Streetlights on Mars 2.0 - Jackson Penn

 

---

 

“Ryujin.”

 

The pink-haired girl doesn’t look up.

 

Chaeryeong frowns. “Ryujin?”

 

Nothing.

 

“SHIN IDIOT, WAKE UP!”

 

“Ah- hey!” Ryujin yelps as Chaeryeong reaches over and promptly plucks the earbud right out of her ear. “Give that back!”

 

“Good morning to you too.” Chaeryeong doesn’t comply with a beams. Ryujin just grumbles as she reluctantly tucks the earbuds away.

 

“Hi Ryeongchae.”

 

“I trust that you’re ready for your first day.” Chaeryeong manages to keep a straight face through all of this. Ryujin has always found that ability of hers super super weird. “Are you?”

 

Ryujin can’t help the heavy sigh that escapes her. It’s her first day at her new high school; her parents’ work had transferred them to a location that was much too far for Ryujin to have a reasonable commute to her previous school, so she had little choice but to transfer. It brought her to Chaeryeong’s current school, which her childhood friend was more ecstatic about (Ryujin’s always found Chaeryeong really weird and kind of hard to read because she’s always got the same, straight expression on all the time you know? It’s weird. And slightly unnerving at times, but Ryujin’s gotten used to it over the years. Kind of). 

 

Unfortunately, transferring meant leaving all her friends behind. But she didn’t have a choice; her parents had worked hard for this significant promotion, and the benefits that came with it were just too generous to refuse.

 

Well. At least she has Chaeryeong.

 

“Are you ready? Are you? Are you??”

 

Ryujin almost growls as she slaps away Chaeryeong’s intruding hand. “Cut it out! I’m ready- well, at least I think I am.”

 

The last part is a much quieter, unconfident grumble- characteristic of Ryujin’s snippy but endearingly saccharine personality. That’s what Chaeryeong has always said about her: that she’s like a little hedgehog. Prickly on the outside but a sweetheart at- well, heart. And while Ryujin could care less about that kind of crap, she does like to think she’s nice enough at heart. Haha. Heart.

 

“You’re going to have such a great time here. I totally feel it.”

 

Ryujin scoffs. “Last time you said that, we ended up breaking the see-saw at that playground across town.”

 

Chaeryeong looks indignant, shocked, and offended all at once. "That was one time-“

 

“And then the time before that, we ended up getting kicked out of the ice rink because you were so insistent on the ‘incorrect frequencies’ that the ice machine was making-“

 

“Okay listen here Shin, I didn’t come all this way to get your dumb just to be disrespected so early in the morning-“

 

“Chae!”

 

A foreign voice cuts through the air. Ryujin only manages to catch a glimpse of long, dark hair and slender, pale arms before the moving form snatches Chaeryeong into a hug.

 

Chaeryeong looks delighted. “Lia unnie~”

 

The girl’s eyes curve into sloth-like crescents as she lifts her head. “Hi! Thought I’d catch you around here.”

 

Chaeryeong just smiles as she leans into a quick embrace. Ryujin watches as the girl’s eyes finally flicker up to meet Ryujin’s. 

 

“Hi!” She extends a slender hand, which Ryujin hesitantly accepts.

 

“Hi. I’m Ryujin, Chaeryeong’s friend.”

 

Chaeryeong slings an arm around Ryujin's unwelcoming shoulders. “Ryujin here and I go way back. It’s her first day at JYP High, so I took it upon myself to play tour guide.”

 

The girl- Lia, according to Chaeryeong’s earlier greeting- regards Ryujin curiously. “It’s nice to meet you, Ryujin.”

 

Creased eyes. Slightly slouched torso. Steady breathing, and loosely-hanging arms. She’s totally relaxed, looks totally in her element, and doesn’t seem the least bit phased in unexpectedly meeting someone new. Must be a senior.

 

“Nice to meet you too…” She trails off slightly, unsure of how to address the older girl.

