Chapter 14: Transferee

"Pristine is never a status for eternity. Anything gets old gradually, new people aren't new forever." 

~~~~

Jihye

I breathe out, I didn't know I was holding my breath even. When I slump down back on my chair, I realize how hard it was. I'm going to leave soon, it will be alright.

Although I say that to myself constantly, I don't know when soon actually is.

Looking around the empty classroom, I pass my fingers between my hair and groan in frustration. I want to just cry right there and then, but this isn't right. I bite my lips and frown before creek of the door jolts me in alarm.

Janna walks in, head down and sits next to me and takes out a paper sandwich bag containing two brow toast slices. When I saw her walking, I note the short height she owned, her hair is brown and tied in a low bun at the nape of her neck.

Some strands were left out, framing her face and showing off her light brown eyes. After moments of silence, I figure she isn't the person to talk- or talk first that is.

So I take it as my cue to break the silence, "why aren't you eating at the cafeteria?" I ask, absentmindedly.

"I don't like to, noisy and crowded."

As simple as that, her reply is straight and as close to logic as you please. She is tremendously convinced by her personal preference. I couldn't judge, it is my first day and I don't actually know what the school is like in the first place.

I nod then drag a conversation about the studies in this school, what I should do and what I shouldn't. She was quite helpful, yet only giving out replies equivalent to the question asked and never talking too much.

By the time she is done with her toast slices, which she ate in a weird way- or I'd rather say unique in which instead of biting off the slice of bread she would tear a part squeezing it between her small fingers before eating it.

The fact that it was plain bread she was eating was atypical enough, maybe it's because she is dieting? Rational enough, I shrug the matter off along with the fact that she certainly doesn't need to diet.

The students start coming back after the bells go off, I dip my head down and fiddle with my notebook. I hear Sungyeol's group chatter, they are here.

I keep my head down and feel my body tense, whenever he was around I felt like a burden. Unwanted, hated. It made my heart ache with painful sickness down in my gut.

He passes from beside me as if I was thin air, paper on the floor, garbage. I take a deep breath and look up, my hair efficiently hides my face from his view and that makes me feel slightly better.

As I wait for the next teacher to come in, Janna does the same with her books neatly set on her desk, I hear a knock over my desk making me swipe my head to my left.

"Hey, welcome. I'm Woohyun, Nam Woohyun. I sit right there, friends?"

So quick, confident and straight, his words even hold a hint of cheesiness. I look up at him and frown, he had a dazzling smile over his face as if trained for everyone in this world just to make them feel better.

Still, I can't ignore the fact that he is Sungyeol's seat mate. Talking to him meant getting associated with Sungyeol's business, it is against my promise. 

"Dumb," my heart falls in my gut when I hear someone saying from behind Woohyun, "you are scaring her off! You can't just be like friends? When it's her first day!" I sigh when I realize the insult wasn't meant for me, Woohyun is pushed to the side by another handsome boy, one of the six boys who walked with Sungyeol as well.

This one has small eyes and a wide smile that makes his eyes even smaller, it is too hard to hold my smile back now. In attempt to hide my heated cheeks and uncontrolled smile, I dip my head down again with my hair hiding my face.

"Jihye, right? I'm Sungkyu," I see a stretched hand in front of me, waiting for mine to shake. I hesitate, but if I didn't shake it back it would be rude of me and embarrassing for him.

I hold my trembling hand up and shake his then Woohyun's, "nice to meet you," I mutter, my voice blends with the loud chatter of the rest of the present students.

The teacher comes in and I sigh in relief, the classes go on uneventful. Which I am thankful for, I could see Sungyeol eyeing me from my peripheral vision but all I could do is ignore.

I long ceased to try and listen to the lectures, I am spaced out. Did Sungyeon plan this? If so then it isn't sweet. I should ask her.

I should get a part time job, it will make me feel less of a burden. I turn to Janna giving her a brief look, she turns to me as well and we make quick eye contact before I break it.

I must talk to her, we could work together. Or maybe she already has a part time job and could help me?

My thoughts are interrupted by the bell, I pass a note I wrote to Janna while the teacher is collecting her things to leave.

How many classes left for the end of the day? The note says. I see her get a maroon mechanical pencil and scrawl a quick reply before passing the note back to me. I notice her neat handwriting, definitely much better than mine.  

Two, P.E now then ethics.

I nod to her while she returns the favor. Something makes me feel giddy, and nervous at the same time.

It feels odd, this happened a couple of times recently. It's like my body reacts to what's said while my brain has no slight clue to why this happened.

Rewinding what Janna wrote, I try putting the prices of a complex puzzle together. She said we have P.E now?

