"Sometimes an erratic change in attitude can offend others and lead to misunderstooding."
__________
I feel my body aches all because today's training is very heavy. We ran up and down the stairs to the third floor of the school. Not enough there, our feet and hands were also given weight. We also shouldn't be noisy because it can interfere with the ongoing lessons in class. Ah, archery is very tiring and I want to stop archery and become an ordinary student sitting on a bench listening to the material the teacher explains.
"Oh, what are you doing here?" I asked Jae-Hwo who was standing in front of the archery gym door holding a box of white milk.
He handed me the milk box. "Waiting for you to come home together!" was the answer and I just nodded and accepted the box of milk he gave me.
We walked side by side through the school hallway which was already deserted because it was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Imagine how crushed my body was, practicing from eight in the morning until half past five in the afternoon. It's just like an office worker when I practice.
"How to join the school's archery team?" he asked me and I just remembered that he was good at archery and had participated in an archery competition and won the championship. It seemed, that his talent would be greatly admired by the school if he joined the archery team.
Even though I don't like being around him, I don't want to prevent someone's talent from developing so I take out my cell phone and send a message to Mr. Handoko, the school's archery coach. I sent him a message that there would be a new member who wanted to register and sent a link to Jae-Hwo's video when he got a medal in the inter-school Olympics in Seoul first.
"I just messaged the coach and just wait, you will join the team!" I smiled when I told him and for some reason, I looked so cute to him.
"Really?" He asked enthusiastically when we were in front of the school gate which was deserted and there were only the two of us.
I nodded.
He smiled broadly and I hated the lipstick that was lightly on his lips. Without giving a hint, he immediately took my hand and invited me to walk along while holding hands. Why does he act like a kindergartner his attitude like this reminds me of our childhood. He always held my hand and was So Young when he came home from kindergarten. I wish that So Young was here too so the three of us could be like we used to be.
Subconsciously, I smiled remembering my childhood, and subconsciously, why would I want to join hands with Jae-Hwo which could cause misunderstandings? We're not kids anymore and I let go of Jae-Hwo's hand from mine. He was startled and stopped in his tracks, and so did I.
He looked at me disappointed. "Why off?" he asked with a disappointed look. His face was not as cheerful as before.
"We're not kids anymore!" I answered and walked ahead of him.
Hell, he grabbed my backpack and forced me to stop walking. "Can you act like an immature adult like this?" I asked annoyed and I didn't have the energy to be angry.
He let go of my duffel bag so I could continue walking on the sidewalk with the city lights on. I like this atmosphere because it feels warm even though the sun is about to set completely.
"Is hand in hand only for small children?" He asked in a very sullen tone.
God, why does he like to provoke the negative aura in me to get angry at him?
"I don't have the energy to fight today so please don't be loud!" I tell him and he looks really mad at me for walking ahead of me and I don't care about that.
I wanted to avoid him so I let him walk first and I wanted to sit on a bench next to the sidewalk to enjoy the traffic in the afternoon. This is my habit to unwind from all day practicing archery. At the same time calming my mind about future questions that make me not know what to do.
I stuck a straw into the hole in the milk box and took a sip. Even though he gave me a free box of milk, it still didn't change anything while he stopped being mean to me.
Heavy breaths escaped my nose and these thoughts came up again. In the past, I once had a dream to live very well and always support Axelle's dream of becoming a basketball athlete. Even I often scolded him when he ran wearing only sandals because it could hurt his feet. However, I also did that myself, running and wearing sandals even though I was also a school athlete myself. Yes, my goal is not to be an athlete. Remembering it all makes me smile but it hurts.
I pondered long enough that I didn't realize that Jae-How was sitting on a bench that was ten feet from the one I was sitting on. We looked at each other from ten feet away with different meanings of gaze.
I got up from my seat after finishing the milk box that Jae-How gave me and then walked over to the trash can to throw away the empty milk box.
In the end, we went home together and no one spoke because I didn't want to be communicated with. When I arrived in front of Jae-Hwo's house he just waved his hand and I nodded silently and walked towards the house.
In front of the veranda, I was greeted by my mom and she doesn't usually do this to me. Are you being possessed by a kind spirit or what? Why do I sound like a brat like this, huh?
"Did you go to the same school as Jae-Hwo?" I'm disappointed with this question. Can you ask if I'm tired after a long day of practicing archery, instead of asking about Jae-Hwo.
"Yes, and one class!" I replied curtly as I walked past my mother to enter the house.
When I entered the house, I saw my father, who had just arrived home, walking towards the kitchen. He looked at me and asked, "Doesn't your hand hurt from practicing archery all day?" Father's question was so reassuring and I smiled and shook my head.
"You take a hot shower!" No matter how many times my father says it, I still like it.
"Are your seats close together?" asked the mom who was suddenly behind me and made my heart startle.
While my father looked at us with knitted brows then said, "How do you know, Roosevelt has been practicing archery all day!" I'm grateful that the father was quick to respond and answered the mom's questions to help his exhausted daughter.
"But they went home together, don't you tell stories!" Give God forty extra patience, to face mom.
"Roos, take a warm bath over there!" tell father to me and repeatedly dad saves me from mom.
"I want to ask Jae-Hwo myself and ask him to have dinner together!"
It's up to you, the important thing is that you are happy to be able to have dinner again with your favorite human.
To be continued.