Six:

I hadn’t slept a blink that night so as soon as the sun rose I got ready for school and left before any of them woke up.

I was surprised by the number of people waiting so early at the bus stop. All of them had places to go to. They had work or study to do. I sat in the corner of the stop’s bench and slumped, staring at the bricked ground.

I always understood that Mom did not have much choice. I understood her job was demanding. She was a doctor, people needed her at the hospital every day. What I don’t understand is that of all these years when she couldn’t give us her time, she could manage to date another man? Was Siwon not hindering with her work, like how we thought we would? Since Dad passed away I was brought by my brother instead of Mom and yet she dated a man enough to decide they could marry.

Baekhyun asked what was I so angry about. I was angry about Mom never being there for me. For us. Especially when we needed her the most.

I was surprised again when I saw the school buzzing with students. Majority of them were kids from Sport clubs practicing in their respective auditoriums and stadiums. The rest were chatting by the stairs. I didn’t want to go to my homeroom yet so I decided to have a walk around the school by myself since I hadn’t ever seen it fully.

Hangang East High. In my middle school, a lot of girls wanted to join Seoul Central High because there was a newly formed band with really handsome boys. Ofcourse, it wasn’t like all of them could date each member so I never understood the logic of choosing your next three years at a place with boys who just had good looks in their credit. The rest who didn’t have any interest in musical bands wanted to either go abroad or join Hangang West for its science labs. None of them who chose West passed, oddly, I was probably the only one who chose East and actually got selected back.

On the note of laboratories, I discovered a hidden alley between the science labs and the staff toilets. I followed it in. The alley led further ahead into more alleys between the air conditioning units and opening again at the football field.

Someone passed from one of the pathways into another and I hid behind one of the pipelines. Sana? My girl with purple streaks stopped to make sure nobody was watching her and checked something inside her bag. Then she disappeared and I heard rushing footsteps. I moved quickly behind.

“Lost, are we?”

I squeaked and stopped. Turning around, I saw an attractive girl leaning on the wall where I came from; arms folded and eyebrow raised.

“Not really…I just…,” I couldn’t stop staring at her waist. Slim and so toned I could scan her abs through her tight uniform’s blue shirt. I’ve seen her before.

“I’m Momo. Although I think you must’ve heard of me before.” She smiled and walked towards me, pushing her hand forward. I shook it and didn’t want to let go, now staring at her arm. Wow.

“Yes. I mean no. I mean I’ve heard it somewhere but I don’t remember.” I smiled weakly and she smirked.

“Hmm. And you are?”

“Dahyun. First year.”

“Third year here. You’re from baseball club, am I right?”

“Right.” I nodded and there was a minute of silence and staring. She was doing the staring, I was helplessly being stared at.

“You’re pretty cute.” She said suddenly and I felt myself turning red.

“What?”

“I hang around the windows side of the cafeteria. Let’s sit together sometime.” She smirked again. “What’s that?”

“What is?” I asked dumbfounded still processing the compliment.

She stepped closer and wiped her thumb at the corner of my lips. Then she looked me in the eyes and my heart skipped a few beats. What is this weird fluttering…

My legs felt jelly-ish when she waved a goodbye and left saying she has to go to her dance club for a meetup. Why are dancers always so y? I forgot what I had been doing and decided it was time to return to the homeroom.

All throughout the first periods I thought about Momo. During the break I kept looking at the group table Momo was sitting at with a dozen other girls surrounding her again. She probably doesn’t ever remember you now. I corrected myself mentally and brushed the thought off. The rest of the day I realized Chaeyoung was right when she said the girl will make me feel charmed by her. After last period was over I had the urge to pass through the third year classes’ hallway to take a glimpse of her but I controlled myself and rushed to practice. What if you ran into Baekhyun, you idiot! I still had to see him and apologize properly for yesterday.

When I reached the field, most of them stood in a circle; some looking panicked and others curious. Mina was in the center holding her uniform shirt and the only one who looked destroyed. I looked closer at the shirt and it had big words sprayed on with black paint. UGLY.

“I don’t think they meant you, Mina. We all know who the ugly one is, between you and the uniform.” Jihyo tried and the rest nodded in agreement.

Mina looked like she believed this for a moment, until she saw me, and then she had a bloodshot glare in her eyes.

“She would! She would call me ugly!” Mina pointed a finger at me and everyone shifted their stares from the shirt to Kim Dahyun.

“Huh? Why, again, would I do that?” I asked in an accused tone and opened my arms in exasperation.

“Out of everyone here, only you have been mean to me.” Mina reasoned. Huh? When?

“You can’t blame me for every mishap that happens to you!” I argued and she narrowed her brows.

“First you tried to take away my bestfriend,” she then pointed at Chaeyoung who made a dumb face, “then you spoiled my skirt and now my shirt that had my favorite number on it!”she yelled and ran towards me.

I received a punch for the first time in my life and boy, sure it hurt. I fell backwards and she sat on me, pulling my hair and beating me up. But I wasn’t raised a loser by my savage brother so I too pulled her short hair and got her down, now being the one on top of her.

Nobody tried to break us up (probably because they were too chickened out to come in between). I only heard Jihyo’s pleas to stop as I punched Mina on her shoulder next and then she punched me back in my stomach and we continued. Soon instead of helping to ease the tension, the rest began hooting names. Some clapped along ‘go Mina!’ while other went all ‘go Dahyun!’. Now Jihyo’s voice was pleading the others to stop.

I knew my nose was bleeding. Mina’s cheek was forming a blue spot. We were almost out of energy when I felt a hand grab me from the back of my collar and pick me up. The same hand did this to Mina and in a few seconds we were standing on the ground trying to break away from the grip on our collars with our feet tip toeing in the air.

Mr. Changmin frowned at everyone else and then at us. He dropped us and we stumbled up to posture.

“The rest, five laps around the stadium. Now.” He ordered in a scary serious voice which gave me goosebumps. “And you two. I need a quick explanation of this barbaric behavior.” He folded his arms.

We looked at the grass, fidgeting with our hands. “She…sprayed ugly on my uniform shirt.”

“I did not.”

“She did.”

“She is baselessly accusing me.”

“I know you hate me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Stop it.” He ordered and rubbed his temples. “Do you have any proof that Dahyun is the one who did it?”

Mina didn’t answer.

“Did you both really fight over a misunderstanding?” he sighed.

After a few minutes of us feeling like and Mr. Changmin writing a behavior repor