-Bad First Impressions-

Siyeon sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. She wasn’t looking forward to today at all.

Today was the first day of the school year. It was another year of everyone avoiding her or ignoring her. Siyeon didn’t want to admit that it bothered her, but it did. She felt lonely.

It was going to be even worse this year because her sister Gahyeon was going to be there only half the day. Her advanced classes took her to the campus nearby for half of the day.

Siyeon didn’t know what to do without Gahyeon. She was her best friend as well as her sister, and not having her there was going to be difficult. She was so used to her being there and wasn’t looking forward to her absence.

While Siyeon relaxed in bed, she heard her sister's footsteps coming up the stairs and automatically looked at her door as she waited. She watched the door slowly open as Gahyeon peeked inside and spotted the older girl and sighed at what she saw.

Siyeon… come on! We are going to be late!” Gahyeon said loudly as she tried to drag her sister out of bed and get dressed. It was a difficult task when Siyeon goes limp and has to be physically dragged out of the bed until she hit the floor with a thud.

“ouch…” Siyeon said as she pouted at her tiny but strong sister.

“hurry up! We are going to be late for another school year if you don’t hurry up!” Gahyeon shouted as Siyeon sighed and climbed to her feet.

“Gahyeon... not everyone loves school as you do…” Siyeon said with a sigh of frustration. She hated that her school life was so pathetic. Siyeon was a complete outcast at school.

People either feared her or mocked her for her intense stares or her dark clothes. Others would make fun of her because she had a hard time opening up to others due to a mix of shyness and anxiety.

The only time that Siyeon felt comfortable at school was when she was allowed into the music room after class and was allowed to sing away all the stress and sadness of the day.

Singing was Siyeon’s therapy basically, but she was afraid to let anyone else hear her singing. If the students heard her, then she feared that she would be mocked for doing the thing she loved most.

Though Siyeon looked strong on the outside, she was extremely soft and sensitive on the inside. She also didn’t take criticism very well. She was unable to not take it personally. It would always make her feel discouraged easily, and she didn’t want someone to break her confidence in the one thing that she was proud of.

It had happened before. Siyeon was into writing when she was younger, and one day in school, she accidentally left out her notebook that she had been writing in. The top of the class, who was a bit of a know-it-all, looked at it and thought that he was ‘helping’ when he critiqued her work, but instead, she felt crushed and gave up writing. It was something she did for herself and no one else, but she lost her confidence in it, and it was no longer fun when she became so filled with doubts about her ability.

It was one of her fears. If someone heard her singing and tried to evaluate her, then she might not want to sing again. She knew that the student that evaluated her writing was trying to be helpful and didn’t think that they were doing something wrong, but he had no idea that Siyeon was so sensitive to comments.

When he asked later what she was writing next, and Siyeon said she gave up writing, he never even thought it was because of him because he only thought he was helping. But to a shy person that embarrassed easily, it was a crushing blow to Siyeon’s confidence.

Gahyeon sighed, bringing Siyeon’s attention back from her thoughts as she noticed her sisters worried expression. She had been worried about her sister for years, and Siyeon suddenly felt guilty. She shouldn’t have to feel sad for her older sister.

“you know if you just wear your glasses, then people would stop being afraid of you. You might even be able to make a friend that isn’t just me…” Gahyeon said as Siyeon pouted.

“yes, but then they would just make fun of me for my glasses…” Siyeon mumbled as her little sister sighed in frustration while flinging her hands in the air.

They have had this same conversation hundreds of times. Next, Gahyeon would tell her that if she stopped dressing as she did, she might be easier to approach, but Siyeon didn’t want to change herself just to fit in. She just wished that ONE PERSON could see the real Siyeon. She didn’t think she was asking for much, but fate seemed to disagree.

Gahyeon rushed the older girl, and soon they were off to school though Siyeon grumbled the entire time.

Once Siyeon started seeing more students, she quickly averted her eyes and looked only at the ground or her sister. She was trying not to start confrontations but was only making her situation worse.

Gahyeon sighed. She knew her sister was an amazing person that would care deeply for her friends, but most were too afraid of her to even try to make small talk, let alone try to become friends.

It also didn’t help that a couple of years ago, someone started spreading rumors that Siyeon was in a gang and was secretly a school bully. Now, most avoided her like the plague.

As Siyeon arrived at the school, a woman rode past them on a beautiful and expensive looking motorcycle. Siyeon looked up just in time to see the girl pass.

The girl was in all black motorcycle leathers that showed a petite yet fit figure, and Siyeon couldn’t help but think that she must go to the college nearby.

