It was Thursday, and I had just had another extra afterschool soccer practice, since the final match to determine city championships was coming up soon. In addition to the normal morning practices every day, our coach had added extra practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Of course, our team was determined to win, but our coach was practically obsessed with the idea of victory. She was driven by the need for revenge, since our team had just barely lost against our rival school’s team last year.

                I was already sweating my off, but I ran to the bus stop at lightning speed when I saw the bus that was about to depart, because I needed to quickly get home to finish my homework. It was even harder to run because I was not only carrying my textbook-filled backpack, but also lugging my heavy sports bag. The passengers already on the bus stared at me with a weird look, and I realized that I must have looked like a crazy gorilla charging at the bus. When I finally sat down and was able to relax my aching muscles, I used my fingers to rake through my tangled hair, trying to look more like a human than a bizarre species of apes.

                It was one of the most demanding tasks ever trying not to fall asleep on the bus, taking quite a lot of willpower. I admit I dozed off a couple of times, but at least I was awake enough to get off at the bus terminal. Hauling my bags back off the bus, I made my way over to the single bench in front of the sign indicating my bus’s number, and perched on the edge, not wanting my to freeze. Though it was spring, today was chillier than usual, and the metal bench did nothing to warm my behind.

                After another ten minutes of shivering, my bus finally rolled to a stop in front of me, and I immediately rushed toward the entrance along with the small crowd that had gathered while waiting for this bus. Being one of the first to enter the bus, I quickly took a seat near the front and dropped my sports bag on the seat next to me. As more and more people climbed onto the bus, those walking past me gave me cold stares because I was taking up two seats. I felt guilty, but I didn’t want to squish my legs more than I already was. The weight of my backpack was no joke, and adding my soccer stuff on top would probably cut off my legs’ circulation.

                Just as the bus started to leave the terminal, a voice could be heard from outside the vehicle, and I turned to look. A figure darted past the window adjacent to me, stopping in front of the door. The bus driver let the person in, and proceeded with driving out of the terminal. Looking over at the person who just got in, I was surprised to see it was Ahn Jae Hyun. He was leaning against the wall while panting, I assume because he had just run here from the connected subway stop.

                I saw him carrying his own sports bag, and knew immediately that he had also just finished soccer practice. Knowing from experience just how tired one must be after soccer practice, I felt even guiltier that my bag was taking up a whole seat. In my head, I was having internal conflict over whether I should move my bag so he can sit and cut off my legs’ circulation or let him stay standing. Eventually, my guilt took over and I lifted my sports bag on top of my backpack.

“Ummmm hey, Jae Hyun…you can sit here…if you want…” I said hesitantly. It was so awkward, because I’ve probably only ever exchanged a few lines of conversation with him. He made eye contact with me, causing my cheeks to blush bright red. Luckily, the added height of my backpack and sports bag covered my face up to right under my eyes, so he probably couldn’t see it. He mumbled a quick “thanks”, and plopped down next to me. Not wanting to face him, I turned toward the window and pretended to observe the passing scenery, because seeing his face brought back memories I would rather avoid.