"It couldn't have been that bad." Namjoon tried.

"What would you know? You're a top grader. As usual." Jungkook scowled.

Jia sat listening, chewing silently. Ever since Mina started dating Namjoon, their lunch table got more crowded than usual. It was like a chain package deal. Spending time with Mina came with an attached Namjoon who in turn came with an attached Jungkook and vice versa. She couldn't complain though. She knew that it would have been the same with her and Yoongi, had they been in the same class. She was happy knowing that Mina was happy. Plus, she had to admit; it was fun hanging out with the two. Their normally quiet table felt livelier.

"I'm not a top grader. You can talk to me." Offered Mina. "Tell me; how bad is it?"

"Very bad." He said, his lips turning into a pout. "I don't usually care about grades but coach said I could get kicked out of the team if I don't keep up a decent grade."

"They can do that?" Mina asked wide-eyed. "But you're so good."

"Apparently so." Jungkook nodded. "Especially since we're 'senior' high-schoolers, they give more importance to academics. Which I must say is bullshit."

Jia was sleepy. She'd spent the night texting Yoongi, messing up her usually rigid sleep schedule. She wasn't complaining. It had been fun, and as far as all the romantic movies and stories went, that was an essential part of a relationship. They maintained their distance for the most part in school and she was fine with that. Broadcasting one's relationship was risky and for some weird reason, she felt even more uncomfortable especially since it was with him. Maybe it had something to do with him being her senior; but unlike Mina, she could never imagine being all cutesy with him in school. Jia yawned, giving up trying to concentrate on the conversation.

"Schools do that to maintain their reputation. More the number of graduated students, more the school gets credit." Namjoon said matter-of-factly.

"It's even worse now because the asshole has his eyes on me." Jungkook groaned.

"Asshole who now?" Mina inquired.

"The Principal." Namjoon answered.

"Ah, yes of course."

"This is unacceptable behaviour. I will no longer tolerate this." Jungkook said in a high-pitched voice, mocking the Principal. "Ugh, I hate him."

"I hate him too but that doesn't help us, Jungkookie." Said Mina.

Jia shook her head lightly at that. Mina has been calling him that for a while, and Jia found it weird every single time. She figured it'd take some time for her to get used to their sudden intimate friendship thingy. The more they hung out, the more she felt as though Mina and Jungkook were alike. If not completely alike, they at least carried a similar kind of 'wavelength' as she liked to call it. They got along very well and as though to balance out the group dynamics, Jia found herself having a lot in common with Namjoon.

"Why don't you try out those tutoring classes?" Suggested Mina.

"I have. It's pointless. I end up missing most of it because of training and by the time I get through the rest of the class, I feel more lost than I was before." Said Jungkook.

"Okay, then why don't you help him out?" Mina asked, looking at Namjoon.

Namjoon shook his head as though recalling a nightmare.

"Nope. Tried that one too. He doesn't have the patience to teach me." Jungkook shrugged.

"I don't have the patience to teach you?!" Namjoon asked offended. "Okay first of all, he doesn't sit still. He keeps doodling weird stuff on my notebook. Then, when I try to talk him through lessons, he makes faces at me and calls me names until I get super annoyed with him. Finally, I either end up chasing him around the house or playing video games. Also, he can't add 12 + 8 without using a calculator and ultimately typing stuff out on it." Namjoon explained, narrowing his eyes.

"Fun times." Jungkook snickered.

"Hmm. What else do we do?" Mina said, musing out loud.

Jia looked around the cafeteria, still trying to rub sleep off her eyes. She wondered how she was going to sit through four more hours of class without dozing off. She stared at her plate, forcing herself to stay awake.

"Oh, I know!" Exclaimed Mina.

Jia's eyes shot open, startled by her friend's sudden loud voice.

"Jia can teach you."

"What?" Jia asked, now actively awake at the mention of her name.

"Believe me, she's an amazing teacher. I get through most of my exams because she teaches me on the morning of the exam." Mina said encouragingly.

Jungkook looked at her uncertainly, as though analysing if she was capable enough to handle him. Jia wasn't particularly fond of teaching. To her, it was just a natural instinct to help out a friend especially on panic-stricken exam mornings.

"You'll help him out, won't you?" Mina asked, raising an eyebrow.

Generally, she'd be inclined to say no. She wasn't up for that sort of responsibility. But considering how he had helped her out the other night, she felt like she owed him. And besides, it would only mean more revision for herself.

"Sure. I don't mind." Jia shrugged. "If you want me to, that is." She added.

Jungkook pondered over it for a few seconds. "Okay. Let's give it a try." He smiled, raising his palm up for a high-five. She obliged.

"I'm telling you, don't do it." Namjoon shook his head. "I'm genuinely concerned about you and I guarantee that he'll drive you insane." He affirmed.

"Oh, come on. Don't discourage her." Mina said, playfully slapping his arm. "He really needs help."

Jia chuckled at his terrified expression. "I'll do it on the condition that you don't annoy me."

"Got it." Jungkook agreed. "Besides, annoying her is not the same as annoying you." He said, smirking at Namjoon. The other boy shuddered.

"If you improve by your next exam, you have to treat us all to ice cream." Mina pointed out.

"Fine. I'll put that down as tuition fees." Jungkook laughed.

***

"How much more garlic do you need?" Jia asked, looking at the pile on her cutting board.

Her dad peered over to where she sat. "That's plenty enough. Next, I need two onions diced."