~~~

Is it that all people tend to be in denial at most times, or is it only me? Janna and I are sitting on a bench in the gym with the rest of the class scattered around waiting for the teacher's arrival.

Apparently Janna also is feeling denial, there are a certain group of girls standing at the side of the gym. Shorts two sizes smaller than their own and cleavage ingloriously prominent.

There faces are small and pretty, big eyes, on point eyebrows, small jaws. Their hair is let loose, hanging gracefully down their shoulders. I feel really self-conscious now with the low buns Janna and I sport.

I untie the low bun and gather my hair in a messy bun at the top of my head, if Janna had that hairstyle cute on her then that wasn't my case. Definitely.

Janna had been quite a lifesaver, she's even growing on me. We share the passion of hatred towards couple of things now which put us on terms higher than acquaintances.

Sungyeol's friends, or whom the school population call Infinite, have been too much to ignore. I couldn't get myself to be rude or unwelcoming, they were sweet, handsome and brought me the overwhelming feeling of comfort.

The teacher comes in and starts talking, or shouting, "Gather here class!"

All the students obey and Janna grumpily follows, she hates P.E with a passion. While on the contrary, I don't feel too much towards it. Not that I know of, yet. All what happened was the mysterious glint of giddiness and excitement that occupied my soul.

"Heat up!" As the teacher shouted that, all the students take position in two rows. I am lost, so I stick by Janna's side. Which isn't as efficient as I thought it would be.

A guy called Myungsoo stands beside Janna while Howon comes beside me, I know all their names now. Hopefully I won't forget.

Howon seems to be athelatic, his stamina is obviously no joke. I had no clue how I could tell but the thought seemed deductive to my senses. "Hi there," the greeting is laced with pants and his voice is a little deeper than it usually is.

"Hey," I reply in between jumping jacks.

"Howon."

I nodded to him although not sure if he really saw it, "Jihye," the funny part is that it's his friend who gave me that name and I could do nothing about the constant hate that labeled our status.

Heating up comes to an end and we set to start a basketball game, at the deepest pit of myself, somewhere lost between my mind, heart, and soul, I felt excited.

Later the class splits into two teams: Myungsoo, Howon, Dongwoo, Sungjong, a girl called Zoha, Janna and couple of other unknowns are on my team. The other team had the rest of infinite and, rationally, the rest of the class.

Most of the girls seemed uninterested, not only that, they were making it as clear as light by huffing all over the place and checking their nail with the occasional eye roll and irrational gossip.

It made me feel uneasy how a certain girl is staring at me, full on staring at me to the point I felt like I just drowned in tomato sauce. Which I did not and it made no sense at all.

Anyhow, the game came to a start. The ball is thrown up in the air by the teacher and war began. Too dramatic?

Howon took it, putting our team a step forward. It was later passed to Dongwoo who surprisingly tossed it to me, it didn't take me much to conclude that it was because I am the closest to the basket before I made a run to it.

Other players were running towards me and I have no clue how they didn't reach me yet, "How is she so fast?" I heard someone remark.

I am?

Sungyeol comes standing against me, trying to take the ball as I bounced it rapidly with my back to him.

Should I let it go and leave it to him?

~~~~

I would like to send a tremendous Thank You to a certain reader out there who always comes to me and points out my poorly edited parts.

DarkAngel14281989
I appreciate it, really. I dedicate this chapter to you, by the way.

Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked this part, and just to put it out there; this book have been actually nothing till now.

I'm am pleasured to unfold the truly exciting parts, I know it took me a long time but I needed to set everything up y'know.

See you!