CHAPTER 015: School And Eunsul

 

Somebody is yelling over you. A repetition of your name, over and over and over again.

       "Hana!"   It annoys you but you are too engross in sleep to actually answer the female voice calling your name. That, of course, changes when you realize it is Nana and that she is shaking your shoulder in urgency.         "Nana?" You ask, "What are you doing here? What's going on?"   That's a stupid question. Nana has been sleeping in your room for days now since she was kicked out of hers to make room for Lucy and her husband, Donhyuk. But you can't remember at the moment since you're drunk on sleep.         "Hana, I've been sleeping here for days now," Nana laughs her elderly laugh.   You don't even care so you nod your head and look around you. It's still dark but you can see that the sun will come out soon. It's also really cold for some odd reason.         "Why are you waking me up?" Your voice is heavy with sleep and you begin to stretch like a lazy cat.   That changes the moment Nana opens , "It's the first day of school."        "Oh my god!"   And then you're up, running around your room picking out your undergarments and taking out your uniform. You look like you've gone insane by the time you find a towel and lock yourself in the bathroom to shower.            ***********************            "Here comes the baby of the house!" Your dad says when you're jogging down the stairs, ready in your uniform and with your school bag on your hands. You set it down on the living room and enter the kitchen for breakfast.   To your surprise, Kris is already ready and eating breakfast on the dining table.         "How are you ready?" You ask, "I even forgot you existed. Who woke you up?"   The kid doesn't even look at you. He's scrolling through his phone while shoving spoonfuls of cereal on his mouth.         "I woke him up," Nana says, "Right after you went to the bathroom."        "But where did he shower?" You ask. There's only two bathrooms in the house. The one upstairs, that you were using and the one downstairs, that belongs to your parents and it's forbidden territory.    Kris speaks up this time, "Your mom let me shower in her bathroom."   You're obviously shocked at this. Your parents hate it when anyone enters their bathroom. You're not sure why. It's not like everyone has a disease.    But apparently they have a soft spot for Kris.    You glance at your parents. Your dad is going through some papers in the counter, business essentials. He's still in sleepwear and has messy bed hair. He doesn't go to work until later in the afternoon. Your mom on the other hand is showered and ready. She's wearing a grey pencil skirt and a white blouse. Later on the day, she'll wear a white lab coat that says Dr. Song and be addressed as a pediatrician.    She goes to work at the same time you leave for school. Which is usually good in your schedule because...        "Are you guys ready?" She says, "I can't run late to work, so if you kids want me to drop you off at school, you better shove that food down your throat."   Kris nods and sips the last of his milk before running upstairs to brush his teeth again.    You follow right after, not finishing your cereal but scurrying to brush your teeth, too.    Kris is already brushing his teeth when you get there. You apply some toothpaste on the brush and push him out of the way. You have a habit of looking at yourself in the mirror while in the process.    But so does Kris.       "Don't push me!" He says and shoves you away.        "It's my bathroom!"       "I don't see your name on it!"        There's a scream from downstairs, "5 minutes and I'm leaving!" It's your mom telling you to hurry up.           "Fine, we'll share!" You groan and you scoot over for him to have some space but the glares you send each other through the mirror are inevitable.         "You're so ugly," he says through a mouthful of toothpaste and foam.    You roll your eyes and finish brushing your teeth. When you're done, you dry your mouth on a towel and turn to him, "Call dibs on the front seat."   And then you're running downstairs.    Your mom is getting in the car when you open the front door after grabbing your bag.    Kris is a giant with long legs and so he catches up to you in a matter of seconds. He shoves you against the door and makes a run for the front seat of the car.        "Wha- That's not fair!" You whine outside the car. Your mom glares at you and Kris laughs from the passenger seat.        "Hana, stop being a baby and get in the car!" Your mom yells.    54 seconds later and you are pouting in the backseat with your arms crossed.    Kris is having the time of his life, humming along to the radio and everything.    You feel like ripping out his eyeballs.        "Why is it that you always take his side?" You ask your mom.    She chuckles, "I don't take anybody's side. I'm neutral."       "My ," you say, "You're so nice to Kris, but when it comes to me... No~ Hana is stupid and whiny and she doesn't deserve our kindness!" You imitate what your parents would sound like and your mom stays quiet.   A couple of seconds passed by in silence and then she speaks, "I'm sorry, Honey. What did you say? I was lost in my thoughts."   Kris chuckles and you throw your arms in the air, letting out a groan.         ******************************            "You look so ugly in a school uniform," you say. It's not true but it seems like you have been lacking on some offensive comments lately to say to Kris.    Kris shrugs, "I could be worse. At least I look bad in only my school uniform. Unlike you, who looks bad in everything you wear."   You pause on your steps, completely offended.    Kris looks back at you, "Why? You offended?"   You snort, "You wish." And keep walking, passing by the tall blond.     Your mom had to drop you off a block away from school due to traffic. She didn't want to wait in line just to drop you two off at the entrance. So instead, she kicked you out of the car and waved you two goodbye before disappearing into the sunset.         "How do I know what classes I have?" Kris says in the meanwhile.        "There's a bulletin board in the hallway. It says the students name by grades and you find your name and bam! Now you know your classroom number," you nonchalantly say. Then later on add, "Isn't that the way it's done in China or Canada?"   Kris shakes his head, "No, it's different in Canada. And I never went to school in China, by the way, so I wouldn't know. In Canada, it's different, though. You'd know at least a bit of your schedule already."        "Well, I'm guessing it can't be that different. We stay in the same class throughout the day and the professors come to us, but sometimes we may switch class once in a while, like for example, when we need to do Music, Art or Gym, we need to get out and go to another room for the materials. It's not so bad, trust me."   Kris is looking at you intensively by the time you stop talking.    You raise a brow at him, "Why are you looking at me like that?"   He blinks and then turns away with a shrug, "I don't know. It's the first time we've ever spoken without a fight. And also, I just realized how ugly you truly are."   You pinch him in the arm and he scurries away from you with a wince of pain, "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"   You let go of him and he then breaks into a smile, "I was kidding, but not about you being ugly. I was kidding when I said I just realized it now... I realized it a long time ago."   You pinch him again and the boy is forced to run away. You chase after him with the purpose of giving him bruises.           That doesn't last long, though. Because once you reach the boy and start smacking him, you realize your surroundings. People are wearing the same uniform you and Kris are wearing, and they are sending you both very interesting glances. Some with awe and amazement, others with confusion and annoyance.    You stop your actions on Kris immediately. This is the first time, you realize, that you've ever socialized with somebody in school campus. Well, maybe with Chanyeol but it was different. You argued with witty humor with Chanyeol and you two never made a scene. With Kris, on the other hand, it seems like you have no limit or line that can't be crossed.    Why does Kris make you act like a careless teenager?        "Hey, you okay?" The said boy asks from your side. You had abruptly stopped and now you look like a deer in the headlights.    You look at him and shake your head, "No, I'm fine. Let's just go inside," you say after a while.    The school's entrance is a couple of feet away and you head straight for it.          **************************     You're not stupid.    You've always noticed the stares from people. It is never a precise look so you're never sure if they look at you from hatred or like. Ever since you started school, you've never had friends yet it seems like people knew that you existed with the obvious glances etc. so this made you wonder if they avoided you on purpose. Did they not approach you for a certain reason?    Even now, as you walk inside the school building with Kris behind you, looking for your schedule information; People are staring and whispering again, even more than the usual, actually.    You wonder why....   Kris pulls your hair, making himself noticed to you.        "Where are we going?" He asks.    You blink the confusion and daze away. "Oh, right. Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts...," you mumble. "Here, find our grade."   You look to the side, facing the wall. The papers are up in the wall, telling student where to go and who their classmates will be.    Kris is ready to shove some people out of the way, since it's crowded with students who want to know their schedule, but it seems like it isn't necessary. The moment he leans in, people move out and he raises a brow at the odd behavior.    Am I a king? He wonders in his head, a little taken a back by the action but nevertheless flattered because he's arrogant and stupid at times.   He clears his throat and starts searching for both your names. The first name he finds its yours. He keeps his index finger on it to not lose the reference.        "Hana!" He yells for you and you're right next to him, also looking for names.       "Did you find it?" You ask.    The students around you are beyond surprise. The Ice Princess talks now? And who is that? Who is she talking to? Who is that guy? What's his name? Are they dating? How do they know each other?        "Yeah, I only found your name though. Song Hana, right here," he reads ou