05. the feelings that remain

B+

"Excuse me?" Nayeon couldn't take it anymore. She was beyond disappointed. Although she expected it, she has never been so upset by a test grade her whole life. She sprang up from her seat before her classmates could even react to her prior statement. She let out a breath, still agape from disbelief. She followed the teacher to her desk after he had just passed out all the tests.

"S-sir! I can't believe this!"

Mr. Lee smiled proudly, "I can't either. I'm proud of you Nayeon, you finally got a passing grade on a test."

Nayeon groaned and slammed her test on his desk, not caring anymore about how she could hear snickering from behind her, "Sir! Why didn't I get an A?! I... I think you graded this incorrectly." The teacher probably felt second-hand embarrassment from his worst student's sudden claim. Actually, no matter what type of person you are, you would think Nayeon was turning crazy. You're probably thinking, shouldn't she just feel happy enough to get a 3.5? For a delinquent like her, that grade comes up once in a blue moon. 

Mr. Lee's expression became darker by the second when he realized how persistent Nayeon was being. He heaved a sigh and shook his head, "Nayeon I think it's quite absurd of you to think that. Please excuse me, I still have a class to teach."

Nayeon watched Mr. Lee walk over to the other side of the room to start his lesson. She saw Mina at the back just smiling shyly, shaking her head as a way of teasing the discouraged delinquent. Nayeon bit her lip and gloomily sat down, foolishly falling for Mina's fake reaction. Mina's smile widened into a soft grin as she admiringly rested her chin on the palm of her hand. If you weren't so cute, maybe I could still follow the rules that I made, Mina thought to herself.

After class, Mina was surprised to see Nayeon leave without even initiating a conversation with her. She had to admit, it felt strange not having the older girl follow her all around. It felt strange to think that she even cared now. Did Nayeon perhaps take it to heart? Did she respect Mina that much to even listen to her and commit to the one promise that brought them together? Or was Nayeon completely fooled by Mina's great facade of disappointment? Mina didn't really know. All she could see in Nayeon's steps were heaviness and maybe even a lone dark cloud of rain hovering above her. What made the sight more depressing was that the older girl was walking alone, with no intent of attending her next class.

Mina smirked, Why don't I skip class today? She thought before proceeding with her clever plan.

"A BEE!" She shrieked and as she expected, Nayeon fell back in surprise, clutching her eyes in horror. Mina swiftly caught her from behind and tilted her head to face Nayeon's horrified face. As Nayeon continued to keep her eyes closed, Mina decided to take advantage of the situation and silently stared at the girl's features. 

Nayeon's eyes slowly untensed and she opened them only to find her crush already staring into her eyes. She would've flinched if it was another person, but she felt safe under her eyes boring into her own. Her eyes drifted to the younger girl's lips and bit her own out of instinct.

"Don't even think about it," Mina smirked, saying it as a joke but if only she knew... that the latter was really thinking of kissing her.

Nayeon turned red as a tomato and stood up, moving away from Mina's touch. She sighed and tried to become serious, as a way of proving to Mina that she kept her promises.

"W-why are you still here? You're supposed to be at class..." Nayeon awkwardly stated. Mina cocked an eyebrow, "Are you supposed to be at class too? As far as I know, your free block isn't until 4th period, which is right before lunch."

Nayeon shrugged, "We're not friends anymore so why should you care?" She coldly muttered, starting to walk away from Mina. The latter was taken aback by her sudden change of attitude towards her. It's as if she didn't know her; is this really the Nayeon she knew all along?

"Hey, don't be like that," Mina quickly responded in a flustered manner while following Nayeon. If anyone saw the both of them right now, he or she would shake their head at the irony of their roles being switched. For once, it was Mina chasing after Nayeon. Whether or not it was the right thing to feel at the moment, Nayeon had to admit- she