"I like your piece, what does it mean," Ms Keng asked, staring at my painting with half-lidded eyes.
Ms Agu Keng is the gallerist of the Coeus gallery. A surrealist artist who has curated for CP galleries for over a decade in France.
A red Betta was looking out a dark aquarium cave.
"Hiding," I replied.
"Betta fishes are the epitome of aggression, hiding is not their habit," I replied.
"Why is she hiding?" She asked, turning the painting over to her side.
"I need to find out too," I replied,
"Why don't I see you after class?" she said, shifting ahead of the class again.
"Why would you see her?" Hera intervened.
"I think it's a perfect painting for next week's exhibition," she replied.
"Is she joking around," Hera taunted yet giving her order a congruence.
"Hera your grades aren't ever gonna get you promoted this year at least you of all people should control your tongue ahead of me," Ms Keng replied, with a forced smile.
"Really," she mumbled.
My head felt wet, and a drop of dark gushing red colour rested over my palm.
The painting was bathing in that colour along me as Da-eun catapult the red acrylic colour towards me.
"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to, it just fell," Da-eun replied, gazing at me.
"Her painting is ruined," Da-eun replied, staring at my painting.
"Well, what done is done," Ms Cheng forced a smile.
"Da-eun comes to my office, with your piece," Ms Cheng asked, with a sigh.
"This is not blood, it's just a colour,"
"That fucking bitch, I should just kill her," I mumbled, looking at myself in the mirror, as felt a scratch on my neck.
"I should take care of her," I said, washing off my face.
"How dare she?" I mumbled, scrubbing my face hard with my fingernails.
"How dare she?"
"How dare she?"
"Uh," I scowled, as my fingers cut off my cheeks.
"Maybe I could start with her phone," I thought, with a sigh looking at the mirror it was her seditious manner which has pushed the situation to this.
"She has glued the phone to her body," I thought, gazing at Da-eun who was keeping her phone in the pocket of her blazer all the time.
"Why wouldn't she leave it in the class even in the PE," I thought, gazing at her as she got inside the changing room with her phone too.
I took off my blazer and wore the track over my shirt.
Da-eun put her phone in her locker while taking off her blazer to change into a t-shirt.
"Perfect," I mumbled, with a wide smile.
"Do you want to play against me?" Ji-eun asked, slamming the door of my locker, and chaining up her tracksuit.
"You're the national player who you're asking," Hera commented to us.
"No! I don't play losing games," I replied, slamming the door of my locker.
"Of course, you were gonna lose," she replied, curling her lips and leaving the room with Hera.
"Let's go," Yoo-Jung said, shifting to Da-eun.
"Huh," she mumbled, locking her door.
"You're not coming," Yoo-jung asked, staring at me.
"Uh, I'm on periods, I'm gonna pass," I replied, resting my hands inside the track.
"Uh, sure," Yoo-jung replied, clearing her throat and left with Da-eun hand in hand.
"Let's do some work," I said, taking the pin out of my hair.
"Where did she put the phone?" I said, rummaging through her locker rapidly.
"Where are you?" I mumbled, looking between her uniform.
"Where did she put it?" I said, taking her white purse out and unbuckled.
"Here, you're," I said, with a sigh as I finally found it tucked inside her purse.
I put her purse back and stood against the door of the changing room leaning my back on it.
I pressed the side button to unlock her phone.
"Swipe up to use phone lock," notification appears with a dial pad for password.
"0000," I filled in the password.
"Wrong password,"
"2 attempts left," another notification appears.
"Her birthday," I mumbled, opening my phone to check her birthday on my social media.
"0804," I filled in the password again.
"Wrong password, one attempt remaining, another notification appears.
"2002," I filled in the password again.
"Wrong password, phone locked. Try again in your 30s," another notification appears.
"What the hell is her code! It's not even a secret document," I frowned.
"Think-think, you would lose your chance at this rate," I mumbled, staring at the ceiling.
The timer disappears after thirty seconds.
"1234," I replied.
