HaeRim turned around for the eighth time in last ten minutes. She couldn’t sleep. Her head was full of worries. First, she needed to get to the university. She knew this worry was foolish, because she already could get in any time she wanted. She was good in her academics and she knew that. Changing schools won’t have any effect on that one.

Second, she was a model student, however if she was to face a crowd of boys from so-called gangster school, she didn’t know what to do. She was supposed to show them “the right path”, as SunMi said, but what if they won’t listen? What to do then?

Third was SunMi herself. The girl was so impulsive that no one could be sure about ground being under his feet if standing near her. One wrong word, gesture, whatever and… she wasn’t sure if she will spend upcoming months trying to calm down gangster boys or calming down her best friend who will try to beat them to her own picture of “good”.

Those three things crossed her mind every time she tried to close her eyes and kept her awake almost whole night. There was another thought, one she couldn’t get off her mind for some time now, one she was embarrassed about and scarred of, one she wouldn’t admit to anyone. At her old school, she always stayed in her group of friends, or more like classmates or club-mates, but she kept her distance from all the boys. Now, she knew it will be impossible. In her old school, she got nervous every time some boy came to sit at the same table during lunch, sit next to her in special classrooms. But she had a group of girls in which she could hide whenever she needed it. Now, there will be only her and SunMi. Maybe few other girls in the school will want to spend their time in her presence, but she couldn’t be sure about that.

Although she would never admit it, the actual reason for not being able to sleep was her fear of falling in…

SunMi was running, dodging passersby. She left her house late and now she had only five minutes for fifteen minute long route. All thanks to…well, thanks to herself, actually.

She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, not even to HaeRim, but she was nervous. Today was the Day, the big day she waited for: the first day in their new school, where she was supposed to act as righteous heroine, showing all those misled boys the true path. And so she decided she must look accordingly.

In Westrose, she never put much thought in her looks. She entered there as martial arts prodigy and spent most of her time in the gym or outside with athletic team. But having an older brother who is known for being the most fashionable diva around (probably, not that she cared to find out) was something that she was constantly reminded about. So few months after entering high school, she decided to do one thing – color few strands of her pitch black hair. Ever since then, she had been noted as “colorful presence”, since she kept changing the colors. She actually found experimenting with colors fun and started to care about herself a little more.

Yesterday evening, she dyed her bright yellow strands orchid. She thought it will go better with the new uniform.

This morning, she got up early, got changed and went to the bathroom to comb her long hair before her brother gets in the way. As she saw herself, she was pleased with the new color, but something small inside her brain was telling her to do something more. Her eyes fell upon a shelf with her older brother’s things. She never used any make-up, well once or twice for special occasions, but she never put it on herself. She turned around, scanning hallway for her brother; he was nowhere to be seen, so she took a deep breath and took his eyeliner. SunMi never thought about the fact that her brother spent hours every day with those things, making himself look like porcelain skinned doll. He was prettier than most females in the whole world and he knew it. And he liked it. And with the confidence he had, no one dared to say anything. He had, after all, same blood as SunMi.

After spending twenty minutes with trying to draw a straight not too thick or not too thin line, she gave up. She looked at herself in the mirror again and froze in shock when she saw her older brother leaning against the door frame.

“Finally noticed existence of make-up, or did you realize that you are a girl this morning?” he asked mockingly with raised eyebrow. SunMi washed her last attempt off with cold water and stormed out of the bathroom. She braided her hair without any mirror, knowing it will look messy, but she didn’t care. Her brother touched a very dangerous topic and she didn’t have mood for an argument.

And as it turned out, thanks to her experiments with eyeliner, she didn’t have time for it neither.

She saw HaeRim’s figure, standing at the edge of the park. One glance and she knew her friend was already nervous. They said 7:25. SunMi sped up and wanted to do a cool finish turn, stopping right before her best friend.

Not noticing an untied shoelace, she tripped and almost fell right before her best friend instead. Looking up, she shoved a big bright smile anyway.

