I watched as the two girls sitting across me were busily browsing through the pages of the notebook they were each holding. Neither of them talking, nor touching their food.

“What’s that?” I heard Daesung ask.

“Reviewers,” Joohyun answered simply, her eyes fixed on the notebook in front of her.

Seungri breathed, “Reviewers?”

“Darong gave it to us this morning.” Bom stated. Then all of a sudden, she gasped and turned to Joohyun, pointing at something in ’her’ notebook. “THIS! I didn’t understand this when it was being discussed! But now, just by reading it, I totally do!! Everything here is simplified! Even a toddler would be able to understand everything written here! My Darong is so amazing!” She squealed with joy, her eyes beaming with admiration.

Joohyun nodded in agreement. “I really feel like I’m going to be in the top 30 this time around. She’s really something… Dara, I mean. Making all these for us… ” she said, mostly to herself.

I knitted my eyebrows tightly.

Is that why the girl borrowed a lot of books the other day? She borrowed so much that I thought that she could already build a library of her own. And there, I also thought that she was borrowing the books to lend it to them –not to make reviewers. Just how much free-time does she have? The previous week should've been a tough week for her. She was accused of a lot of things and got suspended because of it and yet she had the time to do such... things (reviewers)?

I felt myself in awe but it was quickly replaced by irritation when a memory came to mind.

“…she didn’t even defend herself! Can you believe it? I never thought it would be so easy!”

I didn’t know why, but it irked me.

Seungri’s voice tore me away from my thoughts.

“Why aren’t you doing something like that for us too? Don’t keep all your intelligence to yourself! You have to share what the Heavens have given you to those who doesn’t have them!” he said to Daesung, putting on a pouty face.

Daesung gave him an awkward look and was about to reply but I heard myself blurt out, “So you’re implying that you don’t have an ounce of intelligence in you… is that it?”

Daesung, Joohyun and Bom burst out laughing. Seungri looked at me blankly, as if analyzing what I just said in his head. When he finally understood it, his cheeks turned red.

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT AT ALL!”

My lips curved into a smirk in amusement.

“You guys seem to be enjoying yourselves. What’s going on?”

My head snapped in the direction of the enthusiastic voice. There she was… with a happy smile plastered on her face. I didn’t realize I was eyeing her as she sat across me as Joohyun and Bom moved to the side to give enough space for her to sit.

I found myself lost in my own thoughts once again.

It’s been days since I last saw her. I didn’t know why… we live next to each other but I seemed to find myself avoiding her. At first, it wasn’t intentional since I was really busy with something. But after the incident in the music room, something inside me boils with just the thought of her. I haven’t seen her since that day. Since the day I waited for her after school. But hold on......

Why did I wait for her?

*FLASHBACK*

Almost everyone, if not all, were happy hearing about the early dismissal that day. I was walking along the hallway with Daesung, Seungri and Bom. Seungri was blabbering something about his favorite singer –which I found entirely irrelevant at the situation that was happening in our school as of the moment, not that I cared- was having a concert in town this summer holiday.

Suddenly, I saw the girl being escorted by a teacher to who-knows-where. I felt a sudden curiosity rose upon me. I realized the three people beside saw it too when they called out to Joohyun as soon as she came out of their classroom and asked, “Where is Dara going?”

“The principal’s office. She’s been called for some unknown reason,” Joohyun answered, her voice full of concern.

It’s been exactly thirty minutes since she was called in the principal’s office. The school was almost empty now. Daesung, Joohyun and I were standing in front of the school-gates. Bom called her father to pick her up as soon as the early dismissal was announced so she had to leave, while Seungri has also already gone home since his mother called him and told him to go home right away, worried that the school will explode next –which I found utterly exaggerated.

Daesung was silently reading a book as we waited while Joohyun was pacing in front of me restlessly which I found very annoying.

“Would you please stop?” I bawled.

Joohyun shot me a glare but stopped nonetheless. I saw her lean in the wall in the corner of my eye. I didn’t fail to see that she would look at her phone every now and then, and then press its keys as if to send a message. This happened repeatedly.

I sighed.

“Go home,” I said in a very quiet voice.

She turned to me. “What?”

