Studying is not my forte.

I hate studying because it involves me to read and I hate reading. Whenever I look down at books, all I see are a bunch of words swimming around the page. For a while I thought that maybe I was dyslexic but no, I’m not. I’m just one of those people who don’t like to read. Nothing can change my outlook on reading. I mean looking at a bunch of symbols and give meaning to it, it’s so stupid.

But you know the one thing I hated more than reading?

Teamwork.

Now, I don’t mean to sound like a spiteful jerk. Teamwork is great when teams actually work together but in school, group work simply means you will probably be paired with a jackass and you will have to live with it until the task is over.

I don’t hate people, people are great. They make awesome things like cars, phones and all other fancy things. But some people, some people I want to punch in the face. Although in saying that I would never do such a thing, but it doesn’t stop me from visualizing it. Some people are so lazy and selfish that it makes me want to hurl them off the face of the planet and launch them towards the sun.

The whole concept of ‘teamwork’ is to share the workload. Usually one person is elected leader and they get to instruct everyone else what to do but they basically make sure things are kept in check. But then when you get two leaders in one group, they just clash. They rip each other’s throats out in order to determine who the dominant alpha male is. But that isn’t the worst. Having two people argue about the top spot isn’t that horrible because in the end, at least the work is done.  The worst people to work with are the lazy people.

Now I don’t care if you are a slacker in class and scrape by each day that is entirely up to you. But when you are paired with another person who is clearly not a slacker and is clearly not a person who wants to get just a passing grade, you really have to get your act together. The work is shared and therefore the grade is shared. Don’t lounge around thinking a just-pass is what everybody wants. It’s not and people should really open their eyes and see the bigger picture. Not everything revolves around you and your lazy lifestyle. So selfish, I just don’t understand those people.

I am unfortunately paired with one of these lazy people.

I can’t remember his name but it doesn’t matter. At least I remember the time date and place when organising a meet up. The plan was meet up in the local library and cover our topic for the oral presentation but the jackass hasn’t showed up. Did he get cold feet? I don’t know but the reality is that I’m stuck in a horrible library with books piled higher than the heavens above and I’m left waiting for some jerk that isn’t going to show up.

Ah, life is beautiful.

I wonder around the place and glance over at the other patrons who are engulfed by whatever work they are doing. One man is on Facebook, another girl is doing the same thing, a kid is on Youtube with their friends huddled around it; it’s wonderful how people gather up in libraries to study.

I end up planting myself at a table at the very back of the library where no one can see me. If my partner did end up turning up, they can walk around like a lost for thirty minutes to find me as punishment. Since I’m already in a library and it’s not a common thing, why not try studying? After all my books are in my bag and the ‘group activity’ will end up with me doing 90% of the work anyway. There’s no denying it so there’s no point in lying to myself in thinking my partner will actually show up.

I didn’t study for long. I’m not the type of person who can dive into work and come out hours later with everything completed. I’m the type of person who can work for about five minutes and then need a break for about two hours but being in a library, there’s not much I can do on my break.

I lean back in my seat and take a long breathe. There aren’t that many people in the library but there’s a person sitting in front of me. They are a nerd. I don’t mean to be judgemental but everything about him screams geeky. His thick framed glasses, his nerdy Star Wars t-shirt, the mounds of books scattered around him, yep definitely a nerd. I have nothing against nerds, they did their thing and I did mine but what kept making me look back at the boy was the fact that he looks exactly like Peter Parker. Even the way he hunches over the desk as he reads whatever book he is reading, it’s like the movie just came to life.

It’s glorious, I’m not much of a reader but I love movies. My eyes can’t stop glancing over at him. I just want to scream out to him, “Hey you look like Peter Parker!” but I’m in a library a place full of composure and silence.

Instead I bite my lip and throw glances over at the person I like to call “Peter”. It’s so sad that I’m like this. Who fanboys in the middle of a library just because some random kid looks like your childhood comic book hero?

Not me clearly. Gosh, what kind of douche would do that? Yeah, definitely not me.

I say this but I continue to watch him inquisitively. I don’t know if it’s because I’m bored out my mind or if I genuinely find this person interesting but it beats studying on some crummy assignment on my own. I still hadn’t forgotten that it’s a group assignment.

The person before me, Peter, is completely clueless about my gaze. His lips curl up into a smile as he reads something funny and I find myself doing the same. His cheeks swell up and reveal the plump apples of his cheeks as he flashes his pearly whites.

Who smiles in the middle of a library? Peter does.

