Random Rambles: hi guys, long chapter and I'm not sure I'm completely happy with it, but I wanted to get it all out of my head while I had the chance ^^; There's a possibility that I may end up changing it here and there, but it'll depend on the ideas for further chapters :P Keep on commenting, you guys are awesome! <3

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Right before my Mom stopped in front of my ridiculously posh-looking, new school, I had the inexplicable feeling of pure nausea hit me square in the stomach. The weird part was that the nausea wasn't even unpleasant. In fact, it was the kind of nausea that overwhelmed, without it being annoying. I'm not sure how to explain it, but for a brief moment, it felt like I was hit by a cloud or something. I felt a little lightheaded, but in a good way... Or I may have just been totally nervous and nearly passed out. That seemed like the more plausible option. 

You can do this. Don't be nervous... I thought to myself as I analyzed the school building from the outside. I would have honestly thought that it would have been some kind of historic monument or castle or something grand. It being a school was the last thing I would've guessed. 

"Are you sure this is the right school?" I asked for the umpteenth time. 

"Honey, it's the only school. It looks great, don't you think?" Again, I wished I shared my mother's enthusiasm. Wasn't she even a little weirded out by the fact that the school looked so... extravagant? Were all the people on the island rich, or something? How was someone like me going to fit in here? 

I flinched when I heard the school bell ring and slumped back in the front seat. My mouth was dry, my hands clammy and my leg was twitching nervously up and down. When I started fidgeting with the uniform, I felt a warm hand covering mine. I looked up at my mother's gentle face and sighed deeply when she smiled at me. 

"You'll be fine, Jae. Just be yourself," she comforted, but I nearly scoffed. Be yourself? Seriously? 

"Mom," I started and she sighed, smiling knowingly. 

"I know, that sounded lame, but it's still good advice. The first day of anything is always scary and difficult, but it'll be fine once you start it. Just keep low, relax and have fun with it. I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends." 

"Fun, friends, relax...Right..." I parroted, taking another deep breath as I finally got the courage to open the door and slid out. I moved with the speed of a slug when I went to the backseat to get my backpack. A cold ripple shuddered through my body when I stood outside and I looked around. It wasn't particularly cold, so the sudden sensation was a little odd. Was I really that nervous? No, that's not it, I thought to myself as I slung the strap of my backpack over one shoulder, it's like someone is watching me.

Good. Add paranoia to your list of suffering misery, Jae, that'll help you get through the day for sure! I mentally smacked myself. 

"Jae, don't look so depressing, baby. It'll be fine," Mom cooed from the car. "Want me to pick you up after school?" she teased and I groaned, rolling my eyes. 

"Okay, okay," she conceded, putting up her hands in defense. "I got it, you're too cool to be seen with your old mother, say no more. Do you know the way back home?" 

"Mom!" I said again and she laughed. 

"Alright, I'll go. Have a good day, sweetie, and don't fuss too much about the uniform; you look great!" she greeted and blew me a kiss. The inner child in me wanted to cling on the handle of the car door with dear life so that she had no other choice but to take me back home, but the skeptical, tired-of-life teen within me said, "'Kay, bye," and watched her drive away. 

Heaving a sigh and cursing myself for not taking Mom up on her offer to pick me up since I paid zero attention on how we got here, I my heels and looked up at the imposing building. Why did it feel like I was a prisoner sentenced to death, about to walk towards the gallows? I stared long and hard at the gates, shuffling hesitatingly and with much reluctance towards the steps that lead into the school. The moment I looked up again, at the brilliant windows, I squinted, since the sunlight hit it right at an angle that nearly blinded me. 

...a freaking dude...

Blinking, I quickly looked around. Who said that? I searched the abandoned school yard and turned to look behind me, but there was no one there. Huh? I heard a clear voice, as if someone had been standing behind me and spoke the words, but I was alone. 

"Wow, Jae, you really need to chill," I shook my head and kept looking at the building. I guess I was hoping it would somehow grow on me, at least just a bit so I had the guts to keep moving forward, but I wasn't feeling it. When I picked at the uniform again, I stared down at the skinny jeans I was wearing. Had I known that the school looked this fancy, I would've gotten some neater jeans. I love these ones to death, which was obvious by the tear over the knee on one pant leg and the faded black color. 

Maybe I should've worn a skirt instead. Then again, what did it matter? I was gonna get noticed anyway, and that thought alone made my stomach turn. Taking another deep breath, I forced myself to steadily walk through the heavy, oak doors (pretentious, much?) and found myself gaping at the main entrance hall of the school. 

