At lunchtime, the teacher opened everyone's lunchbox and gave around compliments for their food choices. That is, until, she reached Jaehyun's desk.
"Where's your food, flower?"
"Um, my eomma thought we could buy it from the cafeteria? I got money," Jaehyun fished a hand in his backpack and took out a few bucks.
"The cafeteria is too scary for younger kids, Jaehyun, that is why you should bring your own lunch the next time. Okay?" The teacher informed with a kind smile. Jaehyun nodded modestly and received a headpat.
"Share with your friends today," she added, nudging her chin toward his seatmate's five part lunch set, before moving on to the next desk.
'Friends,' Jaehyun looked at Ian eating out of a literal golden spoon. When the blonde felt a hostile presence staring at him, he shifted further away in his seat and pulled his lunchbox to the edge of his desk.
"Possible contamination," Ian mumbled in between his bites.
There was no way Prince Ian was sharing his food with a mere foreign commner like Kang Jaehyun.
The ravenette turned to see Rohry gushing something in Sidra's ear. Her dimple looked pretty as she held a cucumber in her hand, making it fly all over her desk.
He got up and stood by her side, demanding, "Give me food, I shared my milk with you."
Sidra, who was intently listening to Rohry rant about Pegasuses, coiled into herself as soon as Jaehyun's words left his mouth.
Rohry's jaw hung low. "You scared my friend!" She turned to scold him with a frown.
"Sorry!" Jaehyun raised a hand and gave Sidra a diplomatic smile. "I didn't mean to," he gestured Rohry to scoot closer to Sidra and make space for him to sit. He took a seat on her chair, leaving Rohry hanging in the middle.
"Are you okay? If he is being bad we can kick him away?" Rohry asked Sidra, who shook her head in reply.
"He's fine," Sidra whispered in the softest voice she could muster.
"I'm only here for the food," Jaehyun grinned a toothy smile, "thanks for letting me stay."
"And my seat," Rohry pouted and pushed her lunchbox toward Jaehyun. "Leave me the cucumbers. They're my favourite!" Rohry gobbled the cucumber in her hand and fell back into an animated conversation with Sidra. Barbie movies and what not.
Well, more of an animated rant because a conversation would include two people and this was just Rohry talking, Jaehyun listening and Sidra existing.
Rohry's mother had packed her three sandwiches and Jaehyun helped himself with one and a half of them. He made sure to leave all cucumbers he could, for her. Though, after he was done, the teacher announced that there were only five more minutes left to eat and Rohry had yet to touch her food.
Jaehyun shook his head in disappointment.
"Eat while you're talking!" Jaehyun pestered but Rohry was too busy talking, about how Barbie Princess Charm School was so-so-good a movie, to pay attention. Jaehyun pursed his lips together, picked up a sandwhich and pressed it in front of Rohry's mouth.
She took a big bite and continued talking whilst chewing.
"Stop making chomping noises!" Jaehyun complained, nose scrunched.
Rohry turned to chomp right beside his ear, eyes narrowed in petty revenge.
He scoffed again. "Are you seeing her?!" He directed his exasperation at Sidra, pointing an offended hand at Rohry.
Rohry took another bite of the sandwich, which hung from Jaehyun's hand, whilst Sidra only nodded feebly.
"Everyone's seeing me. I'm adorable," Rohry chirped, in between chewing. Jaehyun could only roll his eyes. He had never been one for lies and meandering words — not that he'd lived much to begin with — so he agreed without qualms, internally.
"Yes, you are," arrived the confirmation from Paine who turned back to side-eye Jaehyun and Rohry sitting on one chair. He picked up a cucumber silce from Rohry's lunchbox but Jaehyun swatted his hand away.
"Sorry! Did I hit you? I start moving my hands all by myself when my allergies kick in," Jaehyun pulled a pout and sniffled.
Rohry took another bite from the sandwich in Jaehyun's hand.
"Wow, are you for real?" Paine scoffed out loud, "Nobody asked, nobody cares, you freak."
"Democracy will be the death of me," Ian moaned somewhere, loud enough for most people to listen.
"No, Ian, democracy is very nice! We're all equals and together because we live in a place where we can do anything and be anyone!" Lander shoved his input in a conversation that wasn't his to begin with. Heck, it wasn't even a conversation to begin with.
"Yeah, Jaehyun said I can be Patrick," Rohry giggled and a spurt of mayonnaise leaked out of the corner of her lips.
"Oh? Patrick? Star? Yes yes! Can I be your SpongeBob please?? Pretty please?! We'll be best friends!!" Lander pushed a hand over Jaehyun's head and leaned over her desk, slotting himself in between, to have Rohry in his direct line of sight.
Jaehyun, who was about to clean the corner of Rohry's mouth, grunted with displeasure as his hand remained hanging with a white tissue in the air.
"Oh yes yes yes! Let's be! SpongeBob and Patrick!!" Rohry jumped up and crossed over Jaehyun with one stride, pulling Lander into a hug.
Jaehyun involuntarily pouted and his eyes looked around to share his exasperation with someone. That someone was Sidra, as they caught eachother's eyes and exchanged a look of disappointment directed at Rohry.
But as quick as it came, Sidra quickly looked away and the bell rang.
⩩
"Aw, aren't you cute?"
"Literally so precious!"
"Do you want a candy?"
"What grade are you in? Such a nice kid!"