 

“My name is Julia! You can just call me Lia.” Lia’s eyes curve back into a somewhat lazy smile. “Any friend of Chaeryeong’s is a friend of mine as well.”

 

That’s unexpected. Unexpected, but welcome; Ryujin feels herself somewhat un-tense at the genuine response. Lia just smiles at her again while Chaeryeong looks around curiously. “Are you alone, unnie?”

 

“Yuna was dragged out early today for morning practice. I wasn’t about to wake up like that, so here I am.” Lia flashes a cheeky ‘v’ sign, garnering an approvingly snicker from Chaeryeong. “I heard that she threw a fit getting out of bed though.”

 

“I’d expect nothing less.”

 

Lia turns to Ryujin. “So Ryujin, where are you transferring from?”

 

She’s really pretty. Ryujin collects herself quickly to answer. “Ah, I’m coming from YG High- my parents’ moved for work and it was too far for me to commute.”

 

Lia seems understanding. “YG is kind of far- good thing you transferred then. The trains get super packed in the evening so you’d have a hassle commuting everyday.”

 

Chaeryeong nods with faux-sageness, her hand on Ryujin’s shoulder like a parent showcasing their child. “I keep telling her what a great move it is, but she’s still bummed out about it- aren’t you, RyuRyu?”

 

She rolls her eyes at the horrendous nickname and tries to shrug the offending hand off her shoulder. “Anyone would be.”

 

“It must be hard."

 

The older girl’s genuine response has Ryujin a little startled. “I- I just miss my friends and all. There’s not much else to it.”

 

Lia looks at her silently for one brief second before seemingly defaulting back into her usual, bubbly demeanor. “Well, you’re going to love it here! JYP isn’t a bad place to be- lots of stuff to do nearby and one of the most well-kept schools around.”

 

Chaeryeong slaps Ryujin’s shoulder with way too much gusto for someone who (apparently) woke up at 5am this morning to make sure Ryujin didn’t bail on her first day. “For sure. Much more than YG- I can almost guarantee you that the air is cleaner! I mean, what high school makes their colors black and black-”

 

“You’ll make a lot of new friends here. And you can already count me as one.” Lia winks reassuringly. She’s undoubtedly charming. Ryujin can already predict what kind of social circle this girl is accustomed to.

 

“Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything at anytime- I’ll be sure to keep an eye on you, so just let me know if you need to put Chaeryeong back in her place-“

 

“I- how dare you!” Chaeryeong gasps, deeply offended, and Lia just bursts out giggling at the younger girl’s response. Despite everything and all her initial apprehension, Ryujin feels slightly better about this whole ordeal as they finally approach the main gates of JYP High.

 

Here goes nothing .

 

---

 

Her first day goes pretty much how she’d expected: boring, tedious, long. It’s not the worst thing though (although, as life would have it, being the new girl always comes with being the subject of some new gossip. Ryujin just hopes it’ll blow over soon).

 

Lia had been whisked away somewhere the moment they walked onto school property, barely having time to wave at Chaeryeong and Ryujin who stop by the principal’s office to fetch Ryujin’s schedule before heading to class. Luckily, Ryujin is placed in Chaeryeong’s class and in the only empty seat left- the far left corner by the window. Ryujin has no complaints. She can even doze off if she feels the need.

 

It’s not great, but it’s not horrible and Ryujin supposes it could be worse. She decides to just try her best to keep her head low, maintain her grades, and just get through the year unscathed.

 

She walks through the automatic doors of the local library, smiling briefly at the blast of cool air that washes over her skin. The local library is pretty lofty, reaching six stories high with an insurmountable number of books within. It was the first place Ryujin had gone after moving into town, and she’d soon started to spend almost every afternoon perusing the various levels and different sections, cramming as much in as she could before her school workload amps up. Today, she heads up to the uppermost sixth floor. She walks all the way up the long winding staircase until she’s reached the top (luckily, stairs have never really been an issue for her). It didn’t take long for the introverted Ryujin to realize that the higher up she went, the less people there were; likely due to the lack of efficient elevators. No one in their right mind would likely go through the hassle of climbing the excessively long stairwell anyway. Except, obviously, her.