I whistled through my teeth when I saw the grand stairs and the majestic banners in scarlet and black, draped on either side of a huge clock. The ceilings were crazy high and arched in such a way that I was sure a gospel choir was going to come down the marble stairs to sing a song. That was another thing! Marble?! Really? The floor was covered in the stuff and shone with such decadence, I could see my own reflection in it when I stared down. There was even a sign put up with directions for new students, while I knew from my old school that they were lucky to be able to put up a sign that pointed towards the nearest toilet. 

Carefully moving forward, I'd half expected a butler to appear out of nowhere, but when such a thing did thankfully not occur, I decided, for my own sanity, to let it things be the way they were and read off the sign for the school office. When I walked down the quiet halls, my light footsteps were the only sounds that echoed, creating the illusion that someone was following me. Just a little bit creeped out, I dove into a nearby girls' bathroom since my nerves and imagination got the best of me. I don't know what was wrong, but I felt really strange. Panicked.

Oh no, not now. Get it together, Jae, come on. Breathe. You're fine. Your name is Jae-In Miyano. You're seventeen years old. Don't freak out. Don't let the images in...

I want to see my stars. I don't want to see them fall. I don't want to see the sky without them. 

Stop it, Jae!

Popping my eyes open, I glanced at my reflection in the framed mirror. I hated feeling like this. Lost and confused for absolutely no reason. The y part was that I had no meadow to run to, no stars to gaze at to calm me down. Putting my wrists under the cold water was the only thing I could do to prevent from freaking out completely. Taking steady breaths, I rearranged my hair and pulled it back tightly in a bun. Adjusting the oversized shirt and blazer to the best of my capabilities, I nodded to myself.

Realizing that I shouldn't postpone this any longer, I got out of the bathroom with newfound confidence, but halted in my step when I saw a strange poof of black smoke from the corner of my eyes. It had disappeared as soon as I paid attention to it, which made me doubt whether I saw it at all. 

This is going great! 

Shaking my head, I continued towards the school office. The moment I found it, I opened the door and headed in. I paused a moment when I saw a middle-aged woman arguing with a student. Too late to just head back out again, I stood awkwardly by the door, doing my best to become invisible. 

"Wae, Tan-noona, I swear it wasn't me, so why do I get punished?" the student whined, and I couldn't help but quirk my eyebrow at him. What was he, twelve? 

"Don't you 'noona' me, young man, you think your charms are going to get you out of detention? Mr. Simon was abundantly clear when he warned you, and now you've to suffer the consequences."

Wow, that sounded severe. Wonder what he did...

"But, it was Baekhyun, not me!" the student continued protesting. 

The woman met him with a skeptic stare. "Mr. Byun was not in your class last period," she deadpanned and I winced out of embarrassment for the guy. 

His face slowly turning red, he let out a nervous, very boyish, chuckle. "Did I say Baekhyun? I-I m-meant Chan-Chanyeol! Yeah! Baekhyun, Chanyeol, tomato, tomater, easy to mix up!"

Yeah, keep going, buddy, you're doing great. Fighting...!

I tried my best not to listen in on their conversation, really, but there really wasn't anywhere else I could go, so to not hear it was not an option. 

"Mr. Kim, it takes a boy to be mischievous and to whine like a child. But it takes a man to shoulder his responsibilities and accept defeat," the woman, whom I assumed was named Mrs. Tan, told him patiently. Then, she handed him a red slip of paper. 

"Detention starts at 4 pm, sharp. You better be there," she told him strictly, pushing the slip of paper in his reluctant hand. 

"But, Tan-noona," he whined again. 

"Jongdae, you're lucky Mr. Simon didn't send you straight to the principal's office. Honestly, who puts a mouse in someone else's shirt?!" she tsked him and my eyes widened.  

"Daigo deserved it! He was trying to pull off the whiskers of his mouse while Mr. Simon told everyone in class that we were only to observe the mice. My mouse must've been upset and jumped into his shirt to bite the living crap out of him," the student explained fiercely, though having heard his side of the story now actually made me sympathetic towards him. 

"Language, Mr. Kim," Mrs. Tan warned before heaving an exasperated sigh. "I admire your sense of ethics, Jongdae, but weren't you equally cruel to send another, innocent mouse into the shirt of Daigo Forrester?" she asked him, which made him bow his head in shame. I furrowed my brow in surprise since I could see him pouting at the same time. 

"But I gave mine cheese afterwards," he added, and a vein popped up in Mrs. Tan's neck. I'm starting to think that this kid is doing this on purpose. 

The woman groaned. "That's not the point, Jongdae-, oh, no, you know what? 4 pm, detention, be there or regret it. Now, get back to class before you get yourself into further trouble!" she dismissed him and the student sighed. 

