow! I can't move my arm!”
Following the whining shriek, another chimed in. Then a third.
“She even kicked Hyeri’s leg!”
“It’d be wise for you to expel her."
“Mm-hm,” a short, stoutly man sitting in a leather chair much too big for him murmured. He pushed his glasses up with a wave of his hand, eyes glued to his paperwork. “Yoo Mina, Shin Sera, Go Hyeri, you're dismissed. Get back to class.”
“But—“
The principal paused before signing off on something. All that could be heard in the room were the scratches of his pen on the paper as he exhaled slowly.
“Would you all rather get detention for participating in the fight, too?”
The three vixens, as Yura liked to call them, blinked in mortification and huffily made their way out. Before they did though, the head of the crew, Hyeri, gave her a smug smirk. Yura straightened her back and returned the glare as vehemently as she could before Hyeri her heel and strode away.
"Two-faced brat," Yura mumbled.
"What was that?"
For the first time, Principal Hong had raised his eyes to stare her straight in the face. Yura cleared and shook her head with a smile.
"Nothing, Principal Hong."
Just as the girls scampered out, the door to Mr. Hong's office opened for the second time. A woman in her mid-30’s scrambled in, looking extremely anxious.
“Han Yura, you again?!”
Yura winced. Of course they’d call her, she thought to herself.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” She squished the sides of Yura's face, moving it this way and that.
“Um, Ms. Jung, although it’s quite... endearing to see your concern for the students, I believe we have other important things to discuss here.”
As if the woman just realized where she was, she straightened up at once. “Y-Yes, of course!"
“Very well,” the principal let out a weary sigh and pushed the files he was working on off to the side. “Han Yura - you should know that our classmates have complained about your misdemeanor. Again.”
No duh, she crossed her arms.
“I'm getting quite tired of this, to be honest, and so should you. Are you deliberately asking to be expelled when you’ve just arrived not too long ago? Because if so, that can be easily arranged.”
Yura's insides swelled up with irritation.
See, there was a giant problem with adults - especially the older ones. The majority of them didn't understand teenagers. They belittled them, and-or ignored them, and Yura despised them for it.
“No response, I see.” Principal Hong stared at her as if he was talking to a brick wall. “Believe it or not, this is your fifteenth visit to my office. That means fifteen different complaints were filed about your disruption in the course of one month. One month! This school may not be the most elite, but we do have standards, and you, my dear, may bring them down if you continue with this preposterous behaviour.”
“And I’m telling you, kind sir,” Yura automatically snapped back, “I don't want to interact with anyone at this school. I just want to graduate as quickly and silently as I can so I can out of this hellhole, so why would I cause more trouble by going to go and pick fights with students here?”
“Then you shouldn’t have let it get to you,” he countered. “You should have ignored them instead of starting a fight. Better yet, tell a teacher.”
“And do what, have us all hug and apologize and be friends again?” Yura laughed at the thought of it. “The teachers do nothing at this school. If anything, they just make the situation worse.”
“Fine, Miss Yura. Then what do you suggest we do? Hmm?” He rubbed his temples. “Ms. Jung has been kind enough to try to help mediate your issues through guidance appointments. You've seen her regularly, but alas - no improvement whatsoever. Would you like me to call your guardian next?”
“NO!” Yura interjected, eyes wide with alarm. Beside me, Ms. Jung bolted up on her feet, as well.
“P-Please, principal! An alternative solution, if I may!”
Mr. Hong seemed taken aback, but nodded for Ms. Jung to continue.
“From what I’ve seen so far, Yura is excellent in her academics. She’s in the top ten continuously from her class. It seems like communication with her peers is the only issue. You know – socialization.”
Yura sank back into her seat. What she was saying wasn’t completely wrong, but in her defense, the problem didn't lie with Yura - it lied within the students at the school.
“And what do you suggest?” Mr. Hong inquired.
“S-So...” It was obvious that she was pulling answers out of her . “Ah!” She suddenly reached into her purse, pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to the old man. Yura leaned over to get a better look.
“This is a list of all the extracurricular clubs in the school,” she clarified, eyes twinkling at her brilliant plan, “Instead of expelling her, why don’t we give her one last chance to redeem herself by participating in one of these clubs?”
The principal his beard and nodded slowly. “It’s not a bad idea, Ms. Jung. If what you say is true, then Miss Yura can maintain her good grades and create a better reputation within the school community.”
Greedy old man, Yura thought, he only cares about the students getting good grades so that they don’t destroy the school’s name.
“Yes, yes!” Ms. Jung chirped. “What do you say, principal? It's a done deal?”
