CHAPTER III

‘Absolute rubbish’ was the way to describe Mr. Lee’s classroom. It was also what he said when he was told that his classroom as -- effectively, certainly, indubitably -- out of order for an undefined (unholy, even) amount of time. Surely, Mr. Lee Taemin didn’t believe so until he stepped into the room to be engulfed in the off-putting smell of fire, uncharacteristic of his classroom. Brittle, burnt paper and documents scattered across the ground while the curtains were, in effect, gone. The entire room was standing, but what was within it once was heavily morphed by the flames of the devil himself!

It was just the off chance that the fire alarm finally kicked into function and sprinkled, albeit late, the water that would save the very little things that were left in the classroom. The sunrise coming through the window was a glowing light from the heaven that this time seemed to mock Mr. Lee and whoever else was besides him.

The rage came soon and the search for a culprit began. The eccentric chemistry teacher, usually very amiable and concentrated was now sporadic with a sense of complete loss. However, he didn’t wish for a culprit as much as he wished for retribution, to understand what happened.

The Headmaster, principal, big daddy (or whatever you kids call it) of the school was prim and proper, careful with his words, but he made it his business to hold an assembly at the theater for the newcomers and to warn those who even thought about committing this ‘prank’, though he uses that word very loosely. It was really loose, flimsy -- flimsier than his actual respect for Mr. Lee, in fact, but this is not about Teachers drama.

Though, that would be a compelling story.

Mr. Lee thanked the headmaster, but beneath that facade laid the careless principal and he knew so. He knew this would go unpunished, especially if it involved someone that was on the master’s good graces. Upon second thought, after the man left, he understood -- perhaps a bit late -- that the only reason he will speak about this at the assembly is to have an excuse to continue yapping in front of the entire school.

As he tends to do.

So, Maroon High opened its doors with spirits oozing from the building’s pores -- well, the cracks. The Purple and Gold (Yellow, some insist) banners decorated the pillars by the entrance and the bulletin board was decorated to perfection. Simple but smashing, informative but not too boring. The lockers all recently cleaned, recently repaired and the students soon pouring into the parking lot from their parents car, the buses, the bushes and the streets. The slowly gathering mass of teenagers slowly walked in the school, not with too much enthusiasm for studies but rather an enthusiasm for the new adventures the school would bring.

The earliest of birds arrived fresh, pristine and ready to take over the world. Amongst those was Choi Jisu.

Well, Julia, as she liked to be called. The Queen from Canada, although she was born locally and then located to Canada for a long time before moving back, but whatever. She was a good chunk of things, but friendly was not really one of them. Or at least, that was a trait that was the hardest to see.

Popular, gorgeous and perhaps a dash bit wacky if she felt she could trust you. Her popularity rises not from her wealth but from her legacy. Choi Junsu was the star quarterback that graduated three years ago, counting from this very morning. A handsome young face with an incredible personality. Of course, Jisu had to step up to the plate eventually and, instead, became the star and face of the cheerleading squad which had yielded… results. By results I mean a good percentage of the student body either feared her or loved her, and the in-between was never accounted for. It wasn’t accidental that she was given royalty status by mere association either, as it was kind of an unspoken tradition. So, her strong character and personality was…

It was necessary, to put it one way.

Noted, and respected, though the tender hearted folks found it hard to understand the dimension of everything. Jisu herself didn’t understand the dimensions of things so she concentrated on what she knew for that fact. Cheering for the football team, unconsciously cheering for the team her brother worked hard to cultivate for years, was her big thing. Being an absolute fashion icon was another, and being popular was just a consequence.

She preferred these consequences. Popularity by positive association, because if she were to be at all like Ryujin, she would not be able to stand it.

Grouped with her friends, ready to gossip and unable to sit still, the clique went inside the school doors, respectfully waving and greeting at the principal but duly noting that subtle grimace on his face which he dared to call a smile sometimes. Bringing in the youth of tomorrow into the school grounds, keeping an eye on the hoodlums he wished to spell sometimes, and being extra friendly to the sports team that complimented the old man for his ‘imposing aura’.

Yeah, their words not mine. I’m just the messenger.

The seniors showed the energy that the freshmen should have, setting the bar for school spirits really high, but instead the freshmen entered the school grounds with tentative steps and trembling hands, timidly looking to the ground and avoiding to meet face to face with the leader of the gremlins.