I can see his cheeks flush a bright pink as he looks up from his book. I swiftly dive into my book about some crap I had forgotten and act as casually as possible. Peter doesn’t have to know he’s my entertainment for the day. I’m merely a distant observer, not a stalker. I’m not planning to follow Peter home and discover his hidden identity as Spiderman. No. Nope, I’m not a creep but I do find him a little cute. I don’t know if it’s because he looks like Peter Parker or if I genuinely find him cute or maybe it’s a bit of both. Who knows but heck, I don’t care. I’m too busy trying not to laugh at his embarrassment. Is second hand embarrassment real?

He looks up for moment and looks around the room as if he were checking if anyone is watching. I bite onto my tongue to silence myself and stop myself from bursting into laughter. The look of worry across his face is so obvious that it’s almost comical but I manage to keep my composure.

Several minutes pass and whatever Peter is reading, it is getting serious. His light expression from before is completely gone and he replaces it with a look of anxiousness with a subtle hint of fear. I wonder what he’s reading, the way he reacts to the words on the page, it makes me think that perhaps it is worthwhile for me to glance over. But then I remember it’ll involve me reading. No, Jung Daehyun does not read.  Words give me a headache.

I look over at him again and I notice something pink peek out from between his lips. His tongue is sticking out of his mouth and he’s biting down on it. Clearly he’s not biting hard enough for it to cause pain; he’s doing it so he can hold his tongue in place.

Who does that?

Who bites their tongue? I thought it was only something seen in movies.

I think he catches me watching him as he looks up from his book and stares right at me. For a brief moment I panic and resist the urge to flip the table in hope it will break the awkward tension between us. But no, I’m far more poised than that. Instead I pack up my things and shove everything into my backpack. Once I make sure everything is in place I get up onto my feet and walk as fast as my feet allow out of the library.

No more trips to the library.

If I must study, I will study at home. The library is a bad place for studying. It’s far more distracting to be in the library than at home. Definitely no more trips to the library.

I want to shoot myself. I’m back in the library again. My partner had called me and told me that we should meet up in the library. He said that he didn’t know we made plans for yesterday he thought it was today. I don’t know if I should believe him or not but I don’t have much of a choice. We have to get this presentation done eventually and the weekend is the best time to meet up.

I’m in the very same spot as I was the day before and Peter is back too. He’s sitting in the same place too and I can see him clearly. My partner still hasn’t shown up but I don’t mind, I’m preoccupied with Peter.

Peter is still swearing the same thick framed glasses as before but he swapped his Star Wars shirt for an Assassin’s Creed one, which for the record is an awesome game. I am very impressed by Peter’s choice of wardrobe and game selection, very impressed indeed.

He’s not reading today though. He seems to be actually doing work as he looks through his backpack for something while I casually flick through a comic book.

After sometime of fumbling through his bag he gets up and walks towards me. He actually gets up from his seat and walks over to me. Peter is walking over to me. He knows I exist, he probably recognises me as the freaky guy who looked at him yesterday. I search through my empty head for some kind of reasonable excuse but I can’t. I have nothing. Even I don’t know why I came back to the same place as yesterday. I could have sat anywhere else in the library but I came back to the very same spot. I don’t know why, I’m just a complex piece of meat. I honestly have no idea what I’m doing 99% of the time and the remaining 1% I am breathing but breathing isn’t even controlled, it’s something the body does automatically. Oh crud, he’s coming closer.

“Excuse me,” Peter whispers.

I look over at him like the idiot I am.

“Do you have a pen I can borrow?” Peter asks.

“Yeah,” I say a little too loudly which makes Peter wince a little.

I search through my bag and pick out a pen sitting at the very bottom. It’s probably been crushed by my school junk for who knows how long, but at least it works. Peter kindly accepts my pen and thanks me quickly before returning to his seat.

When he finally leaves, I begin breathing like a normal human again. I didn’t even know I held my breath when he walked over. Jeez Daehyun, control yourself. Calm down, he’s gone, just relax.

Peter begins his work and is scribbling down a bunch of notes while I resume ‘reading’ my comic. In reality I am just looking at the pictures as I wait for my partner to arrive. Much to my surprise however my partner does appear. He struts into the library and begins his search for me. I see him but I don’t call out his name because one, I can’t remember it and two; I want to watch him walk around like a lost puppy as my revenge.

He eventually finds me and exclaims in the top of his lungs, “Daehyun!”

In that moment I swear the entire library, including Peter looked up at my partner and myself. I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life. I shake my head and pretend I don’t see him as he pads over to me with a stupid grin across his face.

“Sorry I’m late, traffic was horrible.”

I merely nod at his excuse. In all honesty I didn’t care; I just want to get the work done and go home. It’s a miracle he’s even sitting across from me.

