After lunch I decided for once to be early and come on time, something that I rarely did as I always seemed to forget what time it is when I wasn’t in class. Usually, Kai and I stayed behind doing absolutely nothing because neither of us could really bother going to our last period on Tuesday’s. He didn’t like history and I honestly despised math to the point that I wanted to throw myself out of the window the minute I saw an equation on the blackboard.

However, this time he had a test that was really important for his final grade, which meant he wanted to cram an extra ten minutes although we all knew he would ace it anyway. It didn’t matter how many times I said it though, he wouldn’t listen although he had been studying non-stop the last month for something that came relatively easy for him.

I was jealous; he didn’t even like history, but he still got good grades. I could barely pass math with or without his help, although he was good in that subject as well.

My mind wasn’t really ready or focused on the subject we would have today, which would be a rerun of geometry. Preparations for final exams were getting slightly intense as the only thing we all discussed in almost every class was “how to get an A” or “how to pass all subjects”; it was honestly tiring and it made me slightly stressed.

Of course I had my good subjects; I actually did relatively well in almost every subject that didn’t have anything to do with math or science. I did my best in art of course, but I had a feeling that my grade could suffer greatly if I couldn’t get a good enough painting done before all the final exams.

I sat down on the front row by the wall; although I hated it I realized I had to start paying attention, and besides I could barely see anything from the back of the room. It was quiet for a while until the door of the classroom suddenly opened, and it was still about five minutes before class would start, when the familiar figure of a girl entered the room.

Sometimes I forgot that Krystal and I shared some of the same classes, or the fact that we even went to the same school. It wasn’t like I had something against her, because I didn’t, but I didn’t know her at all, actually. Now it was honestly a bit weird watching her enter the room, since I just spoke about her recently, and me being the only one here.

The room was still quiet as she sat down somewhere behind me, and I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to do now. I didn’t even know why it felt so awkward, even if we didn’t experience anything together that would make things like this.

I could, however, feel her stare at me for some apparent reason. It was a feeling that ran down my spine, and I knew that I was being watched in that moment. Casually, I turned around to see her eyes on me, and I expected that the sudden discovery and her being caught would make her look somewhere else.

It didn’t though, as she continued looking at me with a gaze I couldn’t quite read. One thing was during lunch, but now it was really becoming to get weird.

The worst part was that those eyes; the shape, the color, the way they just stared reminded me of someone, as if I knew her better than this, but I couldn’t quite phantom where the recognition came from.

“Is there something on my face?” Krystal suddenly broke the silence with her bored gaze and equally as monotone voice, that familiarity ringing annoyingly in my mind. I could only quirk up my eyebrow in surprise by the question. Shouldn’t I be asking that question?

“I don’t know, is there something with my hair?” I retorted after a while, and she didn’t say anything for a moment before shrugging and letting her gaze drift to her school bag.

I thought it was the end of it as I began to hear more people approach the classroom, and I turned around to focus on getting my math books ready, until she started speaking again.

“Cerulean,” she mentioned after a while. “You’d suit that color.”

Surprised, I found myself looking at her weirdly, wondering where that came from. It was true that I had wanted to dye my hair recently, but that wasn’t really something I actually discussed with anyone, and I didn’t understand where that statement came from.

Before I could retort to the statement though, the door opened up and a bunch of students entered, leaving the room too noisy for me to be heard anymore.

After that too long and too boring class finally ended, along with the rest of the school day, I felt a wave of almost peace enter my system as I packed up. I was so done for the day, and honestly I just wanted to run home and dive under the covers and sleep.

Quickly, I stood up and almost ran out the door until a strong hand grabbed my hoodie and dragged me backwards. “Not so fast, Ara,” the voice of my now seriously annoying friend said. “You told me you’d wait until I was done with practice,” Kai mentioned before turning me around and I felt myself die a little inside.

“Oh come on, can’t I wait for you the next practice?” I asked, not wanting to spend an hour sitting on a hard and uncomfortable bleacher while watching him chase after some stupid ball in the middle of a green field.

He simply shook his head before guiding me the opposite direction of my house, where my comfortable bed was, and I felt myself sighing. “You say that all the time, but this time we’re going to work on your math afterwards and I seriously need you there, so come on!”

