‘And isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?’
-

“Isn’t it funny the first time we met I punched a guy in the face for you.” That wasn’t exactly what went down, it was more of a slap. Also it wasn’t really on his face it was more so his neck because she was really drunk and wasn’t very good at aiming.

I still think it’s funny that she thinks that was the first time we ever met because it wasn’t. It was our first official meeting, but it wasn’t the first time I saw the dark haired girl whose head is currently laying on my lap in our studio apartment. The first time I saw her was when I was sixteen years old. It has been six years since the first time I saw her. I’ve never told her about this, I just never felt the need to. It’s like a fun little secret I have just for myself. The first time I ever saw her was during the spring of my sophomore year of highschool.

-
1

It was a surprisingly warm day for the beginning of March so the first thing I thought to do was to go read in the park in the middle of town. Even though there are usually hundreds of people bustling around and kids playing, it still feels peaceful to me. It’s my favorite place to read and just observe. People watching is one of my favorite things to do and this is the perfect place to do it. 

“I’m gonna get some yogurt, do you want to come?” I was currently laid out on a blanket on the grass next to my best friend Dani. She likes to join me here sometimes as well. 

“No I’m good, I don’t feel like getting up.” I laugh at the sprawled out girl that from a distance would look like she is sleeping just out in the open. I don’t even know why I bothered to ask the older girl. She always gives me the same response every time I ask. 

“Okay I’ll be back.” I tap her on the back and begin walking to our town's local yogurt shop. It’s a bit famous around here. I’ve never been to a place that takes yogurt as seriously as here. I walk into the shop hearing the familiar ding of the bell on the door. The shop is surprisingly not busy for it being the weekend on a warm day. There was just an older lady with a little boy at a corner table and a man who was typing away on his computer sitting in a booth. 

“Hey! The usual?” I look at the register and see the girl I see everytime I come into this shop. I think she is in college and works here part time. I just nod and she leaves the register to go and make my usual; strawberry with lots of sprinkles. Then a girl I have never seen before comes out from the back and begins sweeping behind the counter. I felt like my heart skipped a beat and my breathing stopped as soon as I laid my eyes on her. How can someone be so beautiful? How can someone make sweeping look so elegant? I feel myself moving closer to the girl. It’s like I can’t even control it, my body is moving on its own accord. “That’ll be $4.50.” 

“Huh?” I whip my head around towards the voice that broke me out of my trance and am met with a friendly smile as she held out my frozen yogurt to me. “Oh here you go.” I frantically reached into my pocket handing the older girl the money telling her to keep the change and took the frozen yogurt from her hand. I looked back around to where the girl with long black hair was, but she was no longer there. 

“Have a nice day Haerin!” I nod wishing her the same, exiting the frozen yogurt shop with my mind full of whoever that pretty girl was. I have never seen her before around here. She must be new? I come here pretty frequently. 

After that day I went almost everyday to try and see the beautiful girl again, but every time I went she wasn’t there and after two weeks I gave up trying to see her again. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. 

-
2

I saw the same girl almost a year later towards the end of my junior year. It was at a basketball game and she was on the opposing team. I wasn’t playing I just went to cheer on my school with my friends, but she was. Again I felt my heart skip a beat watching her run up and down the court. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her the entire game. It just looked so effortless for her. I don’t even think she was breaking a sweat. How can someone be so perfect? 

“ number 34 is killing it we might lose this game!” I smiled a little bit at the boy behind me freaking out about the girl I’m currently obsessing over. Maybe I can talk to her after the game. Tell her that she did good. That wouldn’t be weird right? It’s just a harmless compliment, nothing more. 

As the game was ending everyone was bustling around moving towards the exit. Some people walk onto the court to talk to the players. I see her—the most beautiful girl in the world—and try to make my way over to her through the sea of people, but I am stopped by the friend I actually came here to watch. 

“Haerin!” I turn around and see Hyein running towards me smiling big. I laugh welcoming the sweaty hug she trapped me into. 

“What are you so happy about? You guys lost.” I joked as the sweaty girl smacked my arm. 

“It was still fun, plus that Minji girl is the number one shooting guard in the league. We didn't stand a chance anyway.” Minji. So that is her name. 

“You know her?” Maybe Hyein is friends with her. That would make it easier to talk to her.

“Oh no. I have just played against her a couple times. She probably doesn’t even know I exist to be honest.” Well this won’t help me all. I turn around trying to find the girl that is the topic of our discussion, but she is no longer there. No. I looked around the whole gym, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. Did she already leave? Then my other friends that I came here with to watch Hyein walked over towards us hugging the girl and began talking. Their talking was like background noise in the distance as I double and triple checked, making sure Minji wasn’t in the room. It feels weird knowing her name when she has no idea who I am, but I’m glad I do. At least now I can put a name to the beautiful girl who resides in my head. 

-
3

I saw Minji again during the first semester of my freshman year of college, almost two years later. To be honest I forgot about her for a while. It was a complete shock when I walked into a random coffee shop and saw her sitting in the corner. She had a giant smile that spread from ear to ear at whatever she was looking at on her phone. I have never seen someone with a prettier smile than her. It stopped me in my tracks, several people having to push me out of the way so they could exit the shop. What a coincidence that she would be here. Hundreds of miles from where I saw her last. 

Maybe I should talk to her. No that might be weird, she has no idea who I am. She is by herself though, or at least that’s what I thought until a tall boy walked right past me brushing me as he walked. He went straight to the table she was at and she looked up at him with a bright smile, a smile so big her eyes almost disappeared. Oh. I turned away from them and finally walked to the counter to order an iced Americano. I tried to not look at them while I waited, but I couldn’t help myself. 

Out of the corner of my eye I could see them holding hands over the table. I took a heavy sigh as the barista finally handed me my drink. It’s not like I had a chance anyway. 

-
4

It’s the first day of my second semester of college and it has been absolutely terrible. I woke up late this morning so I missed the subway to get to campus. Since I woke up late I was starving and had no time to get food, so I feel especially angry right now. To top it off I forgot my computer so I have to take notes on paper and I am a slow writer so that is going to stress me out. My earliest class—which is English—had to be at eight in the morning. Why couldn’t they have any later time for this? 

It’s not like I can skip this class either, it's part of my major’s requirements. So I’m stuck having to get up early in the morning every Tuesday and Thursday for the next couple months. I made my way into the large lecture hall with probably more than a hundred chairs. I like classes like this because it is easier to not get noticed. I hate being called on in class. I take a seat towards the back left so it would be easy fo