[CONTENTID1] A Rainy Day [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2] “My soul is in the sky.”― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream [/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]Suji rounded her notes once the lecture ended. Yoomi, a girl from her school joined her. They attended the same course in university, and tended to stick together for the sake of it. In school, Yoomi never glanced her way. Familiarity comforted the lost and lonely, it seemed. Yoomi fixated her concentration on the girl with the Rapunzel-like hair, stoney face and icy heart.         

            “I bet it’s her,” she groused. “Krystal Jung. Who else would spread those pictures of you kissing Sehun?”

“I didn’t kiss him. He kissed me,” Suji said, in a bitter tone. “Get that fact straight. I don’t want to be associated with the likes of him.” She glanced at Krystal, who met with her group of barbie dolls, with their manicured nails, small designer bags that would hardly fit their giant phones, caked makeup that did little to hide the emerging pimple between those drawn-in brows, and lips that were plump with botox and fillers.

            Krystal caught her gaze, and her cheeks turned red. She hurriedly walked in another direction, her puppies followed her like mindless zombies. Suji frowned. Her heart clenched in her chest.

            “See that?” Yoomi said, pointing an accusatory finger in Krystal’s direction. “I bet it was her! It was her or one of the girls from the Barbie group. Suji, let’s go and confront her.”

            “Why should I listen to you?” Suji glared at the scrawny girl with the bad fashion sense. Who wore long boots in the middle of summer? Not that she should complain with her mid-length skirts and cardigans that gave her the impression of a chaste nun from a convent.

            She strolled to the cafeteria, where Jieun waited for her and Yoomi. The cafeteria was full, and Suji peered across the many tables for her friend. Jieun stood from her seat and waved like a maniac, drawing in the attention of people that surrounded her. Suji scowled, and they quickly pretended to be engaged in something else.

            Jieun managed to save two seats. To Suji’s horror, there were others at the table. Byun Baekhyun and his odorous posse. Baekhyun met her glance with a friendly smile. Chanyeol’s phone occupied him, while Sehun wrote furiously in what appeared to be a leather-bound journal.

            Suji pressed her heel on the ground. “I’m not sitting there.”

Yoomi watched the boys, almost frothing at the mouth. “Oh my…Suji, we have to sit there. It’s Chanyeol! He’s—he’s the captain of the soccer team. I must get his autograph.”

            “Not you too.” Suji stared at the ceiling, as if waiting for some divine intervention to lift her into a better world. “I’m a bit baffled and ashamed of my gender sometimes.”

            “Stop being so dramatic,” Yoomi said, and dragged Suji by the elbow to the table.

Jieun’s smile stretched from ear to ear. Chanyeol glanced from his phone and almost jumped when he saw them.

            “You’re friends with her?” he asked Jieun, with a nervous slip of his fingers.

“What’s wrong with that?” said Baekhyun. “She’s a strong, independent woman who knows what she wants. Sit down, Suji…and you are?”

            Yoomi opened to introduce herself, but Jieun intercepted. “That’s Yoomi! She studies in the same course as Suji.”

            They sat by the table, and Suji had no choice but to sit beside Sehun. He pretended not to care while he hastily wrote into his journal. She tried to peek from the side, but he caught her endeavours, and with a devious grin, moved a broad shoulder to block her view. Yoomi spent her whole time being hormonal over Chanyeol, while Jieun and Baekhyun chatted about the Neverland Club, and other mundane affairs.

            Suji noticed the bandage around Sehun’s left hand.

“It’s nothing,” he said, rotating his wrist.

            “I never asked,” she replied.

“Yeah, maybe it’s best that way. Besides, it happened after you kicked my bike.”

            Suji paused. A sudden, heavy weight pressed against her chest. She bit her bottom lip. “I hadn’t realised. Maybe I went too far.”

            Sehun smiled. “It’s nothing big. Just a bit of a graze and some damaged tendons.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, and the table went silent. Suji scoffed. Life played games on her.

            “She’s capable of apologising?” Chanyeol quipped, eyes wide as he snarled.

“Suji’s not that scary once you get to know her,” Jieun said, with a silly giggle. “She beat up my bullies in the past.”

            “Wow? Really? That’s impressive,” said Sehun. “Just don’t beat others up too.”

She glared at him as fiercely as her features allowed. He returned her glare with a genial smile, and she resisted the urge to imagine a laser burn him into ashes.

            “I’m finished. Gonna head to the library.