Their high school was right beside the college, and many students from the campus would ride by, but Siyeon had to admit that she caught her interest. If Siyeon had continued to watch the girl, though, she would have noticed that she turned left towards the high school not right towards the college campus.

As Siyeon watched the bike fade away into the distance, she accidentally locked eyes with a girl from Gahyeon’s grade. The girl had short hair and jumped when she realized that their eyes met. Her face flushed red as she fled, leaving Siyeon standing there slightly confused.

“what was that about? Siyeon asked as her sister shrugged while watching the girl with short hair flee.

“I have never seen her act like that before. Maybe the bully rumors reached her?” Gahyeon asked as Siyeon’s shoulders slumped.

“oh, probably… everyone probably thinks I'm a monster…” Siyeon said sadly as Gahyeon patted her back supportively.

The two slowly made their way to the school and almost ran into the most popular girl in school. Siyeon quickly apologized before fleeing and dragging her sister away. All Siyeon needed was another rumor about her. And one about her bullying the most popular girl in school would spread like wildfire.

-Bora-

Bora was rushing towards the front office when she almost smashed into Siyeon. The older girl hadn’t had many interactions with the quiet loner, but she had to admit those eyes always captivated her.

The only thing that stopped Bora from approaching Siyeon was the rumors, but Bora didn’t believe them one bit. The popular girl had been secretly watching Siyeon for years. She wanted to approach her but wondered if Siyeon was the one to start the rumors in the first place.

Bora wondered if Siyeon was behind the rumors so that people wouldn’t try to get close to her, but when she almost ran into Siyeon, the younger girl apologized quickly and politely as she fled down the hall with her sister.

What also made Bora more interested in the quiet girl with the intense eyes was the fact that Siyeon completely avoided eye contact. It was like Siyeon was too shy to look Bora in the eyes.

‘interesting…’ Bora thought to herself before she remembered the main reason that she was running in the first place and quickly scurried into the front office.

Siyeon’s day went as expected. Her classes themselves were not bad, but no one would talk to her or even approach her.

It also didn’t help that the only seat open that wasn’t saved for someone was in the back by the window. The distance made it look like Siyeon was scowling at everyone due to her poor eyesight, but in reality, she was just trying to see the board.

At least because she sat beside the window, she had a view. It was better than last year where she was stuck in the middle of the room, and everyone walked in a wide arc to avoid her. Siyeon had never felt like an outcast so much in her life.

Siyeon was looking out the window when Bora entered the room. This year Bora had every class with the silent girl, and she couldn't help but observe her.

Bora didn’t get how Siyeon had such horrible rumors about her. From what Bora could see, Siyeon was just quiet and didn’t know how to approach others, or she was just too shy to try.

At lunchtime, Siyeon quickly fled the room. Bora quietly followed behind her. She was curious about Siyeon, and that curiosity ended up getting the better of her. What Bora witnessed, though, was nothing like she expected.

Bora walked around the corner to see Siyeon hugging her little sister. The older of the two looked so upset and vulnerable that it had Bora feeling sorry for the girl.

Gahyeon just patted her sisters back as she talked soothingly. She could always tell when Siyeon was about to cry, and the older girl was getting very close.

Bora quickly ducked back around the corner. What she witnessed seemed to be a private moment, and she felt like it should remain that way.

Instead of going to the cafeteria as normal, Bora chose instead to follow Siyeon and soon regretted it when her stomach growled. Lunch was almost over, and she still had not eaten anything.

Quickly Bora ran to the nearest vending machine and chose something before running back to the classroom just in time as she flopped into her seat beside her best friend.

“so… where did you go?” Minji asked sweetly as she gave a knowing look at her friend. Minji knew of Bora’s fascination with Siyeon and didn’t miss how Bora had been staring at her all day or how she followed the girl at lunch.

“oh, um… nowhere…” Bora said, sounding guilty. Minji only nodded as she fought a grin.

“right… so you were ignoring me all day over nothing?” Minji asked with a pout.

“sorry, Minji. I just had something on my mind…” Bora said as she hugged her friend.

“Does this something have a name or perhaps intense wolf-like eyes?” Minji asked as Bora’s face flushed red.

At that moment, Siyeon passed them to get to her seat, and Bora thought that she would die from embarrassment. Out of panic, Bora smacked her friend's arm harder than intended as Minji winced and laughed.

Besides her mini panic moment, Bora noticed how down Siyeon seemed to be as she walked by. The younger girl looked depressed, and Bora was starting to feel worried. Whatever upset Siyeon had messed with her mood for the rest of the day.

Bora fro