Footsteps scurried across the pavement, bodies breathless as each student raced to steal front row seats. The excitement of watching the misery of other’s who had nothing to do with them was thrilling.

Bodies of students just entering the school grounds immediately changed their source of attention when text after text announced the highlight of the day. It was Wednesday, one day closer to the weekend and one day farther from Monday. The sun was out; bright and clear among the blue sky. No torrent of cloud rolled by overhead. Today was just another usual day at school.

“No running!” the Literature teacher, Mrs. Park – short hair and stout – screamed after the boys and girls racing by.

The brawl was about to begin.

~~~

Namjoo hissed underneath her breath and finally charged forward. Grasping onto Kai’s collar she tugged him forward threateningly.

“Did you hear me or not?!” she screamed into his face. “I said return the money!”

His death glare stung her right in the eyes with just as much threat as she conveyed. “What makes you think I should listen to a little like you?” Then he growled, “Get your hands off me.”

Her eyes grew hard, but felt him grab her hands and shove her back. Despite their height difference that put her at a disadvantage, Namjoo wasn’t scared of the bully who raided the weak’s pockets. They’d scuffled before and she wasn’t afraid of getting hurt.

“Fine then,” Namjoo declared. “I’ll just forcefully get it from you.”

Charging toward him again her arms shot out to search his pockets. Her hands shamelessly shot toward his pants pockets, unafraid to stick her hands wherever needed. Poor Wang Jihye’s lunch money was what her poor grandmother spared her every morning. Without money the little girl would go hungry and it wouldn’t be such a big deal if Namjoo could afford lunch for her too, but she was in a tight spot too.

Grabbing her wrist he twisted her arm warning, “Stop it. Are you this school’s dog or something? The kids don’t even stand up for themselves. Don’t you think this is embarrassing? Or did Jihye promise to share her theater boyfriend with you?”

“That’s enough,” a voice from behind stopped them. They turned to see the rich captain of their classroom step forward. Oh Sehun. His half-lidded eyes stared the two of them down, “Before the teacher arrives, you two better quit your .”

He was annoying too. Namjoo didn’t know why he got on their backs so much. He felt pretentious to her – two-faced. In front of the teachers he played the golden boy. With the students he made them wipe mud off his feet and he was always getting into her business. Sometimes she hated him.

Right now she hated his play of righteousness.

Caught off guard by his interruption, Namjoo swung her free fist into Kai’s face. As he stumbled back, freeing her from his grasp she rushed toward Sehun and slammed her knuckles into the side of his face. Just hitting him felt good.

Fresh shocks of electricity bolted through her and suddenly swarmed with determination to release her irritation and anger with the boys, turned back to jump back at Kai. They immediately grabbed at each other’s clothes, pushing and pulling. She screamed when he pulled her hair. ing her hand up against the underside of his chin, forced his head back and clawed her nails into his face. He groaned, she continued to scream.

From behind them students snickered and cheered.

~~~

The heavy slam of the textbook onto the table was loud enough to make anyone jump, but neither she nor Kai reacted. Both stared off angrily in their own directions, annoyed with how they were seated, yet again, next to each other.

“I asked who started it?!” Vice Principle Uhm repeated impatiently tapping his wooden ruler against the table in front of them.

Both refused to speak. Their hair wild and ruffled. Scratches and marks left behind from her nails lightly bled on Kai’s face, but Namjoo didn’t offer apology. The only injury she received was what felt like a bruise on the back of her head from the hair pulling.

“Fine,” he huffed, giving up. Shaking his finger at them he warned, “If this happens one more time, one of you will be suspended. I’m calling your parents in. Go back to class.”

Sliding her chair back Namjoo stood to her feet and walked out of the room. A breath huffed out of her when Kai roughly bumped into her as he walked by. Stopping in her steps she glared at his back. Pulling herself together whilst her blood pumped with agitation, followed him to their classroom – her hell.

Namjoo was urged to attack him from behind. Regardless of all reasons, ever since the third year of high school began they’d been fighting continuously. Throughout time the purpose of it became lost and chucking her fists into his face became regularity. So they fought relentlessly for the most petty of reasons and it was something the students enjoyed mooning over, to determine whether it was the boys who ruled the school courtyards or the girls.

Namjoo stomped into the classroom currently in session and watched Kai settle down into his desk at the back of the room, with hands jammed into his pants pockets. Her eyes zoomed in on him and felt a hot rush swarm through her. An urge to snort with how he was ignoring her made her bitter. The devious jerk never paid attention in class, yet his eyes were glued to the front.