"Wrong password," the notification appears.
"Let's try later," I thought, looking at the phone with a flushed complexion.
I moved towards her locker to put her phone back.
"See you tonight, I miss you too," a message popped after a jingle from a contact named Seung-ho.
"She's dating?" I narrowed my gaze.
"Doesn't she introduce herself as single, they never talk about this?" I thought, blinking rapidly.
"Or he isn't worth boasting," I mumbled.
"He doesn't look from our school," I said, focusing on the small circular dp of a guy.
"Maybe we'll have to meet too," I thought, putting her phone inside her locker, and slamming the door.
"What kind of a doctor he is, his office is always empty," I said, closing the door behind me.
"I told you not to let someone in," Woo-jin said, coming out behind the curtain.
I gasped.
"I almost had an attack," I said, turning to him.
"What hell you're doing here?" he asked.
"That's not your concern," I replied, going through his drawer for the first aid box.
"Babe!" a girl shouted, opening the door.
"Who is she?" she asked, staring at me with widened eyes.
"Oppa are you cheating on him," she uttered a yelp, staring at him.
"My standard…" he went quiet for a moment.
"Huh, I'm cheating," he replied.
"What a decent way of a breakup," I murmured.
"Oppa!" she said.
"I'm busy, see you later," he said, with a wide smile waving at her.
"I won't," she left, shutting the door hardly after her.
"I was hoping for a good time, you ruined everything," he said, shifting towards me.
"Just get a room," I replied, focusing to find the box.
"Where did he put it," I mumbled.
"Really!" he said, after me.
"Here it is," he handed the first aid box from a side table of a bed.
"Uh, he sure is careless," I said, opening the box.
"Did someone hit you?" he asked.
"See you later," I replied, leaving in a hurry and taking a bandaid out of it.
"Your phone," he said, after me.
"Really," I said, letting the doorknob go.
"Give it," I snatched the phone out of his hand.
"I'll do it," he meddled.
"What?" I asked.
"Give me, I'll do it," Woo-jin said.
"You've cut on your cheek," he continued, extending his hand.
"You should sterilize and put on an ointment."
"I'll do it, give me the band-aid."
"Just do it properly," I replied, handing him the band-aid.
I leaned beside his office table, facing my cheeks towards him.
"It'll sting," he replied, putting the sterilizer in a cotton ball.
"Hmm," I murmured.
After he applied it through the cut, throwing it back on the dustbin.
He took the ointment out on his fingers to apply.
He moved his hands softly over my cheeks, his fingers stop, as he reaches over the edges of the cut.
"What happened?" I asked, turning to him.
"Nothing!" he replied, moving away with a jolt.
"Your skin doesn't even look like a girl's," he said, clicking his tongue.
"Just do it," I replied, putting my lips in a straight line.
"Huh" he replied, applying the bandage in hurry.
"Really," I mumbled.
"Yaah! take your phone, before leaving," he said.
"Do you've my phone," Da-eun asked, moving to my desk?
"Why would I?" I asked.
"Just give me my phone, give me my phone back," she ordered.
"I don't have anyone's phone," I replied, exhaling heavily.
"Give me the keys to your lockers," she asked, extending her palm.
"I said I don't have it," I replied, standing up from my seat.
"You should've looked around properly," I emphasized.
"I did everywhere," she replied.
"But, why do you think I did it?" I asked, with a scoff.
"It has never happened before you," she replied.
"Congratulations! But I don't have it," I insisted.
"Why don't you both do it outside the class?" Hyun-woo shouted, shutting his book class.
"Give me your keys," she asked, again.
"Why should I?" I asked.
"Here, your phone," Yoo-jung said, coming to the class breathing heavily.
"My phone, where did you get it?" She asked, turning at Yoo-jung.
"It was inside your lockers," Yoo-jung replied.
"What are you both doing?" she asked, moving towards us.
"Expecting an apology," I replied, putting my hand over my belly.
"I hope you will open your eyes next time before arguing with me," I replied, sitting on my seat.