 

The climb is worth it though. The sixth floor’s walls are tall and made of glass, allowing sunshine to pour through the open space. A lone librarian sits behind the central help desk with his nose buried quietly in a book. An elderly man sits in the far corner with a thick novel, a younger child with glasses at a nearby table reading a young adult chapter book, and no one else as far as Ryujin could see. She’s giddy at the prospect of finding her own quiet, special space in this otherwise animated, bustling town, and 

she sets off to see what she can find.

 

It’s just as quiet between the shelves as she’d thought it’d be. It’s wonderfully quiet, beautifully serene, and Ryujin’s fifteen minutes into browsing the non-fiction shelf when a foreign presence suddenly leans over right next to her- just when she’d thought there was no one around.

 

Ryujin all but jumps a foot in the air, literally stifling a scream as she whips around, only to come face-to-face with a wide-eyed, equally surprised stranger.

 

“What the hell?!”

 

A tall brunette has a slender hand clutched to her heart. “Are you trying to kill me?! Don’t just jump up like that!” The stranger protests vehemently, shooting Ryujin an incredulous look. Ryujin, feeling affronted, proceeds to glare right back.

 

“Don’t just sneak up on people like that! I thought there was no one up here, I thought you were a criminal or something!”

 

“Why would a criminal come to the library?! And I was just trying to reach a copy of that book!” She points to one of the titles on the shelf resting next to the book Ryujin’s currently holding.

 

Ryujin looks at the book behind her, then back up at the stranger. “Why couldn’t you just ask me to move??”

 

Tall Brunette blinks. “I didn’t want to scare you.” She replies like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“….”

 

“……”

 

“And how did that end for you?”

 

Tall Brunette scowls.

 

Ryujin glances up at the book on the high shelf, then back at Tall Brunette. Tall Brunette’s got her arms crossed across her chest as she glares fiercely at Ryujin. “At least I was being considerate.”

 

Ryujin scoffs incredulously. The nerve. She’d bet money on this being the girl’s first time at the library. “You can’t reach that without asking to move anyway, so I don’t understand why you didn’t just ask?”

 

Brunette glares at her. “Shut up. Of course I can reach it.”

 

Really. Ryujin arches a brow and crosses her arms, planting herself defiantly in her place. “Go ahead then- I won’t be in your way.”

 

It’s obvious that Brunette can’t reach the book unless Ryujin moves. After a few moments of Ryujin’s stone-silent “do it you won’t” and Brunette’s sullen, silent balking, the pink-haired girl sighs in exasperation, She reaches behind her and easily snatches the book out.

 

“Here.” She extends it to Brunette who’s still sulking at the ground.

 

All she gets is a scowl for her efforts. “I didn’t ask for your help.” Brunette snips as she crosses her arms tightly across her chest.

 

Ryujin stares at her, absolutely disbelieving. “Seriously?”

 

“…”

 

“So unreasonable.” Ryujin grumbles tiredly. She carelessly tosses the book onto a different shelf and walks away, taking her own book away with her. She can’t be bothered with crazy people shaving years off her life in a goddamn library, of all places.

 

“Hey, wait! I didn’t mean to scare you!” Tall Brunette is suddenly at her side, discarded book in hand. The sleeves of her light grey sweater are rolled twice, and she keeps up effortlessly with Ryujin’s quick pace. “I really was just trying to grab this- no funny business, I promise.”

 

Ryujin finally reaches a secluded table right next to one of the magnificent wall-spanning windows. “Sure. Because your methods aren’t totally creepy at all.” She can’t help the sarcasm that bleeds into her voice, although she tries to sound as mild as possible. She tries to get comfortable, opening her book and pushing her glasses up her nose in a vain effort to ignore the other presence before her in hopes that Tall Brunette would get bored, take the hint, and leave her alone.

