I showed up at school with a pink hoodie and ripped jeans with casual vans. Hair tied up in a messy bun with black thick glasses sitting on my nose bridge. A pink tote bag at the side with blue tooth earphones each side of my ear.

I walk with emotionless and head into my classroom and seated right away. I opened my textbook and suddenly someone came and sat beside me. I looked up, my jaw dropped as I recognize that face. Ten is now sitting beside me with a bright smile on his face. Great, there goes my morning, I am annoyed.

“Hi, morning!” Ten chirped.

I showed him a weak smile of mine and looked back to my textbook to do some early reading before my lecturer comes in.

“Did you have breakfast? Want some?” He hands his half eaten onigiri to me and gesture me to eat it.

“No.” I answered without looking at him and turned the volume of my music higher to cut off his annoyance.

He shrugged and finishes his onigiri right in time before the lecturer comes in.

The day passes by really slow today. I looked up to the board and letters on the board started to float around. I gentle pat my cheeks to avoid myself from sleeping. “Must be all that fanfic I read last night and not getting any sleep last night” I whispered to myself.

Ten must have heard me and he started to search for something in his backpack. He took out a sour sweet and places it in front of me. I looked at him wanting to mouth thanks to him, he did not look at me but wrote something on a paper and handed to me.

‘Go ahead and sleep if you want, I’ll cover you’

I snorted, “no need to, thanks for the sweet” I thanked him and popped the sweet into my mouth.

“Owww…….” The level of sourness, tingle every nerve in my body, and I’m total refresh. Ten saw my body stiffen for a moment and let out a giggle.

The bell rang, I checked my phone to see if there’s any text from Casey but sadly, there’s none. She must be very tired from last night’s shift. Well, since there’s a 2 hour to spare, to the library it is then. I picked up my tote bag and ready to head out but I bumped into someone.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you ….there….” I stopped at the moment when I saw it’s Ten who is blocking my way and with his chessy smile on him again. I looked at him questioned, “what you want?” holding my bag tight.

“Where you going? Wanna grab lunch together?” He asked happily. Does he have any friends? For god sake.

“Nowhere and no” I answered shortly and passed by him to head my way to the library.

“Hey, wait up!” Ten catching up me steps with just few big foot step. God, why am I born with short legs?

I stopped and turned to him in sudden. He seem to unable to stopped and he almost bump into me again. I dodge to the side to avoid a man falling on me.

“What?” I asked in annoyance. He stayed silent for a few moment and say “I was thinking to have lunch with you and if you don’t want to maybe we could go to the library, I need some help for the class just now, there’s a few parts I don’t understand, and I hope you could teach me……” he said softly.

I looked at him straight in the eyes, his doe eyes is big round and black staring back at me. I could get lost in those daze though. Snapped out of it Selrin!

“I’m not smart why ask me?” I asked

“I saw you did notes for the class just now, so I was wondering you could teach me your way of studying it, chemistry is really my worst subject” he finished his sentence with an awkward smile.

“Fine” I huffed and continue my way to the library with him trailing behind me.

We sat at one of the table far back from the entrance and the other students. I opened my journal and my textbook and started teaching him.

“C₃H₅(OH)₃ + O₂ → H₂O + CO₂  is because 1,2,3-Trinitroxypropane which is also nitroglycerin will became water with carbon dioxide when it is exposed to air it’s because ……” I said some chemistry terms which seems professional but I actually studied 3 nights to master it and now this fella here just got it right after I explained to him once. I came to a conclusion; he’s not dumb then why he needs my help and my note?

I sat back in my chair checking my phone for any text from Casey. Still no sign of it, oh well that’s mean I’m having lunch alone today.

Ten leaned back too to peek on my phone. I give him a cold stare, “what?”

He shrugged “nothing, waiting a text from your boyfriend?”  

Ha! There’s the trick.

I hummed in response. He’s shocked and look at me, “he’s not awake yet to text you back? What a jerk.” He shakes his head with pencil tapping his chin. “Why would you even care?” I asked

“Cause I do” He looked at me straight in the eye. “Cause I want to know you more, Selrin” he said it so calmly. Wait, did he just called by my real name?