The teacher had paused, all the students turned to stare at her standing in the open doorway. Sliding the door shut she walked in and slid begrudgingly into her spot next to Kai. She swore that if she could get her hands on the teacher who put them there together, she wouldn’t hold back.

Propping her arm on the desk leaned her head into her palm and shifted away from him to stare out the window. She hated this seat and despised her desk partner.

~~~

No matter how much the two of them hated their assigned seats, Kai was sure that he hated this spot more than that little wench did. The little gob was always coming at him with her own stupid assumptions. No wonder she held the record of worst student of the year with the lowest scores and was known to be the least likeable girl among the girls.

What a sorry story for someone so stupid.

That money he retrieved from Wang Jihye was his and the nerve of that to go telling everyone he’d robbed her pocket. Kai had been in disbelief before Namjoo suddenly came pummeling after him, shoving him as if she was queen of the school.

Idiots. They were all idiots.

When lunch break finally ensued he made his way to the boy’s bathroom to get a look of the battle scars he received. The marks on his face weren’t much, but hell they were beyond visible.

“Aish…” he muttered, “that little .”

Swiping the towel at the side, turned the tap on to wet it, and wiped the dried blood off his face all the while muttering to himself. Voices entering the bathroom made him glance up. Through the mirror he spotted some students from another class chatting wildly as they entered. Catching his eye they immediately silenced. Kai merely snorted at them and resumed to cleaning up the mess on his face.

~~~

Namjoo was currently trying to take a nap with her head leaned against her arm laid out flat on the desk. The thud of something on her desk forced her eyes open. They immediately caught sight of a carton of milk and glanced up to see darn Oh Sehun standing at the side.

What was his problem this time?

“Have it.” was all he said before walking away. Namjoo’s eyes trailed off after him before returning to the milk. The brat thought she was poor enough to want something from his dirty hands?

Namjoo about grabbed the milk to stomp back toward his desk and toss it at him. Then on the other hand, she was a bit hungry herself. The money she’d made at the bakery had been given to her grandmother leaving her none for herself and that meant no money for lunch. Whatever, she wasn’t about to thank him.

Swiping the milk off the desk she walked out of the classroom just as Kai walked back in. This time she purposely bumped shoulders with him, slightly pushing him as she left. God, she hated all the male students of her school.

Making her way down the stairs she walked toward the front doors and plopped down on the steps. The area was abandoned and absent of any student presence, which meant peace and solitude for her. Opening the carton of milk slowly drank it gulp after gulp.

The tree leaves were gently swaying with the wind, almost twinkling under the heavenly sunlight. The world, she felt, was two-faced. Appearing beautiful, but with scum underneath.

When she went home she couldn’t wait to not do her homework and come back to school to get scolded. Wherever she went, she’d get yelled at anyway. For some reason part of her wished the school day wasn’t half over yet. The other part of her remained neutral in decision.

~~~

“Bye!”

“See you tomorrow,” the girls and boys nodded his way as they each scurried out the front doors, all in a hurry to escape.

He fought too, but not as often as Kai and Namjoo which left him favorable to the rest of the student body. And perhaps, because he was rich they valued him on a different bar.

Sehun stopped at where the steps led him down to the valley of freedom. Staring beyond the students he spotted the rebel Namjoo’s solo back trotting toward the school gates, before eventually disappearing around the corner. She’d punched him that morning and had watched half-enjoyably as Kai yanked her hair. But he didn’t so as much hate her.

He’d known her in grade school up to junior high and then now. It was odd how the once resilient, but big-hearted girl had become someone so aggressive – who, if anyone dared talk against, wouldn’t hesitate to beat to a pulp. Before when Namjoo and Kai first started fighting they’d ferociously tossed items at each other, kicked and punched without holding back despite gender difference. Seeing how much they fought till now the tactics had been toned. Seeing how Namjoo went at him was still extraordinarily amazing to see; only he wondered if she did it as a means to indirectly get back at him.

Without following he knew where she was headed after school. And he knew why she always came to school with only a minimal of her schoolwork done.   

Continuing down the steps he started toward the school gates and watched the black car drive up to the curb in wait for him. Returning home always took no less than half an hour. The large white mansion of three stories high and a yard huge as a lake welcomed him back.

“Are you hungry, Young Sir? Would you like anything prepared for you?” the main housemaid whose black hair now had silver streaks, asked.

Adjusting his backpack over his shoulder said as he walked by, “Just leave me alone.”

The housemaid bowed after him as he headed down the wide corridor of beige marble. The walls were empty and cold. The only portrait hanging was one he’d taken with his parents in grade school in desperate need of an update. Only the thing was that they weren’t around for that.

Every room he passed was as empty as it was abandoned by his family. No one ever went in except for the maids whose sole duty was to clean and keep the home free of uninvited dust. The home should be considered an artifact of modern age, Sehun mused as he continued through the halls. It was like a frozen kingdom. Probably wouldn’t be if his parents returned more often from being abroad.

Swinging the door to his bedroom open he slammed it shut after him.