After we reached the end of the school building where the lockers were, I waited by the hall for him to get changed before he emerged in his usual soccer gear. “Why do you need me here?” I found myself asking as we walked down the hall and out towards the soccer field, the amount of students now almost nonexistent as they went home.

“Because…” he started out and stalled the time. God, what is he embarrassed for now? I swear he really has to get over his anxiousness if he still wanted to be seen as the “cool kid” the others believed he was.

“Okay, you need to help me with Krystal,” he said all in one go, and I stopped myself from opening the door as I could only stare at him as if he had grown two heads. Why in the world would he want my help to do that? I had about as much experience with setting up people as I had with getting straight A’s in math; none.

“Now before you say no, which I know you’re going to,” he started off while leaning against the glass doors. “I’m just saying that you’re a girl, she’s a girl…”

I snorted a bit by that. “No , Santa,” I said and dodged the small hit he was aiming at my arm.

“I’m a guy, I don’t understand you chicks and all of your ever changing personalities. Can’t you just get to know her a bit and gradually put in a word for me?” he said and I didn’t know how to reply to that request. Had it been anybody else I would roll my eyes because that’s so middle school logic. What would be the next? Me asking her to go out with him because they like each other?

But the moment I looked at him, I knew that he was already having a hard time. Because, despite his looks those girls would drool for, he really had self-esteem issues and if I were to be frank he really didn’t understand how to even talk to the opposite . Except for me of course, but maybe that’s why he’s so comfortable with me because I was always seen as one of the guys rather than a typical girly girl. Plus I wouldn’t be interested in him what so ever, and neither would he like me, so I didn’t really count.

“Is she here?” I asked and gave up on wanting to , because I figured now wouldn’t be a good time. He nodded slightly before we proceeded to walk out to the field.

“Cheerleader practice,” he mentioned quickly and I had to stop again to hear that correctly. Krystal Jung was a cheerleader? That monotone, scary chick that seemed to be everything but cheerful? I knew Suzy was the head cheerleader, but that was seriously all I had ever bothered to learn because I rarely paid attention to those girls.

“Why do you seemed so shocked?” he asked as we came closer to the bleachers, some of his team already starting to warm up. “She started last semester…She’s been in that squad ever since autumn, you seriously didn’t notice?”

I seriously had to blink a bit to let that sink in. Even when I was watching important matches, I only came to cheer for Kai, not to watch girls jump around in short skirts. Not that I minded, but I really didn’t like those girls one bit, so I didn’t bother giving them any attention.

“So I’m supposed to talk to a cheerleader in the middle of practice?” I asked and discovered this was going to be tougher than I thought, as I sat down on the wooden stands next to his bag. He simply shrugged in reply, before the coach called his name and he ran off.

Stupid boys and their shy mindset.

The minute he went to the field was the minute a long queue of giggles erupted from some girls. It was most likely the cheerleading squad checking him out or something like that, and I tried to stop myself from making a face.

There was still a huge layer of clouds up in the sky, but the coming summer air was still hot, which made me want to take my hoodie off despite the fact that it would just seem weird, as I had nothing under it. Instead I opted for pulling up my sleeves, as I tried to think of how to talk to her.

It had gone about fifteen minutes when the cheerleading squad had to take a short break, as one of them fell and injured her leg. I didn’t see who, and it didn’t even seem that bad so I could care less. Instead I tried to search for Krystal, figuring that I had to try to talk to her now before I chickened out.

But what was I going to say? My best friend thinks you’re hot?

The only help I had done in this sense was for me, but that was because I wanted to get the girl, not because I was playing a wingman. I didn’t even know how to start, as I got up from my seat and slowly went to her direction.

Luckily, she was alone in that moment as the rest of her friends dashed off to check up on the girl who fell. I wanted to act amused to the fact that she didn’t even seem to care, but figured I had to focus on that another time as a million thoughts ran through my mind.

When I finally stood right next to her, my shadow hovering above her, I still had no idea what to say. There wasn’t really much to say, either.