"Yes, ma'am," he replied meekly, turning around. He stopped in his tracks when he saw me and I froze myself. "Who are you?" he frowned, after scanning me with his eyes from head to toe. 

"Oh, eh, m-me- ow," I rubbed my cheek after poking at it with my finger. For some reason it had produced an electric jolt that just zapped a small fraction of my skin. That was weird. Shaking my head, I directed myself at the student again, adjusting the strap to my backpack. 

"I'm, uh, I'm n-new." Wow. Just- wow. Smooth, Jae, you're slick as oil, aren't you?

"Yeah, no kidding," he commented, the corners of his mouth curling up, a rakish grin on his face that made me glance away from him. "What happened to your pants, Newbie?" he suddenly asked and I grimaced at the nickname. Was it really going to be like that today?

"Uhm, my uniform is too big, so, eh...yeah..." 

Allow me to explain another thing. I, Jae-In Miyano, am eloquent as heckie, except when I'm put on the spot like this. Ask a blender to stop being a blender and come out of the background and you get this. Chunks of words strung together without it making much sense. 

"Right..." the student mused. "Do you know what they do to students who don't obey the dresscode?" he suddenly asked and I swallowed before nodding, my cheeks heating up. 

"Ha, and you still decided to come in that?" he provoked. 

"Mr. Kim, why are you still here?" came the absent voice of Mrs. Tan. 

"Tan-noona, it's the new kid. Look at his pants, there's a tear in the knee. I'm pretty sure that's not allowed, right?" there was a cheeky, smug grin on his face and I glared at him. What was his problem? Was this how the students of Hanwol welcomed newcomers? Where did he get the audacity to rat on me like that? And most importantly! Did he just say his pants?!

"Eh, hold up," I started, but a movement from behind the desk caught my attention. The middle-aged woman known as Mrs. Tan looked at me as though she saw me for the first time and immediately, her eyes darted towards my jeans. 

"Ah, hello. I'm so sorry, I hadn't noticed you just before. We've been expecting you," she said kindly. "Jongdae, didn't you have class to attend?" she asked him and the student bowed. 

"See you around, Newbie. Maybe at four," he waved the red slip in front of my face before closing the door behind him. I didn't even to get to ask him why he said his instead of her. Was he nearsighted? I didn't look that much like a dude, did I?

"Sorry about him, he likes to tease people," Mrs. Tan said with a soft smile on her face, waiting expectantly for me. 

"O-oh." Hm, maybe that explained it then. He was just messing with me. Pff, rude.

"I was told that I should register here," I started, trying to put the guy out of my head. I reached into my backpack and grabbed a stack of paper. I pushed them across the counter. "These are my transcripts from my old school," I told her and the woman accepted them with a polite smile. She seemed a bit more excited and in a better mood now, nodding her head as though she were impressed, as she briefly went through them. I knew that she was probably just being polite, seeing as my grades weren't that spectacular. 

"I can imagine that everything must be so new to you," she said out of the blue and gazed up with a friendly look on her face. "But, just now that it's new to us as well- oh, that came out wrong," she chuckled. "What I mean to say, is that you can relax, darling. You seem a little tense," she added, winking. 

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm a little nervous," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "I only arrived here yesterday," I explained, grabbing the registration letter and handing it to her. 

"Oh my, that's very short notice, huh? You should've stayed at home for another week, darling," she teased and I was grateful for that. She seemed nice. 

"Now, let's see. Miyano Jae-In," she mused, though I couldn't help but catch the surprised tone in her voice. "Jae-In, what a lovely name," she said, though she looked at me as though she was taking a doubletake. Seriously, she didn't think I was a dude, too, did she? 

"Thanks," I said quietly, biting my lip. 

"It's nice to meet you, Jae-In, I'm Mrs. Tan," she introduced officially and bowed. I quickly followed the example. 

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Tan, please call me Jae," I said politely, to which she snickered. 

"Ah, well, I'm not sure I should, darling," she commented, grinning as though she was thinking of an inside joke. Since I only arrived here since yesterday, I didn't exactly get the chance to interact with a lot of locals, but so far, I can say that I'm not very impressed. 

"I'm sorry for asking, eh- Jae-, but what happened to your uniform? Jongdae had not been wrong to point it out, since school policies are rather strict regarding the dresscode," she stated. 

Blushing, I fidgeted with the blazer and shirt. "Well, you can probably notice that the clothes are too big for me. I tried wearing the skirt, but it kept sliding off. The school said that they'd send me a proper uniform soon though, so there wasn't much else I could have done," I elaborated to which Mrs. Tan mused in understanding. 