As Jaehyun and Rohry made their way back to the school bus, they witnessed Paine being babied by a couple of senior girls and boys at the doorstep.
He stood there with his head hung low and eyes having a stare match with the ground, lips pushed in a duck pout. If Jaehyun and Rohry did not know any better... they'd think Paine was being shy.
"The world is such a weird place," Jaehyun shook his head, still eying Rohry with disappointment.
"Oh you're still hung up on it? What was I supposed to do? Be mean and say no?" Rohry tried to reason but Jaehyun only shrugged his shoulders in reply. With the expertise of a professional bus climber, he clutched the door handles and pulled himself up.
Rohry had to get the bus conductor's help to climb the first step and by the time she was inside, Jaehyun had already taken the cornermost window seat.
Now it was Rohry's turn to give him the eyes of betrayal.
"Happy now?" Rohry grumbled as she shifted back to rest herself against the seat's backrest and be right beside Jaehyun.
"Aju nice," Jaehyun nodded. He pulled open his backpack and took out his homework notebook.
"What are you doing?" Rohry questioned, eyeing him curiously as Jaehyun went over all they had for homework.
"I'm making ramen, want some?" Jaehyun questioned sarcastically, as he pulled his pencil case and took out a pencil.
"What is ramen?" Rohry questioned, curiously blinking at Jaehyun. The latter sighed to himself, shaking his head over this little girl's dumbness.
"I am doing my homework."
"Does ramen mean doing homework? What does Aju mean?" Rohry fired again, diligent with her will to learn but absolute trash at the pronounciation.
"No, Rick, Rame— nevermind. Aju means... Very, and uh, I am doing my homework so that I can have more free time at home," Jaehyun explained patiently. Rohry's head bobbed up and down in understanding.
"What do you do in your free time?" She couldn't help but pry.
"Hush now, I cannot concentrate," Jaehyun pressed her head against the backrest of the wide seat and patted her forehead. "Go to sleep," he urged and it took only a moment's worth for Rohry to wrap her herself around Jaehyun's arm and lean her head over his shoulder, yawn at the ready for sleep.
Rohry was much more nicer and soft, when she was asleep, Jaehyun realised, as she drooled all over his shoulder. He did not mind it a bit because it reminded him of Ben whom they left back home.
Jaehyun completed his math and english homework by the time they reached their house. Jaehyun couldn't risk his mother being mad at him so he left first, leaving behind a sleepy Rohry whose mother had to fetch her, in her arms, from the bus.
All the while Rohry slept in her peaceful afternoon whilst her mother cooked for her, Jaehyun perfected the ten-thousand piece castle model his father had gifted him on his birthday. It was one of a kind, a creation of his own, and Jaehyun felt giddy with each block he joined together to further progress a wall.
This self-assigned project of his had been the only constant that had helped him through his parents' move, leaving behind Ben, and adjusting into a new place. The pieces gave him a sense of peace and accomplishment — something that was hard to find out in the world.
Jaehyun appreciated the organized chaos and productivity that went into creating something from scratch and he loved indulging in it. Maybe, one day, he'd ask Rohry to join him?
"Jaehyun-ah! Do you want a snack?" His mother flung open the door of his room and peeked over the door frame.
"No," he mumbled, focus not shifting.
"I guess you have already completed your homework?"
"Yes."
"Good boy. Come skate with eomma in the evening, okay?"
"Yes," Jaehyun smiled as his mother shut the door behind her.
Skating was fun and probably he'd see Rohry somewhere...
⩩
...He didn't see Rohry anywhere for the rest of the week.
The teacher informed the class that Rohry Wisteria was sick and would be absent for a week.
"Serves her right for being so mean to me," Paine had scoffed. He had the time of his life in turning back every minute or two and commenting one thing or the other to an uninterested Sidra. She was like an ice cold wall throughout the week, impenetrable to Paine's words and views.
"The mortality rate of kids is quite...hmm high," Ian had mumbled to himself after hearing of Rohry's sickness, much to Jaehyun's annoyance. Hence why Jaehyun spent the rest of the week encroaching Ian's personal space with his"clumsy" elbows and knocking his branded stuff off his desk.
"Aw, I hope she gets well soon! Can we all make her a 'Get Well Soon' card please, miss?" Lander had shouted on day two, much to everyone's surprise. Though, people were starting to get used to his outbursts.
"That's a brilliant idea, Lander! We shall get to it in the activity period!"
Sidra's card had been the most beautiful among her peers. She had made flowers with dew drops on them and sprinkled their edges with glitter. The whole piece looked like something bought out of a shop. The teacher showed it to everyone in class and even Paine had to agree that it was a pretty card!
"Jaehyun, aren't you neighbours with Rohry? Could you give all of these cards to her?" The teacher proposed and Jaehyun agreed earnestly.
But, there was just one bit he had left out of consideration: their families.
Hence why, he had been dilly-dallying for a week making a fool-proof plan to see Rohry without anyone getting wind of it.
Surely, this was only because Sidra wrote a letter to Rohry, everyday, and sent her stickers through Jaehyun — which took a whole lot of courage for Sidra to even mention it to him — and he did not want to be the end of their friendship.
So, Jaehyun had been on a stakeout with his telescope, to figure out which room was Rohry's, and to his wildest surprise, hers was right opposite to his own. The back of her room overlooked the front of his. There was a ledge that went around the back, all the way to the front, and the sides of her room and balcony.
Then on, everything was excecution of a carefully well-thought out plan.
⩩