 

No such thing. Brunette continues to loiter by Ryujin’s otherwise isolated table, looking faintly apologetic. “I can tell you don’t believe me.”

 

Ryujin finally looks up to make proper eye contact with Brunette for the first time since they scared the respective out of each other. “And why would I believe you? What are you even doing in a place like this, don’t you have soccer practice or something?” She lashes out defensively. This girl is seriously so freaking stubborn-

 

Brunette’s features scrunch in confusion. “How did you know I play soccer?”

 

“Your sweater does wonders for that mystery."

 

Brunette glances down at her team crewneck sheepishly. “Oh.” She crosses her arms over the soccer logo looking mildly embarrassed, shifting back and forth on her feet. She’s a lot taller than Ryujin had initially thought, a good few inches taller than Ryujin herself. She’s petite too, for an athlete; slender legs and thin wrists with a sweater that almost certainly wouldn’t fit Ryujin if she scaled to that height hanging loosely on her frame. “But seriously- why would I try any funny business with you?”

 

“Again, I ask- don’t you have practice or something? What are you even doing here?”

 

“Practice? Why would I have practice?"

 

She’s an idiot. She must be. Ryujin rolls her eyes exasperatedly, picking up her book again. “Never mind. Just, if you’re here to rag on me about my glasses or whatever, please leave.” She grumbles flatly, trying to avert her gaze from the curves of the girl’s wrist bones and back to the printed words before her.

 

Brunette tilts her head. “Why would I make fun of your glasses? I have a pair too.” She flops down in the seat across from Ryujin, cat-like eyes staring curiously at Ryujin.

 

Ryujin glances up over the top of her book, unimpressed, only to see Brunette’s unbroken gaze upon her features. “You didn’t answer all my questions, I won’t answer yours.” She speaks monotonously, desperately hoping that the girl would just leave her here to read alone in peace.

 

No such thing. “Oh, about practice? We don’t have mandatory practice until tryouts start, although the veterans are already starting up with some skill polishing and whatnot. I decided to take a break though.” She replies, leaning her elbows on the table and her head on her elbows. “By the way, that’s a great book.”

 

Ryujin looks up, unsure if she’s heard correctly. “This?”

 

Brunette nods with a smile that’s much too innocent for Ryujin’s liking. “Oh yeah. You’d think you’d want to kill yourself reading it, but it’s actually a really great mix between documentation and story-telling.”

 

Ryujin raises a brow.

 

“By the way, I never caught your name-"

 

It’s the last straw for the already-fed up Ryujin, who promptly shoots up and mutters something about the restroom. She doesn’t look back, not even once.

 

What a freak.

 

---

 

“Look at her, doing homework at lunch break."

 

“She’s not as pretty as everyone says she is.”

 

“She doesn’t even have any friends. I bet Chaeryeong and Lia sunbaenim only hang around her because they feel bad.”

 

Ryujin purses her lips, trying her best to block out the incessant whispers. Since she’d transferred in, people had been talking. They said many things, many good, and inevitably, many bad. Chaeryeong was usually there to distract her and to stop some of the whispers, but she’d come down with a cold and been absent for the past two days. Most people here were nice enough, but there was always that one girl who apparently decided that she didn’t like Ryujin the moment Ryujin walked into the classroom- and as life would have it, said girl immediately begun to spread all sorts of- of euphamized slander, frankly. Saying all sorts of mean things, being all sorts of classic mean-girl. Ryujin supposes there’s someone like that at every school so she tries not to let it bother her, and it doesn’t (for the most part). That doesn’t change how unnecessary the whole thing is though- she tries her best to ignore the girl’s friends (cursing her good hearing for the first time in her life).

 

“So, how far in are you?”

 

Someone who is certainly not Chaeryeong suddenly occupies the seat in front of Ryujin’s, where Chaeryeong would usually sit during lunch. Ryujin has to clamp shut to keep from screaming, head whipping up in sheer shock. And strangely enough, when she regains her senses, she finds Soccerhead Brunette staring at her casually like it’s the most normal thing to do in the world.