"Ah, so I see! Well, that explains it then. I hope you get a good uniform soon, if only to avoid confusion," she said goodnaturedly, but I wasn't sure what she meant. 

"Eh, yeah, I hope so, too," was my only reply. Mrs. Tan spent half an hour telling me about the ropes at the school, and even though there was quite a lot of information to remember, she assured me that the school manual would be my savior. She was very nice when she sincerely welcomed me, but when she suggested I should put my hair down, I only frowned at her. I was really starting to doubt my appearance here. Or was it that the people in Hanwol never seen a girl before? 

"Follow me, Jae, I'll show you to your class," she finally said and the words hit me like thunder and lightning. Was I ready to meet my new classmates? Was I ready to start this dreadful day? Nope. A million times nope!

"Great, I look forward to it," I smiled. Whoa, I'm so full of it! You're an idiot, Jae, an i-d-i-o-t!

As my internal tirade continued in my mind, I followed Mrs. Tan meekly, occasionally looking around when we entered a new hallway, or when I saw the interesting and beautiful stained windows of the school. I wondered what this place was before it was a school. It didn't seem likely that they built this building with the sole purpose of it becoming a school, right? It was way too beautiful for that. 

Mrs. Tan suddenly stopped in front of a door and my heart skipped a beat. Here it was, here it goes, oh Lord, someone save me!

"Here we are," the woman chirped happily. "Just wait here, I'll go tell the teacher you've arrived," she said excitedly and entered the room after knocking briskly. I peeked inside as she interrupted the teacher and felt like running away when I saw the group of students that would become my new classmates. It didn't help that they all looked curious and I moved away from the opening of the door when a few eyes were directed towards it. 

"Class, my I have your attention, please? As all you may have already known, we have a new student joining us today," the teacher started and peeked to my direction. I startled lightly but then gathered my guts to step in the class. I didn't look at the other students yet, I just focused on the smiling teacher and Mrs. Tan, who bowed to signal her exit. I bowed to her myself to thank her and was then left at the mercy of strangers. 

"Class, this is Miyano Jae," the teacher introduced. "Let's make Jae feel welcomed, huh?" he said and I felt like disappearing into a hole in the ground when the class greeted me in perfect unison. Children of the Corn, anyone?

"H-hi," I said, too shy to function. I heard the curious whispers float around in the class, but did my best to ignore them. I could tell that some of them were questioning my wardrobe choices as well. 

"I-it's nice to meet you all," I managed to utter, knowing that more was expected of me. "My name is Jae, seventeen years old. I look f-forward to be classmates with you and h-hope you'll take care of me," I stammered, giving them a bow. I was met with polite applause and for a moment I was allowed to feel a sense of relief wash over me. Thinking that the worst was over, the teacher suddenly asked the class if there were any questions they might want to ask me to get to know me a little better. I wasn't prepared for all the hands that shot up to the air. I looked around nervously at the curious faces, but was met with that odd sense of nausea again when I happened to catch the steady gaze of two of my new classmates. 

They sat next to one another and were the only ones that had not risen their hands to ask me stuff. They were just staring at me. One of them whispered something in the other's ear, a dimple appearing and reappearing in his cheek as he spoke. His buddy listened to his words, but never took his eyes off of me. I felt another shiver run down my spine when his gaze was fixed at me, and I felt like someone just pushed me into a tub of ice cold water. He wasn't smiling, he wasn't curious. He seemed- suspicious. Despite of this, I felt the heat rising to my cheeks. Then, all of a sudden, he calmly raised his hand.

"Ah, yes, Suho?" the teacher called out.

"When did you arrive in Hanwol?" he asked.

I swallowed. "Yesterday."

"Did you come in with those moving trucks from E.T. Corp?" he quickly continued and I blinked at him. Why did he look so serious? And, how did he even know that? His friend beside him watched me before cautiously checking on his buddy, this Suho-guy.

"Eh, yeah. My dad works there," I explained and was met with impressed sounds of assent.

"Wow, that's really interesting," the teacher interjected. "What does he do?" he asked.

"He's, uh, he's the new CEO," more sounds of approval and enthusiasm. The general reactions made me relax just a bit more, but I couldn't help but notice those two guys. Why were they standing out to me? More confusingly; why couldn't I stop looking at them?

Even after I had answered all the questions and finally was allowed to take a seat and did what I do best (blending), I caught myself looking towards their direction now and then. I didn't understand why I was so fascinated. I didn't understand why the guy named Suho would sometimes look back at the right moment and give me a suspicious glare. I didn't understand why I kept on staring back anyway, and I definitely did not understand why I suddenly wished that I had worn a skirt today instead, and why I was beating myself up mentally at sensing my heart beat accelerating...

First impressions...who needs 'em?