~~~

“You’re home?” the voice of a middle aged woman greeted from inside his run down home. Spider webs had infiltrated the chipped sides of his home and the poor roof appeared as if it would come down if ever there was a rainstorm. In reality it only leaked continuously in random spots, which made it difficult to sleep knowing there was water dripping down on his face. Everything appeared grimy and uncomfortable. In fact everything was uncomfortable and grimy.

The bed sheets were dozens of years old and the only furniture they had was a table for meals. The home was almost the size of his classroom at school and what he hated most was that the bathroom and bath were at the back of the house. If ever he needed to use it he would have to step outside of the house for it. In all it didn’t matter much anyway. Homes here were isolated from each other. If his parents hadn’t founded this home when they were younger and poorer he wouldn’t have to deal with this . And the only other thing was that his mother was no longer around.

At the front gate he watched the Aunt next door walk out of the home with a yellow apron wrapped around her body. Her lips as pink as always on her feminine little face and her hair pulled back into a messy bun to leave hair dangling at the side of her face. She made him feel uncomfortable. Sometimes she was there for him and other times were there for his father.       

Kai regretted returning home early.

He barely stumbled back when she hurried toward him, grabbed his arm to pull him closer and touched his face. “Oh no…who did this to you!? How dare they do this to you! It was a girl, wasn’t it? Tell me her name. I’ll go to school to reprimand her for it.”

Heaving an annoyed sigh he pushed her back, “You don’t need to do anything. Just get out.” He brushed by and listened to her follow him. Kai rolled his eyes and stopped at the front door when he saw the little table filled with plates of food waiting for him.

“All right then, lets deal with that later. Come eat. You’re hungry aren’t you? I know your father doesn’t give you money for lunch,” she said taking his arm to sit him down. “I know this is your favorite. Your father told me. Here,” she stuck a spoon into his hand. “Eat up. I have to run home to in case that old man is back early. I’ll be back later to wash the dishes so don’t touch them.”

Kai was glad to get rid of her, but she didn’t leave before patting his bottom. He turned to glare and heard her giggle as she hurried out.

~~~

The house was empty when Namjoo opened the door to walk in. Everything was as still as if no one lived there.

“Grandma?” she called out. No one replied. Dropping her backpack onto the floor she walked further into the house taking note that the curtains had been drawn open to let sunshine flood in. Namjoo opened all the doors in their home to discover that her handicapped grandmother wasn’t in, which all but meant she was at the bakery – opened by her deceased parents and preserved by her grandmother who kept it open, paying the loansharks little by little. And because of their need for money, the old woman had worked for years at that rich household despite their torture. Now her grandma was nearly blind and her hands crippled after being trapped in an accident that family refused to compensate for.   

Pivoting around she rushed out of the house and down the road to where their bakery was located. The sunshine bakery was still in new condition thanks to her grandma’s efforts to keep it clean. Built out of stern wood and thick clear glass it exuberated the feel of a middle class business in the downtown area clustered by grill restaurants and shopping centers. It had been an ideal location for her newlywed parents whose lives were short lived after she was born.

Namjoo’s loud footsteps came to a cease at the front doors left open. Through the gap she could see her grandmother crouched onto the floor, hands shaking as they moved to feel for items that had been tossed onto the ground by the attack of the loansharks. Tables were strewn all around the room and all was out of order, but nothing was broken.

A flush of anger belted through Namjoo and feeling her hand shake, tightly gripped it into a fist. Bitter tears threatened to swell down her face, but Namjoo bit her bottom lip to keep them at bay.

“ing bastards,” Namjoo whispered underneath her breath. Rushing in she angrily hoisted her grandma to her feet. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”   

***If you haven't guessed yet, they each have a story. And yes, Namjoo's grandma worked for Sehun's household so they've known each other for a while. There's a reason why Namjoo turned aggressive and why all Kai does is fight at school. It's their way of paving survival through life.