I woke up the next morning feeling groggy and disoriented. I looked around my surroundings, remembering I had slept in the hotel room instead of my room.
I threw on my uniform which I thanked myself for remembering to pack. I mademy way towards the door and hesitated before opening it. I half expected Dae Hyun to be in the hallway but alas, the hallways were empty.
I walked out of the hotel and made my way to school. As I walked down an empty alleyway, I hear scuffled footsteps behind me. I breathed in, preparing for the worst, turned, and saw no one there. I shrugged it off and started walking again. After a short amount of time passed, I heard the footsteps again. I fastened my pace, the footsteps behind me mirroring my pace. I turned around, still seeing no one around me.
'I am probably just paranoid', I thought to myself. Even if I was just imagining it, I still sped walked all the way to school. Once I walked into my class, I let out a breath that I did not know I was holding. May spun in her seat, examining me as I slumped in my chair.
"Why are you sweating so much Haru? Do you have a fever?" She asked as she put her palm on my forehead.
"No I am fine, it's just I thought someone was following me when I was walking to school."
"You should be careful these days. There are rumors." She said looking around the room making sure no one was listening in to our convesation.
"Rumors of what?" I leaned in, wanting to know.
"My mom said that there is a dude that walks around and is a total pervert!" She said while covering her chest.
"He walks around in a trench coat, my mom was telling me he gets a kick out of flashing girls" May whispered, shuddering in disgust. I think back to what happened today and make a mental note to take a cab instead of walking alone after school.
May continues to tell me about the alleged stalker when the girls in the class began to shriek over the 7 boys entering the classroom. I quickly examine the seats available for them to sit in. I looked to the vacant seat next to me, praying no one would sit next to me.
Not wanting to make eye contact with any of them or give an of them a "hint" to come sit next to me, I put my head down on the desk.
My peace was disturbed as soon as I hear someone pull out the seat and planted themselves next to me. I looked up and see Dae Hyun seated next to me.
'Lovely.', I think to myself while I roll my eyes. I made eye contact with him and glared, making it obvious I wasn't entertained by whatever he was attempting to pull.
I noticed Dae Hyun's cheeks were a light shade of pink and he was biting the corner oh his lips nervously. He must be still embarrassed about my comment about his southern region from last night. I didn't notice at first but, everyone in the room was staring at us. The reason, I wasn't too sure yet.
I looked back at Dae Hyun and made it a point to roll my eyes again.
"D-don't misundertand, I normally sit here, I am not trying to be annoying." He whispers while pulling out his stack of notebooks from his desk.
I say nothing while turning away from him. Ms. Kim came in soon after and began her lesson. Every so often, I would see Dae Hyun sneaking glances towards me, as if he was looking at an equation he couldn't solve. I did my best to ignore it by focusing on my notes.
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After the bell had rung, May and I walked to the canteen together and made our way towards our balcony seats. As we climbed the stares up, I couldn't help but notice everyone staring at the both of us in silence.
"May, do I have anything on my face? Why are people staring at us?" I ask as we sit down. May shrugged it off and suggested ignoring their weird vibe.
May must've noticed my discomfort because she began speaking about anything and everything. My heart swelled at the thought of her trying to distract me. I turned my attention towards her and the silence in the canteen disappeared a few minutes after. I was thankful for this new friend.
I felt someone staring at me while I laughed at May's conspiracy theories about the moon-landing and Mars. I stopped laughing when I realized Dae Hyun was standing near the exit of the canteen. He was leaning on the door frame with his hands inside his pockets. He nodded his head behind him and left, insinuating that I follow. I told May what I had witnessed and she encouraged me to go check what he wanted. I followed Dae Hyun until we reached the doors that lead to the school's rooftop. Dae Hyun had checked around, making sure no one was around I assumed as he walked back towards me.
We stood in awkward silence, not knowing what to say to one another. I looked up at the sky to distract myself. The sky was a pale blue and whisps of white clouds were scattered across it. I walked towards the railing, leaning against it as I felt a slight breeze pass. I almost forgot about Dae Hyun until he cleared his throat, making his way over to me.