“7:25 precisely,” HaeRim shook her head. “You never change,”

Jungkook was lazing around the park as he did every morning, waiting for J-hope. His older friend never came right at the time they agreed on, but he waited for him anyway. Every day at 7:15, Jungkook would be entering the park, knowing his friend wouldn’t be here for another 15 minutes, sometimes J-hope didn’t turn up at all, sometimes he would oversleep. He would sometimes meet Jimin, yawning, walking with eyes still closed, his mind somewhere in the dreamland far, far away. Sometimes he meets Jin, smiling at something funny inside one of his books or at passing girls. He would greet them, talk with them, but he always waits for his friend who lives almost next door.

That’s why they were walking to school together, he and J-hope. Jungkook, knowing elder’s tardiness, agreed to meet him at the park instead of waiting for him in front of his house. He enjoyed slower walking pace, so sometimes, in very rare occasions, his older friend would catch up with him before he reaches the park. On the other hand, J-hope was fast walker, so he would technically run from his home to the park in 10 minutes. The same route (with J-hope living 20 meters further) takes Jungkook at least two times longer. Once they meet, they would walk together, not too slow but not too fast. But Jungkook would always wait at the park, he would never continue further without his friend. Unless special occasions, again.

His peaceful wait was interrupted by very strange sight. It was around 7:19. He just randomly looked around and saw a girl approaching. She had a dark purple blazer, dark grey checkered skirt, pitch black hair falling slightly under her shoulders. She stopped at the edge of the park, waiting. There were two things that were wrong with this.

First, Jungkook never saw her before. He waited here every day, be it in summer or winter, in rain, snowstorm or frying heat, for almost year and two months now; yet this was the first time. And he isn’t one to miss something like a waiting girl. Not in an empty park. She shouldn’t be here.

Second, her uniform. He could swear on his Big Bang poster collection that he saw that uniform somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember where.

HaeRim didn’t have time to take a long, deep breath. Not since her and SunMi arrived at WillowEast High. The state of the building facility itself was to be expected and they saw pictures before. She knew what type of students she will see around and SunMi never showed any surprise, either. After arriving at the staff room, they were told everything they needed to know. The rest will be said by principal after school.

Now, standing right before her new class, she wished to have a minute to calm herself. She wished to have moment to repeat everything from what’s her name to what they did in last club session in her old school. She wanted her life to flash before her eyes and remind herself why she is here. But looking at Mrs. Yoon, who was already opening door to the classroom and allowing the noise from inside to grow even noisier, she knew she wouldn’t get it. Just as she never got in Westrose before drama showcase, or before some live radio interview. There wasn’t time for that.

SunMi went in right after Mrs. Yoon, with confident smile, looking just the way only she could pull off: messy colored hair, pulled up blazer sleeves, smiling as if she knew something you don’t. Even though SunMi denied it, or more like she didn’t like to hear it, there was a strong resemblance between her and her brother. HaeRim saw it in the way she moves, she raises her eyebrow, leaning against anything to make her look like she is above everything. That’s why no one ever sees the punch coming.

HaeRim followed them inside. She could wish for that short moment, but she knew she would make it even without it. Like she always did. Like a doll, perfectly clear like a glass. She can do this, even here, in a place full of gangsters.

***

At the moment J-hope saw the second girl, he stopped in the middle of his movement. He was hanging on the edge, since he was leaning back against Jungkook’s desk, his chair standing only on its back legs (and not even fully). He stopped breathing, unknowingly.

He didn’t really hear anything about Bang SunMi, beside her name.

He didn’t notice Jungkook hitting his arm, saying nonsence about this morning and the park, something about the uniform and tripping over literally nothing but thin air. He didn’t even hear him asking what’s wrong.

He was looking directly at her. He was staring. Somewhere back in his head, there was some small voice telling him he should pull back together, that he is acting as an idiot and he is making things up, because this wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be true, it couldn’t be real.

And when the name Hwang HaeRim rang through the classroom, he fell down together with his chair. He fell and knew that he fell deeper and harder than last time and he somewhat knew this was beginning of the end.

Hello again!
So, as I promised, second chapter is here. Technically, the two chapters are one, but I felt the first one should end where it ends and make this separate. Anyway, the two sides finally met. There was first reaction. And the rest of BTS is waiting.

By the way, I put them all into one class. There is a reason. So, I won't be sticking to any original birthdays or whatever, but the age order stays.

Can you guess who is SunMi's brother?

The next chapter...I will try to finish it by the end of this week. Somehow. I will. I promise. Or you can throw virtual paperballs at me afterwards.

Have a nice day~

Krakin~