"Hi," the person greeted. "How are you?" 

"Good," I replied, not bothering to greet back. I focused on the paper on top of the desk while my assigned partner for the project sat down in the seat beside me. I wasn't at the least interested in my partner. I hated partner work. Why couldn't I just work alone? I was positive this person would ask me to do the entire project by myself anyway. I'm smart and everyone knew that. I'm nice and everyone knew that. Everyone knew it and they took advantage of me. I want to say something but I'm too nice. Sure, I cuss at them silently but I always answer, "okay" with a smile.

I decided not to have this person take advantage of me so I decided the roles myself. I took the lead this time. "The project is due in one and a half weeks," I said. "I'll research everything and I'll make the poster."

"Do you want me to look at websites for you and cut out the pictures on the poster?" I was a quite surprised this person actually offered to help but no I've had people pretend to help, too.

"No," I declined, still staring at the rubric. "I can do all that. I'll finish by the end of the week and I'll bring it to class so you can see how it is and I'll tell you how to present the material."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Write your name on the rubric." I slid the rubric sheet towards my partner. I heard a pen click and I was ready to take the paper back but I suddenly heard scribbling on the table. I whipped my head to the side, alarmed. There was only one rubric for each partner and there weren't anymore copies.

I noticed for the first time my partner was a girl. Sure, the voice was high pitched but so were most of the boys back in middle school at the time. This girl was one of the smart kids in my class and I was glad for that but I remembered she scratched on the rubric. I looked down at the desk and saw the rubric at the side Instead, she had a lined piece of paper in front of her and drew it on. She was sly, this girl. Since I already gave her my full attention, I asked her what she wanted.

"I know you're smart. I know you're not sociable. I know you don't like me but can't you just cooperate? That's what partner projects are for. You divide the work equally, not do it yourself. I know you've done most - no, all the partner projects yourself, but I'm different. I'm going to take the lead this time whether you like it or not. Whether you like me or not." For the first time a girl made me speechless. Ever since I've been known as the nerd, no one has taken the initiative to be the leader in any group projects. I've always been the one telling people what to do or I've done it all by myself.

"Like I said, I'll find websites for you to research. If you give me your information and decide what you want to be on the poster, I'll be making it. Oh, and you write our names down on this sheet." She slid the paper over to me. I obliged and picked up my pen. I wrote my name down first and when I was going to write down her name, she said. "My name is Yoo Jia."

After the project was completed, I thought it would be the last time I would ever communicate with her. That's what happened with my other partners for group projects except I didn't really care about them. Jia, however, caught my attention. Not only did she do her part, she tried to be friendly with me. She asked me how long I've been around the area and my favorites and dislikes and my family. Of course, I'd answer but I would never ask, "how about you?" I wished I did. I made myself seem so unsociable and mean. I gave her one word answers but she still kept talking. I didn't mind her talking at all but at some point she misinterpreted my silence as my dislike for her because on the day we were finalizing the project, she asked, "How do you feel about me?"

Quite surprised by the question, I didn't answer right away. The question wasn't something everyone asked. She could have asked, "do you hate me?" or "is there something about me you don't like?" But she asked a weird question. It was an unusual question.

"You're okay."

"Oh. Okay."

That was how we finished the project.

Not even two weeks after, I was sitting in the classroom silently eating my lunch. The others in my class always ate in the noisy cafeteria so I had the silence to myself as I was deep in my thoughts. I looked up when someone opened the door. It was Jia.

"Oh. I didn't know you ate here," she said. I didn't reply. She walked over to her desk and grabbed her water bottle. "Bye," she said. Before she closed the door I said, "Have a nice lunch."

The next day she came in again. "Forgot my water bottle," she said. I was watching her and I saw her grab her pink water bottle before she left the classroom with her friends. I didn't say anything and watched her approach her bag. She rustled in her bag, searching for that pink bottle. She even dumped her things on her desk but nothing pink appeared. "That's weird," she said. "I can't find it."

I didn't respond. I didn't tell her she had brought her bottle with her for lunch. Instead, I offered her my juice box. She turned around, surprised. "Really?" she asked. "Can I really?" She said it as if it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It really wasn't because the next day I gave her another one. I gave her my juice boxes for a week and I didn't mind.

One lunch, I had my juice box ready to give to her. The door rattled open and revealed Jia poking her head inside. "Hi," she sheepishly smiled. I pretended to be annoyed and rolled my eyes. I grabbed the juice box and stretched my arm out, telling her to take it. "Actually, I already bought a new bottle over the weekend. Thanks though." I was disappointed. I wanted to give her my juice box because now, she wouldn't come by to the classroom anymore. We wouldn't be alone together anymore.

I nodded and placed my juice box down, waiting for her to close the door. "Instead," she said. "I wanted to thank you for your juice boxes."

She stepped inside and I noticed she had a lunch container with her. She closed the door, approached my desk and dragged another desk over so it was in front of me. Sitting down, she opened the container. There was rice, grilled fish, kimchi, cherry tomatoes and lettuce on the side. "Since you gave me your juice boxes, I want to share my lunch with you. I packed it myself today. Usually, I wouldn't eat this much, but it was because I wanted to share with you." I hadn't taken my eyes off the food. I was touched. No one had given anything to me in return. "You don't want to?" she asked.

"No. I would love to. Grilled fish is my favorite."

"I know," she said. "That's why I waited the whole week to come share this with you. I wanted to share my lunch with you sooner, but I waited for this." I looked away from the food and looked at her. She was smiling and for the first time in front of her, I smiled too.