Her dark eyes slowly met mine, as she looked at me silently, carelessly waiting for me to probably say or do something. She didn’t even bat an eyelash to the fact that I was awkwardly standing there, trying to figure out what I was going to say, as I could only look at her pale skin and dark, dark hair that was tied up in a loose ponytail.

“Scarlet,” I blurted out of nowhere, watching her eyebrows go up in surprise. “That would be an awesome color on you,” I said and immediately regretted it. This was not how this was supposed to happen!

For a moment Krystal almost seemed amused, as something alike to an expression entered her face. I wondered if that had ever happened before. However, I couldn’t really figure it out before it disappeared again.

“Thank you, I suppose,” she replied politely, in a way, before looking away to see what’s going on. I decided to sit next to her, trying to figure out how to get her attention on my too ridiculous best friend.

“So… you like cheerleading?” I asked stupidly enough, but figured that was better than nothing. She didn’t move as she looked straight ahead. “It’s alright,” she said curtly, and she didn’t continue. I didn’t have a lot to work with here, as she didn’t really seem to be that talkative of a person. I’d just have to try again.

“You’re always practicing the same time the boys have soccer practice,” I mentioned as casually as I could after a while of awkward silence. “They’re kind of cute, right?” I said in the lack of better words, because that was really a horrible lie. No, they were not bad looking, but none of them were really my type, obviously.

She kept quiet for a second, before tilting her head slightly as if in deep thought. Then she shrugged slightly. “They’re alright, I guess,” she replied then, although I could notice her gaze go towards the bright headed boy who stood out a lot compared to the rest, and I found myself smiling a bit.

“I suppose everything is alright in your dictionary, I guess,” I said with some sarcasm, waiting for her to react to the remark I just made. Maybe that was a bit rude to say to someone you barely knew, but it wasn’t as if I could stop myself.

 “What? Does the way I reply displease you?” she replied with a question and I could only look at her weirdly by the sudden formal language, but I tried to mask the fact as I realized I was running out of time.

“I’m sorry, I was just trying to spark a conversation miss America,” I replied although I noticed that some of the others were giving us odd looks, mostly because we must’ve seemed like an unlikely pair to even communicate with each other. I shifted on my seat a bit then, as Krystal seemed to adjust the shorts she was wearing.

“I have to get back to practice now,” she announced after a while and got up from her seat, as I noticed that the cheerleading squad had gathered together again. I could only nod slightly, as she walked away and towards the squad and I sat there alone, nothing more said after that.

It wasn’t exactly much or helpful, but it was too late to do anything about that now.

“You two seemed friendly,” Kai said the minute I went back to him when practice had ended. The cheerleaders left earlier, so they were all gone now as we headed back inside.

“I don’t think I can be friendly towards a girl who speaks like she’s being elected for president,” I replied after a while as I leaned on the wall right next to the boy’s locker room, while he was standing by the door.

“So what did you say?” he asked again, ignoring my answer and I could only shrug. “We didn’t really say a lot; I just asked her about what she thought of you guys,” I replied as I stood there and he simply nodded, paying deep attention.

“And?” he urged on, awaiting my reply, but I had no idea what to say. She really didn’t say anything except for alright, and that probably wasn’t what he was looking for because she said nothing about him at all.

But he would know if I was lying, so instead I went for the half-truth.

“She said you guys were alright, although she was looking at you the most,” I said and I wasn’t even sure if it was true, but it did seem like it when I thought of it now. I wasn’t exactly paying attention to where she was looking, but I hoped that I was correct.

Then he smiled a little by that, almost as if he was dreaming and I could only shake my head before hitting him straight on his head. He cussed a little as I urged him to get changed so I could finally go home to my soft pillows and blanket.

“Ara, forget your bed,” he said later, after emerging out of the locker room, hair damp from the shower he just took. He held the sleeve of my hoodie again, as if I was planning to run, which I totally wasn’t attempting to. “Math first, sleep later,” he said and I could only groan.

“If you keep up with this I’m not helping you with Krystal,” I muttered slightly as we exited the school building.

A/N: Part one of a double update + the first chapters will mostly be in Ara's point of view, but I'll add Krystal's pov later on :)
Thank you all for commenting, subsrcibing and upvoting so far!
- MyHeaven