Chapter Text
A cool breeze blew through Yerim's hair while she sat on a bench waiting for the bus to come. She shivered and pulled her soft pink sleeves over her hands. She had always preferred the summer so she could go to the beach and feel the sun’s rays on her fair skin. She enjoyed feeling the waves crash against her legs as she took small steps into the ocean. Unfortunately, she can only feel the rain drops begin to sprinkle from the grey clouds in the sky, slightly dampening her hair. She huffed as she placed her hood over her head and glanced to her left to see if the bus was coming. Something about the gloomy weather made her day feel off. It made the day feel like it didn't matter, as if anything she did today wouldn’t affect her plans tomorrow. She could completely miss school and go back the next day prepared for class. She felt like curling up in bed with a good book, maybe catching up on a show or even writing if she was inspired enough. Most of her inspiration came from seeing Juhyun, a girl she had a crush on. But, she would never share what she wrote with anyone, it embarrassed her too much. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice that the bus had arrived until the doors opened with a harsh pffff. She quickly grabbed her things and climbed the stairs of the bus.
She scanned the seats, looking for an empty one. Her eyes stopped when she noticed Juhyun sitting alone, looking out the window. She was surprised to see her sitting there, looking as perfect as usual. She couldn’t find another seat on the bus, therefore she was forced to sit next to her crush. Yerim looked from side to side, hoping she missed a seat as she strolled down the aisle so that she wouldn’t have to sit next to Juhyun. She began to panic when she realized that this truly was the only place for her to sit. Her cheeks warmed up as she approached her. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind. Why can’t I say anything? Yerim thought. Suddenly, a word popped up in her head.
“Can-” Juhyun turned to Yerim, waiting for her to finish her sentence. Her eyes were intense, which caused Yerim to step back a bit and shut her mouth in fear. Juhyun sighed and moved her bag for Yerim to sit down. She slowly sat down, keeping her distance from the pretty girl sitting next to her. Juhyun was somewhat of a troublemaker. She and her group of friends didn’t have the best reputation, yet they’re considered some of the most popular girls at school. Juhyun was disliked the most out of all of her friends but she liked to believe it was because she’s so pretty (which no one would deny). People told tons of rumors about her, especially about how her and Seulgi became friends. Everyone thought they had a typical friends with benefits thing going on, and that it started up the moment they met.
Juhyun met Seulgi and her friends Sooyoung and Wendy at a party during their freshman year. She was similar to Yerim then, always finding ways to avoid any risks. Just attending the party was a risk for her, but all she wanted was to “fit in,” just like those early 2000’s teen movies. Seulgi read people like a book and she knew exactly why Juhyun was there. She spotted her standing by the staircase with a red solo cup, watching everyone enjoy their time while she hated every minute of it. She approached her, trying not to intimidate her. “Are you here with anyone?” Seulgi towered over Juhyun. She looked up at Seulgi with worry in her eyes. Juhyun was more intimidated by her looks, rather than the things she heard about her. She had sharp eyes that could kill with one glance. Her lips that night were a ruby red, but faded from the girl she was kissing on the dance floor. She wore high heels that made her as tall as most of the boys and much taller than the girls. She had such a dominating and frightening presence, but it was hard not to fall in love with it. Juhyun motioned her to come closer so she could speak in her ear.
“N-no,” She attempted to speak over the music. She looked down at the ground, avoiding eye contact and trying not to make a wrong move to upset her. Seulgi giggled and took her hand and lead her up the stairs. This is the moment when people started to believe something was happening between the two. Seulgi ignored the whispers she heard as she slowly walked up the stairs grasping Juhyun’s hand. Her hand became sweaty as her anxiety overcame her. She hesitantly looked around her as they slowly walked, passing disgusting couples desperately grinding on each other. Juhyun’s nose scrunched at the sight of them. They went into a bedroom at the end of the hallway and opened the door to see Sooyoung and Wendy sitting on a bed and giggling with each other.
“Hey Seulgi, who do we have here?” Wendy looked down Juhyun with a smirk on her face, assuming she and Seulgi needed to be alone. She and Sooyoung stood up and walked over to Juhyun. She backed up against the door, trying to find the doorknob so she can run out and hopefully go home, change schools, possibly move to a different state. She would do anything to get away from them. Sooyoung’s giggle gave Juhyun shivers down her spine. The pleasant sound played over and over in her head. It convinced her that this was her final moment of life.
“You guys are being creepy as hell, she probably thinks we’re about to fuck her up,” Seulgi turned to Juhyun, who was teary and just about ready to scream for help. “Don’t worry, Wendy and Sooyoung are just trying to scare you. I don’t mean to sound rude, but you seem like you need some friends,” she smiled sympathetically. Juhyun didn’t know what to think. She wasn’t sure if she should accept Seulgi’s offer, especially since she wasn’t the edgy type.
“I mean not really, just class friends,” Juhyun calmed down. She looked to the floor in shame. She had never realized how lonely she was until that moment. At lunch, she would read in the library by herself or work on homework. She rarely talked to anyone and if she did, it would be about homework. She met people online, but those conversations died quickly. She had a boring life, and that party was the one thing that changed her entire life.
“Well then, you can hang out with us!” Sooyoung frightened Juhyun with her excitement. All three girls studied Juhyun, analyzing her style choices. Juhyun wore a long white turtleneck, black leggings and light brown boots. Her hair was tightly tied into a bun, which gave her a headache. Wendy smiled as a bright idea came to her mind. She walked over to Seulgi’s closet and pulled out some clothes and shoes.