The only senior with that same demeanor was Hwang Yeji, sporting a yellow sundress and a high ponytail that would soon become her staple. She was looking like the quintessential good girl, new girl, girl next door, girl under the door -- or whatever. A book or two pressed against her front timidly while her backpack clung to her back, her brown hair flowing gorgeously and her enchanting, sharp and cat-like eyes shyly looked around at the building, curious at the school’s design, the emblem and the colors. To Yeji’s surprise, the colors of Maroon High was not Maroon. Yes, you would think it would be that way, but no.

What would you expect of a school that has chosen a moron for a Headmaster? His identity does not even matter to some, thus his name will remain as The Principal, for our convenience.

Instead of coming inside like the rest of the students that had just parked their bicycles, mopeds, said farewell to their parents for the day and gotten off the bus, Yeji stood outside like a lost puppy. She didn’t really want to go into the school building on her lonesome, not when she felt like the boisterous and chatty crowd would soon judge her for not having a chaperone to show her the laws of the jungle. The new faces that stared at her with curiosity were all kinds of faces: friendly looking faces that smiled at her, faces that glanced and moved on without thinking much of it, and the faces that looked very young and confused, yet intrigued at her looks.

It’s always the eyes, Yeji thought.

Yeji waited, patiently and politely, with all respect, for Chaeryeong to appear and drag her into the school building like she knew she would. However, while waiting for the cheerleader, she took note of the students that were standing outside, chatting and catching up. She took note of those who had just gotten to the parking lot, those who were struggling to lock their bicycles in place, those who came in skateboarding and showing off the tricks they learned over the summer...

And… that girl, who came in with a black bomber jacket, a blue hawaiian shirt and a hangover written all over her face. It was a captivating sight to behold, too powerful to ignore. Too intriguing not to explore.

Yup, ladies and gentlemen that was our Shin Ryujin.

Listen, starting the new year with a hangover was quintessential Ryujin as much as it was to start it with a prank under her sleeves. The seemingly permanent scowl stitched on her face warned that she was not to be messed with, especially today of all days.

The girl walked with attitude, but rather an annoyed one than her usual chill one. When she walked in with hands stuffed into her pockets, people stopped to stare at the black sheep of Maroon High -- though she was not the blackest of all sheeps -- and wondered if she was up to no good today, or if her annoyance was far beyond a hangover that stretched its tentacles across her entire body with soreness. Maybe a failed prank this year? Maybe nothing could come out of Ryujin’s mischievously creative brain?

Or maybe, just maybe…

Yeji watched in trance as Ryujin walked in, a slight cool shoulder twitch but her eyes never meeting anyone's. Her confidence took a backseat while fatigue took the wheel and it was visible to everyone.

And you know what?

Yeji hated the way this girl was already. Something didn’t feel right, like her alarms were tempted to go off but did not.

And somehow--.

“Yah, Hwang Yeji!”

That yanked the distracted Yeji to the cheerful, bouncy voice that suddenly was skipping towards her, her backpack threatening to bounce off her shoulders if she kept that energy.

Lee Chaeryeong, not to be confused by Lee Chaeyeon, whose face is virtually the same but different. You know what I mean.

“Ah, there you are,” Yeji said mostly to herself.

“I’m sorry, I woke up late!” Chaeryeong apologized immediately, wasting even less time with any pleasantries before she linked arms with Yeji and dragged her inside the school building.

As it was predicted.

The real life of the school was in the crowded hallways and the lost students that looked at the bulletin board for some sort of salvation. Yeji, dragged by the chaperone Chaeryeong, couldn’t even stop to read the bulletin. “There’s never anything useful there,” assured Chaeryeong, noting how it’s only useful for the freshmen while the new sophomores, juniors and seniors are left to fend for themselves.

“But you’re lucky to have your own Chaeryeong!” Said the cheerful cheerleader.

Yeji, despite smiling wide and giggling along, still felt that nervousness sizzling. Mostly, because with Chaeryeong’s mannerism and loudness attracted more eyes glancing their way.

However, said glances were interrupted by the screeching intercom that grated everyone’s ears. Soon, the voice of the gremlin leader (a voice that we will all learn to hate) bounced off the walls with an important message.

The message was garishly decorated with redundancies, polite words, lengthy speeches and encompassed with a nearly universal eye roll at the blabber about ‘School Spirits’. It’s okay, I’ll give you the condensed version because I like you and I don’t want you to suffer.

