My year started going pretty well. Thanks to Chorong unnie, I was somewhat plugged into the school’s social scene, although I wasn’t invited to any parties, I wasn’t really interested in that scene anyways. They did call me to hang out on weekends to play video games, go shopping, and I helped them with their computer problems after they picked up viruses while downloading internet . I could tell that I was a quasi- part of the group when I could bust on them for that stuff, and they didn’t threaten to kick my .

I even started going to soccer games and dance/singing competitions to cheer for them.

I only had a problem once, when some dumb Freshman soccer player gave me a hard time in class. I don’t know what happened, but the next day, he was waiting by my locker to apologize to me. He was shaking. As he left, I looked around, and down the hall I saw my group watching. They waved to me and walked off.

Finally, at the end of the soccer season, Taecyeon, the big guy who had approached me on the first day, spoke out of the blue. “Bomi, you need to get a boyfriend.”

“..I don’t really swing that way.”

“Well a girlfriend then.”

“Umm, do you think so? I don’t really know any girls.”

“You have class with them don’t you?”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t know what to say to a girl.” I protested.

Big mistake. I was immediately inundated with advice that seemed completely off the wall, and often contradictory.

“Compliment her.”

“Ignore her.”

“Insult her, but make it sound like a compliment, but it’s really not.”

“Act like you don’t know who she is.”

“Act like she’s the most important person on earth.”

None of this made any sense.

“The last girl I liked turned out to be a disaster.” I told them about my experience with Lizzy.

“Bomi, you come with us.”

I was swept along with them as they walked to the edge of the patio. Taecyeon cast his arm across the open space, wherein scores of Freshman girls sat. “Pick one out.”

“Taecyeon, it doesn’t work like this.”

“Sure it does.” He pointed to a cute little girl. “How about her? Do you know her?”

“Naeun. She’s in English with me. No, Taecyeon!” Too late, he was already walking towards her, tugging me along with his arm draped across my shoulders.

“Hey Naeun.”

She turned, eyes wide with surprise. “Um, yes?”

“I’m Taecyeon.”

“I know. Everyone knows.” Her friends giggled behind their hands. Taecyeon may not have been the school god, but he was pretty damned close.

“You know my girl Bomi, right?”

Naeun glanced at me. She had pretty much ignored me all the years we had been in school together. She was a Freshman singer, part of the popular crowd who barely knew I existed. “Ummm, sure. We have a class together.”

“So you’d go out with her if she asked you, right? She’s a cool kid, really smart, even if she doesn’t apply herself.”  

Dammit Taecyeon, class valedictorian would occasionally get on me about my grades.

Naeun looked at me, clearly uncomfortable with this situation. Her friends were laughing at her predicament.

Taecyeon looked back at them. “Any of you girls would, isn’t that right?” The laughter stopped. They all sat there in mortal terror that one of them would have the spotlight shone on them.

“Naeun, it’s ok, you don’t have to go out with me, I’m not asking you, Taecyeon just joking. “

I punched Taecyeon in the shoulder. It was like hitting a log.

“No, it’s ok, I want to go out with you! Let’s go to the movies on Saturday.”

“Umm, ok. Let me get your number….”

I got her number and quickly beat a withdrawal. As Taecyeon and I left, we could hear peals of laughter, followed by a fierce, “Shut up!!!” from Naeun.

“Goddammit Taecyeon, why did you do that? She doesn’t want to go out with me!”

“Relax Bomi, you just need to get the first date out of the way. It gets easier.”

“Well, I just about died of embarrassment. There isn’t going to be a next time.”

“Damn straight. Next time, I’m not asking for you.”

I groaned. “I hate you.”

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