Amber was running down the corridor, dashing out of the library and ignoring the librarian's scowl as she ran past lines and lines of lockers with a pile of books in her arms. She was going to be late for class, having got too caught up in a novel in the library over lunch and she knew her English teacher would kill her if she was late for another class. She always did this, got lost in a book as she ate her lunch alone in a secluded area of the library so not to be seen doing it, she knew the librarian was starting to let her off for eating the library, knowing that the girl had no one to eat with and that eating alone in the cafeteria was close to social suicide and beyond awkward. But that didn’t stop the disapproving tuts at times, something which Amber would much rather avoid completely.

She spent lunch alone because she had no one to spend it with, she didn’t have a single friend in the whole school. She was too girly to hang out with the boys but too boyish to hang out with the girls and so her tomboyish image and personality made her sit right in the middle and neither side wanted to accept her. At first she found it hard but, eventually she grew to accept it. It was just how things were. There always needed to be someone at the bottom of the social ladder and it just so happened to be her.

She eventually slowed down, her arms now shaking under the weight of her books as she tried to catch her breath. No matter how often she found herself in this situation she just seemed unable to remember that she couldn’t run from one side of the school to the other in one go, she wasn’t fit enough for that. She checked her watch as her chest heaved and sighed softly, she still could still make it to class on time.

Once she had caught her breath she started to briskly walk down the corridor again, giving up on running now that she knew she wouldn’t be late. She looked down, to check her books weren’t slipping out of grip, and when she wasn’t looking someone slammed roughly into her shoulder. The force of the hit made her drop her books, the hard backs scattering all over the floor as she fell back and joined her books on the floor. She hissed in pain and rubbed her lower back as she looked up to see who had ran into her to find Jessica glaring down at her.

Jessica...the name alone make her want to roll her eyes. The girl was popular, a cheerleader and at the top of the school’s social chain. Everyone seemed to love her but whether it was from genuine like or fear Amber just didn’t know. It seemed she was the only one who didn’t like the blond who was, just then, tossing her carefully curled blond hair back over her shoulder as she looked down at Amber as if the tomboy was something she just scraped off her shoes.

“Look where you are going” Jessica’s voice sounded sharp and venomous as she brushed the shoulder that had hit Amber’s, as if to clean it, before walking off but not without stepping on one of Amber’s books in her flashy high heels and making sure to rub the heel into its thick cover. Amber sat up and pick up one of her books, the temptation to throw it at the cheerleader growing but she sighed and put the book down on the floor in front of her as she shifted into a kneeling position. She was better than that, she wouldn’t stoop down to Jessica’s level.

She started picking up her books, ignoring the painful twinge in her lower back, and piled them up in front of her. She was so deep in her own world, muttering to herself about “stupid cheerleaders”, that she didn’t notice that someone knelt down in front of her and started to help her pick up her books, it was only when she reached out for the last book and instead found it being held out to her that she jolted out of her thoughts, jumped a little and looked at the stranger in front of her.

She didn’t recognize him though, chances were, that they had walked by each other at some point during the school year. He had dark honey brown hair, dyed but it suited him and looked soft rather than like it had been attacked with chemicals, and he wore glasses, the lenses making his eyes seem a little bigger, and though the glasses seemed to be a bit too small for his head, with simple thin and black frames, they still seemed to somehow look right on him, even if Amber didn’t quiet understand how. What he was wearing though could only be described as ‘I get dressed in the dark fashion’. The clothes weren’t bad they just clashed somehow, the colours not looking quite right together and the ripped loose fitting jeans seeming just a little too big for him.

She took the book from him and put it on top of the pile with a muttered thank you and he smiled, the brightest and widest smile she had ever seen, before standing up and holding a hand out to her.

“Are you okay?” He asked simply. His voice was like honey, just like his hair. “You fell pretty hard”

She looked at his hand hesitantly, not sure if he would actually help her up or just let her fall again. People had done it before but her back really did hurt...she wasn’t going to get up otherwise. She took hold of his hand and he helped her up easily, as if she didn’t weigh anything, and she nodded in reply to his question.

“Yeah...yeah, I’m fine” She hugged the pile of books closer, holding them tighter “Thanks for helping...”

He tilted his head slightly and looked at her for a moment, noticing the hesitant tone in Amber’s voice. He didn’t know if the girl was just shy or didn’t trust him. He thought, maybe, that the tomboy was worried he would push her down like Jessica did. He smiled again, though smaller and warmer this time in hopes of making the girl more comfortable before holding his hand out again, this time for a handshake.

“You’re welcome. I’m Jinki by the way, and you are?”

Jinki...Amber thought the name suited him. It was a strange name for a seemingly strange person: Strange not just in a appearance but strange for seemingly wanting to genuinely help the girl out and maybe even be friends? She reached out and shook his hand before quickly gripping her books again.

“I’m Amber” She looked around her to find the corridor completely empty and her eyes widened before she looked at her watch. Ten minutes!? She had spent ten minutes in the middle of an abandoned corridor and now she was five minutes late....her teacher was going to kill her.

“I have to go” She spoke quickly, shifting her books in her arms as she hurried past Jinki. She turned back, still walking quickly, to face him and wave as she continued to speak “It was nice meeting you Jinki...thanks again for helping me”

With those last words she disappeared around the corner and dashed to her classroom, leaving Jinki by himself in the corridor. He stood there for a moment, his head tilted slightly as he looked at the corner the tomboy just disappeared around with curiosity before muttering to himself.

“Your name is Amber...” with that he smiled before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans and turning to walk off in the opposite direction, looking strangely pleased with himself.

Author's notes:

Hi~

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