“Go home.” I repeated, not looking at her. “Someone must already be looking for you.  I’ll…” I paused, a bit hesitant to continue my sentence.

“…stay here and wait.”

This made Daesung look up from his book.

“But I can’t just go home… I mean… it’s the very first time Dara has ever been called at the principal’s office besides being called there for awards and such. I’m very worried...” The tone of her voice surprised me a bit. She was always shouting, angry and whatnot. But this time, her voice was soft and full of worry. She really does care for the girl…

“Just go. I’ll be here waiting for her anyway.” I saw the look she gave me so I quickly added, “I mean, she told me earlier that we will go home together so you don’t have to worry.” Of course the last part was a lie. The girl didn’t tell me that we will go home together today since she knew I was supposed to have soccer practice.

Even though I said that, Joohyun just wouldn’t budge. I was about to give up on telling her to go home when she finally gave in.

I rolled my eyes. If she was going to give in, why not earlier? I just wasted a lot of my saliva.

When she was gone, my head turned to Daesung. I raised my brow at him. “You’re still here?”

He chuckled as he took out his phone and dialed a number. “Fine, fine. I’m going. Geez. If you wanted to wait for Dara all by yourself you should’ve just said so, I would’ve left earlier!”

I frowned at him as I saw him move away from me as he put the phone up to his ear.

“Hello? Yes, please do pick my up now. I’m in front of the school.” I heard him saying.

Just a few minutes after he made the call, a car arrived. The driver of the car rushed to open the door of the backseat for Daesung. He waved at me before going inside. I nodded in response.

What he said last replayed in my mind.

Who said I wanted to wait for her? If I had a choice, I would’ve gone home. But…

I did have a choice. Why am I still here then?

*END FLASHBACK*

Even until now, it was a mystery yet to be solved.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt five pairs of eyes staring curiously at me.

“What?” I hissed.

Seungri rolled his eyes. “Pretending not hear anything now that you’ve been challenged huh, Kwon Jiyong?”

Challenged? What the hell is this idiot talking about?

Dara, who seemed to notice that I really had no clue he was talking about, said to me, “Seungri said that he’s challenging you to an ‘Academic Ranking Match’, as he called it...”

'Academic Ranking Match'? Seriously? What a stupid name. But by just hearing the name, I already knew what it was all about. It probably about our ranking in our academics. As if I'll lose. He's 10 ranks away from me.

I stifled a snicker. “I’d never do something as stupid like that.”

“What, you scared you’re going to lose to me?” he mocked.

The rest of the gang was watching both of us with amusement.

My eyebrows twitched. I knew fully well that he was just trying to get me to accept the challenge. I let out a loud groan of frustration inside my head.

“Fine, I accept!” I growled at him, making him grin wildly.

I blame my pride for accepting something as idiotic as this.

“I take Daesung as my tutor!” He said hugging Daesung's arm tightly –as if his life depended on it. My eyes furrowed when I saw him stick his tongue out to me.

How childish.

Before I could retort, a hand shot up in the air. We faced the person the hand belonged to. My left eyebrow rose involuntarily at her.

“I’ll tutor Jiyong!” Dara said her eyes wide with excitement.

Seungri’s jaw-dropped, instantly regretting that he chose Daesung instead of Dara.

“No.” I said firmly at her.

She pouted. “Why not?”

"Because I said so."

Seeing as it was his chance, Seungri roughly pushed Daesung’s arm away from him and leaned towards Dara with his eyes twinkling in joy. “Forget Dae! Please be my tutor instead, Dara!”

I saw Dara stare at him blankly for a moment before a smile formed in her lips.

My eyes widened slightly as I pictured him and Dara spending most of the time together in my head. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t like it.

I didn’t like it one bit.

Just as she was about to open to say something, I pushed Seungri away from the girl. Seungri gave me a have-you-gone-mad look while Dara and the others looked at me quizzically.

“Didn’t she already say she’ll tutor me?” I said matter-of-factly.

------------------------

A/N It wasn't supposed to end there but I wanted to update so badly but it's already late and I have to go somewhere early tomorrow morning...... so yea. You get the picture (that i can't stay up late tonight) LOL *hugs y'all tight* See ya next chappie!