 

She gapes at Soccerhead for a minute, and Soccerhead just stares back at her with a sort faux innocence, until Ryujin finally replies. “I’m not that far in, but the first fifty pages are actually shaping up like you said.”

 

A small grin overtakes Soccerhead’s features. People are definitely staring now. “Do you like it?”

 

“I mean, I don’t necessarily love the topic and all but the story itself is pretty well-told- so far at least.” Ryujin shrugs half-heartedly, still ruffled at how her soul almost just left her body.

 

The lukewarm response seems to be sufficient for Soccerhead, seeing her oddly pleased smile. “I’ll warn you now though, be prepared for a long reading period. It doesn’t go that fast even though the book itself is good.”

 

A figure lingering in the doorway of her class catches Ryujin’s periphery. She turns her head to see a tall blonde (who’s obviously an athlete, with her firm build and tied hair) glancing curiously at the two of them with huge eyes. Soccerhead notices Ryujin’s wary side-glance, and upon looking herself, she quickly stands up. 

 

“Oh, I have to go. I guess I’ll see you around?” She smiles at Ryujin, politely pushing the chair back to its original position.

 

Ryujin looks up for the briefest moment. “Bye.” She replies flatly, returning her focus to her large book. She misses the look on Soccerhead’s face that looks like she wants to say more, but the blonde’s presence at the door obviously has her deciding against it. The duo leaves quickly, leaving Ryujin to read in relative peace.

 

Unfortunately, Soccerhead’s surprise drop-in only seems to increase the whispers. Ryujin clenches her jaw in sheer aggravation as she practically breaks her headphones with how fast she whips them out of her bag, trying her best to regain her focus.

 

Ugh.

 

---

 

Ryujin is mid-way through her second week at JYP High and her first week at JYP High without Chaeryeong, who is still overcoming a nasty case of bronchitis. Unlucky.

 

It’s little quiet, a little lonely, but generally she’s been left alone and no one’s been picking on her to her face. Sure there’s a bunch of whispers and there’s still a bunch of rumors floating around about the new transfer student with the daring hairstyle, but no one has dared confront her about anything. It’s easy enough to block them out with her trusty headphones, especially when Chaeryeong’s not here to yank them out of her head.

 

Usually. But ever since Soccerhead (as Ryujin’s dubbed her in her mind) had dropped by for an unwelcome, unwarranted visit, the whispers had gotten so. Much. Worse.

 

Ryujin grits her teeth as she tries her best to ignore the weight of her classmates’ stares on her hunched-over form. There’s only so much her headphones can block out.

 

“Are they really friends?”

 

“Do you think she’s affiliated with the soccer team somehow?”

 

“I mean, she’s pretty and all but what's her exact relationship with…”

 

Ryujin runs through her anger management counting cycles at least twenty-eight times that day. Freaking Soccerhead. This is all her fault- why couldn’t she just leave Ryujin alone? How did she even find her that day?? Of all the classes in this school, of course she still managed to find Ryujin’s. A part of Ryujin wants to slam her book down and scream at all the unwelcome spectators that she has absolutely nothing to do with this Soccerhead person, social hierarchy be damned. Another part of her wants to run (wilding) at Soccerhead and tell her off for ruining what was otherwise a perfectly peaceful wallflower existence, one that Ryujin had been so careful to craft upon her transfer.

 

Freaking Soccerhead. This is all her fault. She glares up over the edge of her book to classmates who gape at her like humans at a tank full of exotic fish. Their eyes widen upon meeting her burning glare and quickly look away to any part of the room except her. It pisses her off. It pisses her off even more when their gazes simply and inevitably return to monitor her once her own eyes goes back down to her book.

 

Freaking Soccerhead.

 

---

 

“So? How has your second week been going without me?"

