"You should have been more careful," the school nurse scolded as she applied some ointment. Yeo Ri thanked the nurse, and with Jang Mi's support, they returned to her classroom.
Since there was no guys in their class, Yeo Ri changed into her gym uniform at her seat. She made a mental note to clean her school uniform at home later. Some of the stains might be hard to remove, but thankfully most of mess originated from the seaweed soup that had been spilt on her.
Fortunately, though, all she got out of the whole tripping accident was some scratches on her knee, a light burn, and a dirtied uniform.
By now, word had spread that a big fight was started in the cafeteria. It took five teachers to break it up but luckily, other than a warning and lunchtime having been cut short, all of them got off scot-free.
Min Chae met them at the classroom, sporting a fuming look. She was unhappy that Park Jin Ae did not get her just desserts.
Due to the fight and the appearance of the somewhat limping Yeo Ri, the air in the classroom was full of tension.
Seeing her friend actually getting hurt, Min Chae could not help but viciously glare at Park Jin Ae. "Are you f*cking happy yet?" She asked through gritted teeth. Park Jin Ae ignored her, and instead acted as if nothing was wrong. In truth, though, Park Jin Ae was scared. The verbal fight earlier had turned into a catfight, and if not thanks to the teachers' intervention, Goo Min Chae would probably tear her a new one.
As once said by Min Chae, Park Jin Ae was all bark and no bite. On the other hand, Min Chae was a widely known troublemaker. It wasn't the first time she fought back Yeo Ri's bullies and often got into trouble for it. It was no wonder that Park Jin Ae was cowering after the fight. After all, while Min Chae's infamy was known, it had been the first time she actually got into a full-blown fight with the girl.
"The only reason you get to f*ckin' flap your f*ckin' mouth and act like a f*ckin' big shot here is because I let you, alright? Don't f*ckin' mess with my girl, you trashy b*tch." Min Chae's voice rang loud and clear in the classroom. It was obvious that what Park Jin Ae did earlier really crossed her boiling point.
The other girls in the classroom looked away. While Park Jin Ae was known as the leader of the girls in the class, they also knew that Min Chae could overrule her informal title any day. This was why, while some people in the class talked behind Yeo Ri's back, they did not actually dare to act against her. Even when they were gossiping, they did not dare to do it in Min Chae's presence in fear of earning the girl's wrath.
"Min Chae... calm down. I'm fine." Seeing the freezing atmosphere, Yeo Ri went to placate the girl. She offered her a small but nervous smile. This behaviour of Min Chae really reminded her of a certain someone. That person too, always blew his top whenever he saw her get slighted, whether he realised it or not. Thinking of that person's rough but caring attitude, a warmth spread in her chest.
"Min Chae? Thanks for protecting me. Don't be angry anymore, okay? Let's get spicy rice cakes after school, okay? My treat."
"What 'your treat'?" Min Chae finally eased. "You, girl, do you even have any money on you?"
Finally seeing that the tension was no longer as thick, Jang Mi who was watching by the sidelines heaved a sigh of relief. She smiled slightly, joining in on the discussion, "that's fine. I'll buy her portion."
"Oh, you don't have to..." Yeo Ri gave her a coy smile. Although her mouth was saying no, her eyes clearly lit up. After refusing one more time, she finally agreed 'reluctantly'. "But if you insist, hehe..."
"What? That's no fair! Buy it for me too!" Min Chae protested. Jang Mi has always been nicer to Yeo Ri compared to her.
Jang Mi threw the girl a dirty look, "no way! Buy your own!"
Min Chae hung her mouth speechlessly at this blatant favouritism. She huffed, "Fine! Yeo Ri doesn't eat that much anyways so I'll just steal some of hers later."
"You dare!" Jang Mi pinched Min Chae's cheek lightly. It did not hurt but Min Chae shrieked as if it did.
"Aaaahh! Hey!"
"Hey? What hey? Don't overreact!"
"Aaaahhh!"
The trio broke into laughter, and after promising to meet up after school, Jang Mi returned to her classroom just in time for the bell to ring.
While the classroom was still a bit tensed and awkward, thanks to Yeo Ri acting like normal and Min Chae calming down, the rest of their classmates could finally breathe. There was too much drama in the class to the point that they really felt suffocated.
The day went on normally, with no other significant events happening.
Thankfully, Min Chae's threats seemed to he effective. After her outburst in the classroom, Park Jin Ae no longer bothered Yeo Ri.
As promised, the girls went to eat spicy rice cakes at their favourite store after school. After getting into a heated fight, Jang Mi finally conceded, and she ended up paying for all of them.