“Hey! What are you doing in my closet?” Juhyun peered over Seulgi’s shoulder to see what Wendy was doing. She grabbed Juhyun by the wrist and brought her over to the closet. She quickly began to lift Juhyun’s top, exposing her torso. Juhyun squealed and pulled her top down. The girls giggled at Juhyun’s flustered expression as she forced her sweater farther down her thighs. She looked at all of them before exiting the room, running from her embarrassment. Juhyun’s eyes filled with tears as she hurried down the stairs. A boy suddenly stepped in front of her.
“Hey, how’s Seulgi in bed?” he slurred with his breath reeking of alcohol. Juhyun covered her nose and kept walking. When she finally made it out of the house, she looked up at Seulgi’s bedroom window. The three rebellious girls quietly watched her from above, barely feeling any remorse. Juhyun stood in the front yard for a second, not knowing where to go or what to do. She couldn’t process the fact that her life just might be going into a completely different direction.
Despite all the rumors said about Juhyun, Yerim found her cute and sweet-looking. Juhyun’s hair was black and long, with bangs in her eyes. She sometimes wore the color pink and managed to make it look intimidating. Her lipstick was the color of fresh blood, and it happened to be her favorite. Today, she wore a burgundy crop top, a black mini skirt, fishnet stockings and black combat boots. Yerim glanced at Juhyun and noticed her shivering with her bare arms crossed.
“Are you cold?” Yerim asked quietly. Juhyun looked at her and breathed out in frustration. She forced herself to stop shivering and rubbed her arms for warmth.
“No, of course not. It’s only 50 degrees out,” she denied with a slight tremor in her voice. Yerim didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t decide whether she should just leave her alone or let her borrow her jacket. It was a jean jacket with white daisies embroidered on to it. She took it with her just in case she felt cold, but it seemed like Juhyun needed it more.
“H-here,” Yerim took off her jacket held it out for her to take. She smiled sweetly, hoping that Juhyun would smile back and take it, maybe even give her a hug out of gratitude, but that might just be her infatuation with her taking over her imagination. “No thanks, I’m fine,” Juhyun said in a slightly harsh tone. She turned away from Yerim, still rubbing her arms to make herself warm.
“Please, you need it more than I do. And, it matches your choker,” Yerim smiled again. Juhyun’s choker was just a black ribbon with a daisy charm on it. She looked at the jacket and took her time deciding whether or not she should take it. It was cold out, but Juhyun worried what Seulgi would think. Seulgi was her best friend, and frankly the most hardcore person she knew. Seulgi appeared perfectly careless in the way that made all of her movements appear nonchalant, even when she was pinning a girl to a locker by the throat. While she appeared careless, she happened to be the complete opposite. Every little thing about her surroundings bothered her, even the way her friends dressed. However, at this point, Juhyun was too cold to care, so she decided to take the jacket from Yerim.
“Thank you,” she half smiled as she put the jacket on. “I’m Juhyun, by the way,” she held her hand out for Yerim to shake. Yerim’s cheeks turned pink as she smiled and took Juhyun’s hand.
“I know,” she nodded before she realized what she had said. Her eyes widened as she gasped. Her eyes darted to the floor as a sudden wave of shock and worry came over Yerim. What if she thinks I’m some stalker? Does she know I have a crush on her? How am I going to explain myself? Yerim’s thoughts raced through her mind. Juhyun’s hand covered her mouth as she let out a small giggle. It was probably the most adorable thing that Yerim has ever heard, which made her fall harder for her. She looked back up at Juhyun, who was smiling and waiting for Yerim to correct herself. “I-I mean, I’m Yerim,” she laughed nervously.
“Yeah, we have history together,” Yerim finally felt relief when she realized they were in the same class. The bus came to abrupt stop and the students took their time walking off the bus. Yerim stepped off and began to walk away, feeling content with her morning. She was optimistic about the rest of her day, but she felt like it couldn’t get any better. She thought about how pretty Juhyun looked in her jacket and a grin stretched across her face. It made her look a bit creepy but she was too happy to care. “Yerim!” Juhyun called after her. She turned around quickly and saw Juhyun smiling and jogging to catch up to her. Yerim was in shock, which made her grin fade. “Would you like to have lunch with my friends and me today?” Juhyun grabbed Yerim’s hand and smiled. Yerim was speechless. Yet again, she could not form words to reply to Juhyun. She stood there for a second, trying to process what had happened from the time she stepped off of the bus to where Juhyun was holding her hand. She looked at her hands and noticed how small her hands were. “Yerim?” Juhyun seemed concerned. She was still waiting for Yerim’s reply.
“Oh um,” Yerim bit her lip. “I’d love to!” she beamed. Juhyun sighed in relief, as if she every last bit of hope she had gone into hearing Yerim say yes. Suddenly, the bell rang. “See you then, Juhyun,” she waved as she walked away trying to contain her excitement.
“See you,” the walked opposite ways, both smiling with their cheeks slightly pink. Yerim was a bit worried, she didn’t know if she could get along with Juhyun’s friends. They were quite intimidating with their fishnets and bulky black boots. She thought she would look awkward next to them in a baby pink sweatshirt and pastel claw clips in her hair. However, Yerim was prepared for any criticism that came her way, just as long as she had the chance to talk to her crush.
Yerim couldn’t help but think that Juhyun might feel something for her as well. She dismissed that thought, assuming it was completely unrealistic. Juhyun, however, could not stop thinking about the sweet and shy girl she had been waiting to meet.