 

Ryujin grumbles in sheer aggravation as she tiredly collapses on her bedsheets. “Honestly?”

 

“Of course. I expect nothing less than the raw truth from you, Ryujin.”

 

Ryujin would normally roll her eyes as the clippy sarcasm but today, she can’t seem to find the will. “Well, it was actually alright- until Wednesday.”

 

She can sense Chaeryeong’s confusion, even through the phone. “Wednesday? What happened on Wednesday?”

 

Her blood pressure’s rising just thinking about it. “This random girl- I don’t even know her name, ugh- anyway, this random girl came out of nowhere and started talking and ever since then people have not stopped giving me the weirdest looks and saying the weirdest -“

 

Chaeryeong cuts off her rant with an inquiry of genuine confusion. “Girl? What girl?”

 

Ryujin waves a hand around even though she knows Chaeryeong can’t see her. “I don’t know and I don’t care, but her head is shaped like a soccer ball so I’ve dubbed her ‘Soccerhead’ in my mind-”

 

“Soccerhead?!?”

 

Ryujin cuts her off immediately. “You’re missing the point- I don’t know what the deal is with this woman, but ever since she came in toting her stupid soccer sweater and ty book recommendations, people have not stopped whispering all this random when they think I can’t hear them-“

 

“Didn’t you say you liked the book you were reading recently?”

 

“-and looking at me like they want to kill me or some -“

 

“Whoa, slow down there- are people saying weird things about you again or something?”

 

Ryujin throws up her hands in defeat. "I don't even know anymore. I mean, some are- but no more than that usual group of- of, of sitting ducks I don’t know- and you know I could really care less about them.”

 

Chaeryeong’s cough crackles over the phone. “Have you seen Lia unnie at all this week?”

 

“No. I’ve been packing lunch so I don’t have to go to the cafeteria.”

 

“I forget how antisocial you can be sometimes." Chaeryeong rasps as she finally stops coughing. Ryujin chuckles lightly at the off-handed roast. “But seriously, you should talk to her if you’re having any trouble with our classmates, or anyone else. She’s a senior and she’s super popular- and she really likes you. She’s been asking about you you know, like how you’re doing and stuff.”

 

Ryujin narrows her eyes. “Really?”

 

“Yeah, really. If you’re having trouble with anyone, she’ll set them straight for you. She’s always been that type- I know she’s done that for me.” Chaeryeong chuckles lightly, mucus still crackling in . Ryujin winces at the congested tone.

 

“I don’t think I need to go that far- I just don't understand why people are talking about all this stuff.”

 

“I haven’t been in school so I can’t say. I'm finally starting to feel a little better though- hopefully I’ll be good by next week.” Chaeryeong sounds apologetic. “I’ll tell Lia unnie to keep an ear out for anything stupid that might involve you. In the meantime, stop being antisocial and go make some new friends!”

 

Ryujin scowls. “You can't make me!”

 

“Ryujin!” Chaeryeong sounds so displeased, even in her sick state. It finally gets Ryujin to smile a little bit.

 

“Look, I know you’re worried about me, but- I’m fine and I’ll always be fine. I’m just a little annoyed about this whole situation, is all.” Ryujin tries her best to sound reassuring because while she’s not lying about the ‘I shan’t make new friends’ thing, she also knows that Chaeryeong’s genuinely worried about her and her loner personality.

 

Chaeryeong doesn’t sound any less concerned, but thankfully she drops it. “Fine. Just you wait till I’m better. I’ll put your in its place.”

 

Ryujin rolls her eyes. “Don’t you worry about my , it’s stuck exactly where it should be. Now go to sleep Ryeong, you sound awful.”

 

“I do not! But I will, because I’ve always been a firm believer in the fact that the early bird gets the worm. I will contact you again soon. Goodnight, RyuRyu.”

 

“Night Ryeongchae. And stop calling me that."

 

“I will once you actually get out of your goddam house and make some new friends.”

 

Ryujin immediately hangs up. “Early birds and worms my .”