Pilot
Childish!I peered over the counter for the seventh time. The digital clock clearly read 8:02, but I was still left unnoticed. I even tried coughing, tapping my feet, and ping my bag a few times. I was a noisy wreck because these office ladies didn't hear the tardy bell that rang twelve minutes ago.
Then again, I was just the new fourth grader. I could be wrong altogether! Maybe the first bell was the morning stretch bell, and the second was the morning nap bell?
Eitherway! My buddy is late which means I'm late. And Im Jaebum is not late! Where the heck are they?
Huff. Huff. Huff.
"Good Morning!"
A boy who worked up a sweat bustled into the office. Once his eyes landed on me, his brows furrowed, and he grabbed my hands. Even when I tried to retract - he held them tight.
"I'm really, really, so sorry for being late," he let my hands go as he waved to the office. "Bye, aunties!"
"Come on, we have to go!"
As much as I wanted to be frustrated, this boy ushered me along so quickly that I hadn't had the time to fully register my feelings.
He introduced an unorganized list of important buildings around school, pointing to each as we raced by. If I was keeping track appropriately, which was a hard enough task, he eventually got every one of them down.
However, as any new student would have beforehand, I had a tour of the school.
The thing is: this one was a lot more fun. We weren't going through a bunch of awkward greetings with adults that I don't remember, neither was this a painfully slow stroll with my parents and a counselor. This was a fast-paced run with a hyper kid.
We stopped as soon as the boy's hand was on the knob. I tried to keep cool as I hooked my fingers on my turtleneck.
"I won!," he could barely speak between his gasps for air.
My eyes widened, "You never told me this was a race!"
"But, you were running, right?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm Youngjae, by the way!"
"I didn't lose! I didn't even know we were racing."
"What's your name? Is it sore loser?"
Impulsively, I shoved him.
It was only when his entire back and head crashed against the door, did I realize what I had done. "I'm not -" I stopped speaking as he fell to his knees after the crash.
"I mean - I'm sorry," I helped him up and my teacher emerged from the door with a concerned expression.
-
I averted my gaze as Youngjae whined during the sting of alcohol on his scrapes. However, I didn't know if watching the girl with braided hair was any better as she silently stuffed fresh tissue up her bleeding nostril.
It was a secret battle for attention between these two, but the sight of the girl did not make me feel guilty so she won.
"Jae - bum," Youngjae hiccuped my name.
I didn't dare give him a look, "Yes?"
"I'm sorry -"
I wanted to cover my face so badly.
"I didn't mean to - call you a loser."
I gave a composed nod, despite the drowning feeling of guilt.
- earlier -
"What happened out there?," Ms. Go was remarkably calm over Youngjae's crying.
Jaebum was not-so-remarkably silent.
"I-I r-," Youngjae spoke up and gained the guilty kid's gaze.
"I r-ran into the door a-and h-urt my knees!," he seemed to cry louder upon noticing the rip in his pants and the blood in the openings.
"Oh my, Jaebum, take Youngjae to the health room, please!"
She hurried back inside and returned to hand them the hall pass.
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