“What you called me?” I looked at him questionable.

He pointed my my journal with my name Selrin Girin on it. “I believe Selrin Girin is not your real name, it’s just a public name you named yourself right?” He smiled thinking he won a lottery.

Ah jinja. I lost.

“Yeah, you got me”

“Why don’t you just tell me your name is Selrin, why Girin?”

“No, why should I and plus I don’t even know you.”

“OMG, Selrin are you serious? We’ve been in the same class for the whole semester and you never noticed me? Woah I am sad.” He pull down his lips to make a frown.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Fine, I’m sorry.” I begin to packed my things and decide to head to the local mart to grab some quick lunch.

Ten saw me packing and he starts packing his, “so where we going?”

“Who said you’re invited?” I quickly stood up and walk to the exit.

“HEY SELRIN!”

____________________________________________________________________________________

“HuanYingGuangLin(Welcome)” said the shopkeeper.

I walked past aisle by aisle and couldn’t choose what to have for lunch.

“This looks good?” A packet or Korean Ramen is right in front of me all of a sudden. I backed up a little and almost hit the shelf behind me.

“Hey, be careful” Ten suddenly hold my waist to avoid me stepping a step back again.

I looked up at him. He has really sharp features. A pair of sparkling doe eyes, sharp nose, lips curved naturally that makes you smile whenever he smile. He looked back at me straight in the eyes, both of our faces are just an inch away. His breath is warm against my face with a sweet scent of mint. I push him back and stand back straight.

“Not a fan of Korean Ramen” I lied.

“Liar, your so called public name is Korean” He snorted while picking up a bag of seaweed to check the price behind it.

“So?” I walked to another aisle which displays variety of Japanese food. I pick a packet of salmon sushi and placed it in my shopping cart. Ten put his packet of Korean Ramen and the bag of seaweed he picked just now into my shopping cart.

I looked at him with eyebrows frowned, “do you have friends?” He looked at me slightly hurt and blurted out “are we friends?” I stunned for a moment and said “no” and walk to the counter to pay. The cashier scanned everything before I could stop him, I sighed.

“554 ₩ in total miss” said the cashier, Ten handed his card to the cashier before I pulled out my purse. He picked the packed plastic bag and headed out with me following him behind.

“Hey let’s have a picnic instead” he turned to me and said with a smile on his face. I looked back him with annoyed. “Are you always this happy?” me avoiding his offer. “Are you not?” He look at me dumbfounded.

‘What is wrong with this guy’ I thought to myself.

________________________________________________________________________________

We sat side by side under a tree watching trespassers pass by, dog owners bringing their dog out for a walk and game of fetch, kids playing happily near the sandbox. It's really a nice weather today, the sun is not too hot, chilly wind just gentle breezing by, birds chirping. It's just like one of those Disney princess movies. The only thing is that Ten is the princess and I might be that grumpy villain. LOL.

We quietly munch our lunches; it wasn't an awkward silence, but a calming one to be honest.

“Hey” Ten bumped my arm while slurping his ramen “you sure you have no memory of me at all?” I took the last bite of my sushi and answered him with a mouth full a clean “no”. If you were there you might see three lines beside his head, because he’s completely speechless.

“I don’t normally interact with people, I only talk if I needed to” I said after wiping my mouth with a tissue and handed him with a clean one to gesture him to clean his dirty mouth.

“Thank you” taking the tissue from me, Ten continued “well you do seem uneasy to get along with but it’s an achievement for me to even have a picnic with you right now” he smiled.    

I smiled back “oh well, appreciate it before I change my mind then” I stand up and patted my pants. He stands up after and said “let’s do this more often, I really want to know you more.”

“No need to, there’s nothing much about me” I shake my head. “Said the girl who had boba tea and cake at 12 midnight” he rolled his eyes on me and laughed. “There’s no problem with that okay.” I started walking, he followed right away.

“So where we going right now?” He asked happily and skipping.

“Err home? Don’t you have one?”

“Don’t feel like going back this early, but I could walk you home.” He was excited to walk me home.

“No thanks, that’s really kind of you” I smiled, “bye”

Ten stood and nodded, “bye”