The new year was starting with a new array of teachers, the return of the old secretary and the return of the once-pregnant literature teacher. And of course, there was a lot more things to be announced. The welcoming assembly was going to be held in the theater in ten minutes, and so the headmaster expected them to be in order and on time.

However, while the screeching cacophony of annoying voices kept going and going after the announcement, the hallways started to continue moving, ignoring the ‘indications’ and messages.

“Why not just say all of this during the assembly?” Yeji chimed in, lowly, as if the intercom could listen to her, afraid to upset anyone.

Chaeryeong shrugged, shaking her head. “He likes to hear himself talk.”

“He does that a lot?”

Again, Chaeryeong shrugged. “I just pray his wife is deaf. Or that he doesn’t have one.”

The screeching noises were inescapable for Ryujin, who was holding her head tight in the school’s bathroom, looking at herself in the cracked mirror of the ladies’ room. It’s been cracked as long as she can remember, fragmented, unsure, and Yuna has always noted that it was because of the vanity of some of the girls. In those unspoken words Yuna was speaking of Lia -- Julia, the Queen of Canada -- and the rest of the Cheerleader squad.

Despite hiding in the bathroom for the time being, alone with only the reflection of herself, the ghastly presence of the headmaster’s voice followed her. Oh, she could hear it in her dreams. There was only one voice that could remedy this situation. That voice was--.

“Shin Ryujin, put your hands up!”

Shin Yuna, of course, who came into the bathroom kicking the door open. She came in with finger guns ready and ready to blast away the imaginary enemies.

Ryujin was only slightly amused. “You followed me?”

Yuna wasn’t hungover, evidently. This girl has never had a sugar drop in her life, let alone a hangover. She was like a long-legged alien that refused to succumb to normal human ordeals. “Kinda! I was calling you but the headmaster started to speak.”

“What is he even talking about?” Ryujin asked, leaning against the concrete sinks.

Soon, the ash-blonde girl sat up on the sinks next to her, humming. “From what I can tell, assembly.”

“As usual.”

“And he has some announcements.”

Ryujin looked at Yuna, who didn’t seem at all bothered. “About?”

“I suppose we’ll find out soon,” Yuna crossed her arms over her chest. “I tuned out after he didn’t stop talking--. Maybe it’s about his new hairdo!”

Something wasn’t sitting right with Ryujin, her arms crossed and her brows knitted in thought while the headache seemed to make way for some thoughts. “What if it’s about the fire? They must have found out by now.”

“They must have seen it, but I don’t think they’ll find out who did it.”

“Do you think they’ll ignore the issue?” Ryujin asked lower now, leaning closer and looking around just in case.

Yuna followed, speaking lower. “It’s Mr. Lee’s classroom, you know they don’t care about him.”

Ryujin shook her head. “You know how they are, Yuna.”

But you guys don’t know, so I’ll explain.

Succinctly: the adults in charge of these teenagers were the worst kind of people. Self-centered, egoistic, wretched cur. Imbeciles, all of them, except for one or two. The slightly longer version was this: they were obstinate towards their students, uncaring to the youth of tomorrow and to their deficiencies. Even more insulting was their lack of sympathy. Having a rich mixture of students in their school somehow has made them more sour over the years, treating them equally but -- paradoxically, and quite stupidly -- unequal. The doe-eyed student struggling with maths would be easily mistreated by the math teacher who happened to dislike blondes due to a failed love in their youth and the headmaster would not bat an eye; the young man suffering through the mourning process of a deceased loved one would be bombarded with pressure from a teacher that was never allowed to mourn in peace and was ridiculed in the past for it. I could go on.

Respect, unity and courage were the praised traits of the school and ironically none of their teachers had that.

If you up to the teachers and staff enough you would see a total difference in the way they treat you, especially in the way they grade you. If you had a good family history, it was easier. If you didn’t, you’d be a bit in trouble.

High school, am I right?

So, Ryujin understood better than anyone that this would fall on the little guys -- people she knew and respected, those who didn’t have anything to do with it, in favor of the future athletes and the scum dressed in fine shoes.

“I mean, they’re a little dumb, ain’t they?” Yuna countered.

Which was a fair point, acknowledging how inept they were at times.

“Yeah, but they’re not stupid,” Ryujin replied lowly, not quite thinking it through.

And she also had a point. They were conveniently stupid.