It was a special day. It was her parents' wedding anniversary and her dad was preparing a surprise. Nothing too extravagant; just a variety of home cooked dishes and a store-bought butterscotch cake, her mom's favourite. She had taken the time to clean up the living room and had even put out some streamers and balloons left over from a previous birthday party. Her dad was the head chef for the day and she was his faithful helper. Years of living alone had sharpened his culinary skills and Jia was quite surprised at how professional he seemed.

The pan sizzled with oil and the heavenly aroma of mixed spices filled the kitchen. With tears in her eyes, she diced through the last of onions and handed them to him.

"Strong one, huh?" He chuckled, looking over at her.

"Very." She agreed, blinking away the sting in her eyes. She washed her hands and returned to stand next to him, examining the contents of the hot pan. "Dad, did I tell you that I auditioned for a play in school?"

He narrowed his eyes, stirring the contents back and forth. "No, I don't think so."

"Okay, so Miss Na is putting up an English play and I thought I'd give it a try." She said, trying to build up the suspense.

"That sounds nice." Her dad looked impressed. "And?"

"And..." Jia drawled suspensefully until he looked at her in anticipation. "I got selected for the lead role!"

His eyes widened with surprise. "That's amazing, Kiddo! Good Job!" He said, ruffling her hair.

"It's this play called 'A doll's house' and I'm Nora Helmer." She said excited.

"Ah, Ibsen. A classic." He nodded, tossing up the contents of the pan. "Did you start rehearsals?"

"It starts next week."

"That sounds great. You'll do well." He smiled. He added the final seasonings onto the pan and turned off the stove. "You know, when I was in college; I was part of a play too."

"You were?" It was her turn to be surprised.

"I was part of the theatre club and a few of us decided to stage a play. Of course, we were in an engineering college, so our club didn't really fit well in there. But we had fun." He said, relishing the nostalgia.

"Which play was it?" She asked, curious.

"Shakespeare's Othello."

"Othello." Jia thought for a while. "Isn't that the one where he kills his wife because he thought she was cheating on him?"

"Yes, it is. The tragic love story of Othello and Desdemona." He affirmed.

"Did you play Othello?" She asked, following him to help set up the table.

He chuckled. "I did not." He turned around to face her, an oddly evil smile playing on his lips. "On the contrary, I played Iago."

Jia gasped in shock. "You played the villain?!"

"Indeed, I did." Replied her dad smugly.

"Show me!" She shrieked in excitement.

"Oh no, it was so long ago, I barely remember anything." He said, turning his attention back to setting the table.

"Oh, come on, Captain! Please? Pretty please?" She went on nagging him. She could see that he was enjoying the attention; if she annoyed him enough, he just might show.

"Alright fine. Fine, I'll do it."

"Yay!" She said, smiling widely.

"The lines are all probably wrong but I'll give it a go." He said. He untied the apron on the back and pulled it back by the neck, wearing it like a cape. "Now, what was it?" He muttered to himself, thinking over the lines.

Suddenly, as though controlled by a switch, he turned serious. With one of his eyebrows raised up subtly, he took a deep breath.

"I hate the Moor:

And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets

He has done my office:"

He lightly paced across the length of the dining table. Jia didn't understand half the words that he said but she watched his every move intently. The pauses, the long drawling of certain words, subtle shift of his gaze, intentionally natural hand movements... she watched them all, mesmerised.

"In double knavery--How, how? Let's see:"

A faint evil smile played on his lips. Then, he looked directly at her, his gaze stern.

"After some time, to abuse Othello's ear

That he is too familiar with his wife.

He hath a person and a smooth dispose

To be suspected, framed to make women false."

With every word, he advanced closer to her, his voice dropping into a hoarse whisper. He leaned to meet her eye level and she watched him with her jaw dropped open. He paused his lines and stared intensely at her. For a moment, Jia suddenly felt scared. Without her dad's normally infectious smile, it seemed as though she was staring eye-to-eye with the wicked Iago himself. Involuntarily, she took a step back. He raised his hand, index finger outstretched, getting closer to her face.

She watched dumbfounded as he lightly touched her nose and she yelped in surprise. And just like that, he burst out laughing. Jia let out her breath that she didn't even know she was holding.

"There are more lines in it but there's a limit to how much gibberish I can make up." He said chuckling.

"That was awesome!!!" She said, still wonderstruck.

"What was?" Said a voice, starling them both. They'd both been making too much noise that they hadn't even heard the front door.

"Jia, cake." He said, in a hushed whisper.

"Oh yeah!" She quickly darted to the refrigerator and took out the cold cake.

"Surprise!" They said, as she placed it gently on the table.

"Oh, what's going on?" Her mom asked, walking over to examine the neatly set table.

"Happy Anniversary!" He said, smiling fondly at his wife.

It was on these rare occasions that Jia found her mom blushing. She watched as they hugged; one of the very few anniversaries that they got to spend together during their twenty-one years of marriage. Her heart swelled with joy as they chatted throughout the dinner, sharing nostalgic stories on how they met or the weird sweet moments they had on their wedding day. Jia could feel the love just looking at them. It was surreal. It wasn't the big gestures that mattered; it was the little ones; like their secret little glances, or their share of silly inside jokes and anecdotes that only they knew, or the unique way in which they made each other smile. Jia knew that she could count herself immeasurably lucky if she found love half as pure as theirs. Love as real as theirs.