“Hm," he pondered, looking Yura up and down repeatedly. "Well, we all deserve second chances. Especially the students, since they’re nothing but kids, anyway... Okay, Ms. Jung. We’ll try it out, but only on one condition.”
Yura raised an eyebrow.
“She will have to participate in every group activity the club does with no exceptions, until the end of the school year. At the end, Yura, you must write a 15 page report of what you’ve learned and submit it to me. Only then, I will overlook your expulsion and secure your graduation. Understood?”
Yura unfolded her arms under the questioning gaze of the principal, glanced once at Ms. Jung’s expectant expression, and begrudgingly bowed her head.
“…Understood, sir.”
*
Jung Yoomi, or Ms. Jung, was Yura's guidance counsellor, her neighbour, and coincidentally, the only individual she'd actually kind of warmed up to at Hanyang High. Everyone called her ‘ssem*’. She was petite and pretty, with large, crystal clear doe eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows that often pinched together in worry when it concerned an injured Yura.
Ms. Jung sat her down on the cot in the infirmary as she tinkered around with the first aid kit. Thankfully, nobody else was there. The school didn’t have a hired school nurse either, so Ms. Jung usually filled in as the 'makeshift nurse.'
“So, street fighter," she dug around for some pain-relieving ointment. "Who's the poor soul you rounded off with this time?”
“Three pour souls, actually. Who else but those conniving little es—”
“Language,” she warned. I pressed my lips together.
She sighed. “Those three again? Don’t they have anything better to do than to pick on you?”
“Beats me, I'm not a plastic Barbie with more than a few screws loose."
Ms. Jung casually ignored Yura's response.
“You’re not hurt too badly, unlike last time."
“I learn from my mistakes, ssem,” Yura curly replied as Ms. Jung spread some disinfectant on a cut at the side of her cheek. “This time, I made sure they didn’t ambush me by surprise. Those stupid girls only know how to pull each others' hair.”
“Excuse me, but you’re a girl too,” she lightly pushed Yura's forehead.
Her head lolled back as Yura made a face, “Yeah, but I’m not an amateur.”
Ms. Jung ignored her for the second time, peeling the paper off a bandage and placing it over her cut.
“Don’t worry, it’ll heal quickly. Nothing major.”
“Maybe you should just become the nurse here instead,” Yura suggested. “No offense, but when I have guidance consultations with you, your advice .”
“Oh, I'm sorry," an eyebrow twitched slightly despite her wide, mechanical grin, "did I hear you say something?”
“I said thank you, ssem, for helping me not get expelled.”
She smiled warmly, and Yura had to admit, she looked beautiful when she did.
“That's what I thought. You should be glad the principal called me, or else you’d be in big trouble by now.”
“Yeees~"
“Alright, enough with that fake 'good girl' act. Now,” she dug into her bag and handed Yura a copy of the list of clubs she’d given to the principal. Attached on the back were a few extra forms that looked too boring to stare at.
“Fill out the form ASAP. The principal wants you in a club as soon as possible.”
“Of course he does.” Yura rolled her eyes but took the forms anyway. “Don’t worry. I’ll let you know.”
Yura turned to leave for lunch, but Ms. Jung caught her arm.
“Wait, wait,” she uttered before taking out a concealer stick from her pocket. She applied some on Yura's bruise before capping it again and putting it in her palm. She closed her fingers over it, giving the unruly student a long look.
“Don’t rub your cheek, or else the makeup will come off.”
“I think it’ll still be noticeable with this,” Yura pointed at the band-aid Ms. Jung had plastered on the other cheek, “but no worries - I can handle some more rumours. Obviously I don't exactly have the cleanest reputation here, but thanks anyways, ssem.”
“Do well, and try to make friends!” She encouraged. Yura put a hand up in the air to signal that she had heard her before sliding earphones into her ears.
Yura's stomach whined for some food, but she didn’t feel like eating in the same vicinity as those annoying students. They polluted the air with their chattering, anyways.
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YES! The first chapter is finally up! ;D
Thank you so much for all the subscriptions and upvotes before I even began the story! I'll try my best to write the story well~ ^^
I'm SO excited to write the rest! Hope you guys are as excited as I am! :)
Yup, this is again, another story with a moral, because I like morals. xD
I try to pair up the chapter with a well-fitting soundtrack too, so please feel free to listen to the song, too! :)
-muzikmaster.
[The Outcast Club] Well damn guys, I just updated. I kept you all waiting, didn't I? Hope you guys enjoy, and I'll be working on some more updates soon!
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