Yuna squinted, looking at the blue haired girl. “I thought dumb was the definition of stupid.”

“You mean synonym.”

Yuna raised her hands defensively. “Oh, you’re gonna school me now--.”

“Ah, whatever,” Ryujin waved away the silly dispute. “What I mean is that they--.”

Then the intercom screeched again, this time letting the silence govern the halls again. The man was done talking, and so the shuffling feet outside started to move towards the theater.

Without anymore words but knowing looks, Ryujin and Yuna washed up a bit and headed towards the theater, melting into the crowd of busy-bodies that couldn’t hold their chatter for later. Faces, new and old, were getting to know one another as they filtered through to their seats. Standing on the stage were the teachers that would have to stay up for the duration of the speech, much to their dismay, and some of them already looked thrilled to be there.

By thrilled I mean not really.

The two Shins sat next to one another like the inseparable duo they were, very far away from the stage and very close to the exit. Jisu (You know, Julia, Lia, iconic as hell) sat amongst the cheerleader squad number one, while the cheerlader squad number two eagerly motioned Chaeryeong to sit with them. And of course, because Chaeryeong is a sunshine, she dragged the timid Yeji with her.

And of course, she was introduced exotically. Hwang Yeji, the girl who studied in France and was now back to her hometown. Hwang Yeji, the girl with the cat-like eyes that will charm the nation. Hwang Yeji -- Yes, THE Hwang Yeji -- that looked stunning yet simple.

Somehow, Chaeryeong was better at introducing Hwang Yeji than Yeji was.

Soon, the headmaster entered the stage and the chatter was slowly dying, much like the enthusiasm and the smiles. He had that effect on people, it seemed. It surprised Yeji a good bunch to look around and suddenly see people ready to fall asleep when they were so eager before. However, she kept quiet and listened just like them.

And boy, did this man love to talk.

It wasn’t a joke when Chaeryeong said he liked to hear himself talk. It was a long speech of nothing, and the teachers forced to stand behind the principal as he spoke seemed to think so as well, one of them checking their watch for the time. One of them, however, looked a lot more troubled than the rest. Amongst the old, grizzled teachers, was a few young ones. The aforementioned literature teacher that had just given birth and the dashing, amicable chemistry teacher that somehow looked like he was disappointed. Hurt.

Ryujin couldn’t see it, but Yuna noted his posture and his overall quietness. Lia (THE Julia), who was seated amongst the gossiping cheerleaders and the very content jocks knew before anyone else in the room and she was a bit surprised. Yeji couldn’t even ask Chaeryeong about it but even if she did, Chaeryeong didn’t know.

“And now, I want to address a situation,” said the boring principal.

Somehow, everyone perked up in their seats, suddenly paying attention to the obvious change in tone. He went from high and mighty to a more serious tone that was quintessential for reproaches.

He squared his shoulders, grateful for the attention and his thunderous (yet annoying) voice spoke loud and clear. “It has come to our attention that Mr. Lee’s chemistry lab has suffered some severe damages,” he paused, looking around at the students who were asking one another about that.

“Ah ,” Ryujin cursed under her breath, sinking into her seat ever so slightly.

The Principal continued despite the sudden chatter. “It seems a fire started in the laboratory yesterday. The burns are severe and the entire classroom is up for renovations and repairs. Meanwhile, we ask you to be patient with the temporary laboratory we have for Mr. Lee, which could be subject to change at any moment.”

Yeji looked at Chaeryeong, who was a bit confused, looking around the theater as if to look for someone.

“We are looking into the matter, but for now we have not seen anything pointing towards anyone.”

Ryujin sunk further in and Lia noticed the jocks were ecstatic.

“I will like to say something, however. Whoever the culprit is will be met with a serious reprimand. I do not take matters like this lightly. Whoever was responsible for this will be dealt with. This ‘prank’ has gone too far, and I will not let it go further.”

Yuna looked at Ryujin and understood that her headache had grown on levels she couldn’t fathom judging by the look on her face and the way she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

The signature of the scene was written in fire, but rather than reading the signature, it seemed the Principal had his eyes set on someone to blame. The fire was the only evidence, and Ryujin had always liked to play with fire. The discreet eyes of the public seemed to weigh heavier on the already upset teenager, the gossip suddenly becoming all about this incident and

With a sigh, Yuna melted to her chair as well. “I need a drink.”

And Ryujin needed a nap.