“Did you bring your notes?” I question with my mind full of doubt. I made a mental bet with myself that if he didn’t bring his notes or forgot to do them I would treat myself with a cheesecake later on for lunch.

A USB is plucked from his pocket and he drops it into my hand. I throw him a look of doubt as I pull out my laptop from my backpack. He smiles at me with that smug expression across his face, I can tell he’s proud of whatever he has brought to me but again I am doubting him.

“Did you have lunch yet?” he asks in a voice far too loud for a library.

I shush him and receive a thankful smile from Peter as he looks up from his work momentarily. I feel a little light headed at his gesture but it isn’t enough for me to lose track what I am doing. I whisper over to my partner, “This is a library, don’t talk so loud.”

“Sorry,” he apologises in the same volume and then repeats again in a softer tone, “Sorry.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I plug the USB into my laptop. It takes a moment for my computer to detect it and I open up the folder.

Someone give me a mothering cheesecake, the USB is empty. There is nothing in the stupid device and something tells me my partner has come empty handed. He isn’t the type of person to handwrite notes so I prepare myself for the excuses.

“Why is it empty?” he asks me in a fake panic. “I swear I saved my file on it last night.”

I shrug and pull the empty USB and place it on the table as if it is made out of filth.

“Ah! I’m so stupid; I must have saved it on my other USB at home. I should go grab it and come back here. I feel so bad for turning up with nothing.”

“No,” I’m quick to stop him because I know once he will disappear I won’t see him again until Monday morning which is when our presentation is due. “I already wrote up both our speeches so basically all you have to do is read it. I’m going to send it to you and I want you to print it out today and memorize it.”

I feel like I’m talking to a child as he smiles at me like I’m some kind of saviour.

“Thanks so much man,” he thanks me as he grabs his USB, “I’ll do it straight away when I get home. I’ll go do it right now.”

I give him a lazy shrug as he struts his way out of the library with his phone in his hand. He’s busy texting someone. I know for certain he isn’t going to print out the work I had done for him. I know for certain that he will print it out five minutes before the presentation and read it off the piece of paper like the idiot he is. I know all I’m going to get out of this assignment is a bare pass but I don’t care. This has been dragging on for almost a week that I have lost all interest in it. I can’t even stay mad for long or I might just burst into laughter.

“You’re really nice,” someone speaks to me.

I look up and I almost have a heart attack. It’s Peter and his smiling down at me.

“What?” I ask stupidly, trying to restrain myself from falling off my chair.

“Oh, I overheard you and your friend. I didn’t mean to but he kind of talks loud,” Peter shrugs, “Anyway I heard you saying you did all the work even though it’s meant to be a group thing.”

“How do you know it’s a group thing?” I question, perhaps I’m not the only creep out there.

Peter points over at my seat and explains, “Well it’s kind of obvious.”

“Oh, right,” I murmur.

“Anyway, thanks for the pen,” he returns my pen and smiles at me again.

I smile back and watch him walk back to his desk to pack his things. I’m left fighting an internal battle with myself. Should I ask him out for lunch? Is it weird to ask someone you don’t know out for lunch? I don’t know but I feel like I should reach out and talk to him.

He picks up his bag and there I call out, “Peter wait.”

He stops and looks at me in confusion. What did I just call him? What did I just do?

“Did you just call me Peter?” he questions.

No.

“Yes,” I admit. There’s no point denying it since he is the only person around.

“Oh okay them,” he replies as the awkward tension builds between us.

I have to explain, I have to explain or risk getting a restraining order. “Your glasses remind me of Peter Parker. Like Peter Parker from Spiderman.”

For a moment I think that you’re going to run away. I mean, I would sprint out of the library right then and there but he decides to stay. Another smile is thrown me again and he points out, “Yeah, I picked these glasses because I really liked the ones he wore in that movie. Kinda stupid actually but I really like that movie.”

“Same here but no you look good with those glasses,” I reply as the urge to punch my own face increases tenfold.

The librarian approaches us and shushes us with a stern face.

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk here anymore.”

I nod in agreement, a little sad that our conversation has to be put to an end.

“Do you want to grab something to eat? I’m just going out for some lunch; you’re welcome to join if you want.”

Heavens above, this can’t be real.

“Sure,” I beam back and hold out my hand, “I’m Daehyun.”

“Youngjae.”

Youngjae. Something tells me that I am going to like Youngjae much more than Peter. It’s a gut feeling but I know I’m right.

A/N: I know Youngjae looks nothing like Peter Parker but whatever let’s all just use our imaginations. 
I might continue this one day but I don't think it will anytime soon so for now I'm going to mark this as a completed oneshot.