After that day, she didn't come by for lunch. Once again, I was alone. She would greet me since we're in the same class, but we never really talked. Whenever she got the juice boxes from me, she would always make a small conversation and when she shared her lunch with me, I thought we were really friends but considering the fact that she acted like we were never together for that lunchtime made it seem like she didn't care. We were back to being acquaintances.

"We're changing seat partners today," the teacher announced. There were more groans than cheers. Most seat partners got well together. That didn't include me and my desk partner. We never talked. I don't even remember her name. She's a quiet reserved girl and I did not want to make the effort to talk to her.

As usual, each of us went up to the front to pick our number. The number we pick will be where we will be sitting. My number was 18 so my seat was somewhere in the middle. We aren't supposed to trade numbers either because that defeated the number lottery system. We grabbed all our things from our desk and moved to our respective seats. Everytime this happens, the class becomes rowdy because they're either complaining about their seat partner or they're happy about it.

I was probably the first one to settle down at my seat. Then, I placed my head on the desk. I didn't really care who my seat partner was so I didn't bother to lift my head up when I heard a desk get dragged beside me. The desk beside me was dragged again. I lifted my head up and turned to look at my desk partner. My eyes widened a bit when I realized Jia was my desk partner. She stopped dragging her desk. "Sorry, did I disturb you?" I shook my head and she continued to drag her desk towards mine. She aligned her desk to my desk and sat down on her seat.

"Isn't this great? I'm your seat partner. I'm glad I switched spots with Minhyuk." I looked back and saw him sitting beside a girl. "He has a crush on Heesoo. I just thought I'd do him a favor. It's our last desk change until we're done the year," she said.

There was a question that popped up in my head. "Why are you glad to be my desk partner?"

"Why not?" she answered. "You're my new friend, so of course I'm glad to be sitting here."

I've had friends before but most of them moved out my life. She's the first person that year to become my friend. It's sad, really. "The school year was is finished and I finally have a friend. Next year, we probably won't even be in the same class and I have to make friends again."

"What kind of friend leaves the next day when they had lunch together?" I asked. I said it as a joke. I really did but I guess my expression didn't show it. Her smile faltered and she slumped back into her chair. "Sorry. I didn't have any grilled fish." I suddenly laughed. I think it had been a while since I've laughed in school. Her answer was so funny. She didn't eat with me because she didn't have any grilled fish. "What's so funny?" she asked with a smile.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked instead of answering her question. "Because you're smiling."

We ate lunch together every single day. She ditched her friends for me. She said they were getting boring and more gossipy. She said they gossiped about me once. I didn't care if they did but she cared. She didn't like it when others gossip about her friends, even if it is coming from one of her own.

We hung out every lunch. We talked after every class. People started to say we were dating. We denied it but I didn't mind if they weren't corrected. I didn't mind it one bit.

We stuck together for the rest of the year and luckily enough, we were in the same class the following year. We had no other friends. It was just the two of us. We did everything together and the teachers never separated us. The last year of middle school made me realize something. If there were no Jia, I would have been a loner. I wouldn't have anyone to talk to. She is my real lifesaver.

One day, I was just thinking about which high school I wanted to go to. There was one close to where I lived. It was also close to the orphanage there. I've applied for other high schools but they're quite a distance away and I didn't think I'd be willing to travel such a long way to school.

"What are you thinking of?" Jia asked, popping out of nowhere. She came back with her lunch in her hand. She gave me one of her lunches. "Grilled fish," she said. "My parents want you over again. My dad said he has something cool to show you." I nodded. She's an only child and she doesn't have any interest in what her dad has to show her and since I'm male, he shows me his cool stuff instead.

"Okay, I'll come over tomorrow."

She nodded. "So what were you thinking of?" I told her what was on my mind. "You should go wherever you want to go," she said. "Although I would like it if you went to the same school as I did." Then, she got an idea. "Hey, let's separate for a while."

"Why?"

"To see if we can really move on to different high schools! I mean we're together all the time. What if we were to separate? We should at least try it out to see if we depend on each other or not."

"Sure, sounds good."

"Let's start tomorrow!"

"I'm coming over tomorrow."

"Okay, then the day after that!"

The day after that, we acted like strangers for a week. It was very difficult. Everyone was asking whether or not me and Jia got into a fight or if we broke up. It was also difficult not to talk to someone. I've used to keep everything to myself but ever since I've started hanging out with her, I have the urge to speak. I just wanted to talk but there was no one to talk to!

Unlike me who was having a difficult time, she was fine. She still had her little group of friends who accepted her right in. I wished I had other friends like that. By the third day, I already admitted I couldn't stay away from her. I needed my friend to talk to so I gave up.

She smiled and patted my shoulder. "You'll do fine in high school. You did better than me. I needed you from day 1."

My results came back. The schools I've applied to replied. I didn't open it up when I got it. I didn't even tell my mom I've received the letters. I hid them from her because the person I wanted to share this moment with, was with Jia. I brought the envelopes to school and during lunch, I told her. She told me to open them up and I did. They all accepted me. The three schools I've applied to all accepted me. We both jumped up from our seats in joy. I don't know why she was in joy but it didn't matter. Then, she hugged me. She wrapped her arms around my neck. I stopped jumping. My smile faltered and my eyes widened.

Not only that, but my heart was beating faster. No, it wasn't because of the joy. It was because of her. She made my world stop. She made my vision clear. She made me understand that these acceptances didn't mean a thing. She made it clear that I like her; that I don't want to be anywhere but be with her.

So, I turned them all down, the acceptances. My mom was mad. Jia was disappointed. But you know what? I was happy.