Chapter Text
Doodling. That's all I do in this god awful class. We live in Korea for fucking sakes I don't get why we have to learn fuck ass American history in high school. Who cares about World War 1 and 2, I sure as hell don't. The teacher approached the front podium and cleared her throat.
"Alright class. Listen up!" Her voice echoed through the room with the polite manner she always carries. "We have a new student joining us today. She should've been here by now?" She looks around the room before the door barges open and a shorter raven haired girl stood there breathing hard. "Oh! There she is." She gestures for the girl to move to the podium with her. Her cheeks still bright red she takes her place next to the teacher as she smiles. "Everyone this is Zoey Park. Would you like to introduce yourself?" She turns the girl who just nods.
"Uh.. Hi! My name is Zoey Park and I just moved her with my mother and younger brother from Burbank, California. I can't wait to explore Seoul again, I haven't been here since I was little but I always loved the aquarium because turtles are just the best. Did you know-" Her sentence got cut off by a loud clearing of a throat before the room filled with laughter.
I chuckled along to fit in with the room but in reality it hurt to be rude like the rest of them. The girl looked down as the teacher looked around the room. "Well it looks like there's an open seat in the back there you can sit in. If you have an accommodations we can discuss those after class if you would like." The teacher smiled brightly as I looked next to me at the open seat next to me. Fuck, she's sitting next to me.
I watch as the girl walks from the podium to the seat next to me and she keeps her head down before crossing her arms on the desk and leans down as the teacher starts her lecture. "Today we are starting the first official unit for the year on World War 1. There is 3 major units for this year. Our first being World War 1, the second before the 1920's and 30's with the American Great Depression and finally World War 2 which will have a major final project worth 25% of your final grade." The teacher goes on but it just flows in one ear and out of the second. Fuck History Class and Fuck Mrs. Louis.
My alarm went off late. "Dammit!" I struggle out of my covers and rush over to my dresser picking out the uniform we got the other day from the school and quickly put it on. Ugh I hate button up shirts. After buttoning it up fully and putting on the pants I went to the bathroom and finally looked in the mirror. "Oh geez. Scary sight." I looked horrible but makeup and hair care will fix that.
I reach in my bathroom drawer and grab my hairbrush and groan at the knots at every brush. "Finally." The brush glides through my hair as my mom called from downstairs.
"ZOEY, LUCAS LET'S GO!" Zoey sighs and sets her brush down. Good Enough. I think as I grab my backpack and rush down the stairs. I look towards my mama who is gesturing us out the door and towards the car. "I'm gonna be late so Zoey I'm just going to drop you off at your brother's school and you can walk to yours" Great. Thanks mom. The car comes to a stop and we both get out. "Have a good day kiddos." I groan at the nickname and I start walking towards the high school.
I check the schedule and then my watch. "Shit!" I start sprinting towards the building which seems farther every second. After what feels like hours, even though its been 10 minutes I finally make it to get the school and try and find my class.
"We have a new student joining us today. She should've been here by now?" I hear the teacher's voice just as I reach the door. She sounds to nice and sweet. I open the door a little bit too hard and I feel my cheeks heat up. "Oh! There she is." I follow her hands to stand next to her at the front podium. This is way difference than America. "Everyone this is Zoey Park. Would you like to introduce yourself?" The teacher rests her hand on my back and I nod.
The next few minutes feel like a blur. At one moment I was standing at the front of the class and the next I'm sitting at my desk in the back of the class room sitting next to this really scary girl with deep pink hair. I choose to not look at her because I'm afraid she will tear me apart.
Midway through the lecture the teacher asks us to work with the person next to us. I look to the side and see the evil villainous girl who was just writing on the paper the teacher handed out. The girl, unbeknownst to her name sensed I was starring at her and looked at me. "What." Her deep monotone voice came out flatly and sharp.
It makes me shrink as I look away. "T-the teacher s-said--" Why am I stuttering? I haven't in YEARS.
"I don't give two flying fucks what the teacher said. Do the fucking work yourself." She puts her earbud in and continues working. That shuts me up quickly and I just sit properly in my desk and start doing the work. It was easy honestly because I learned everything about World War 1 last year in America. I finish the assignment in not even 5 minutes I stand up and turn in the paper and sit back down. A lot of people stare at me and I have no clue why.
"What a nerd." A voice came as a whisper across the room. "She's a loser." There's faint laughter and Zoey puts her head down checking the time. Great. 25 more minutes left of class. I close my eyes before hearing a groan and look over to the villain.
"Psst. Hey Hoobae." A deep monotone whisper cuts through my left ear and I open my eye. "I'm stuck. Can you help me?" I sit up and look at her paper and she is stuck on question 3.
I reach over and grab the booklet that contains the reading piece and show her to paragraph 4. "It's right here. Paragraph 4, takes all about the Treaty of Versailles was signed at the end of the World War 1 by Germany and the Allied powers." I lean back over and put my head back down.
"Thank you." She finishes her work and hands it in as the bell rings. Everyone starts to pack up as the teacher stands up.
"Alright class, any work you did not complete is homework and due tomorrow." Everyone but me and the pink haired girl groan. I grabbed my stuff and rush out towards my next class.
During lunch I normally sit alone. No one likes me enough to even be my friend. My parents made sure of that. I hate them but you probably already know that. I despise what they tell me to do and how they want me to do so I don't. I do my own thing like dying my hair pink and wearing what I want. The short raven haired girl, Zoey right. She finished the history assignment like it was nothing, which it was to her. She most definitely learned all of that in America so she knows it all but she was helpful with my assignment. Got to make sure I don't take advantage of her too much, I've got to do it myself.
"Hey Zoey, you know your stuff pretty well in history?" A girl approached her across the cafeteria. It was Samantha, the snobby pick me bitch of the grade. Get away from her, she doesn't need you using her.
"Oh yeah! Why do you ask?" She looks up smiling brightly with her bubbly smile.
"Well me and my friends could use some help on the assignment." She sets down 5 sets of the assignment. "We are having a little trouble." She makes her voice vulnerable.
"Oh! No problem, It's rather easy." She smiles and looks at the papers.
"Great! Thanks!" She walks away with her friend group and looks just smiles and goes back to looking on her phone. Why does she let them do that. Whatever. Her funeral, why should I care? She does seem like a loser and plus she is American. My parents always said Americans were the worst customer. My phone buzzes and I look at it.
Mother: Don't forget we have a business dinner tonight
Me: Yes Eomeoni, I remember
No Reply. Of course. I look up from my phone and see the girl working on their papers. The bell rings and it's time gym class. My least favorite of the day because, well exercise sucks but the Hoobae happens to be in this class with me. Why wouldn't she be. She looked lost. I check her out. No not in that way, for a guess on her clothing size and I walk to the teacher and get a uniform in small and walk up to her. "Here."
She looks down at the clothes and took them. "T-Thanks.." She follows the other girls into the locker as they all change and Zoey just stands there looking lost and uncomfortable. I sigh. Why am I like this? I walk over to the girl again.
"You don't want to change in front of people do you?" She looks at me and nods. Read her like a god damn children's book. I smirk at myself and go to my gym locker and pull out a towel and walk back to her. "Do you know how to change under a towel or do you just want me to hold it up for you?" I look down at her and give her a soft warming smile.
"C-can yo-u hold it?" Her face turns red from embarrassment and I just nod. This is the last interaction I'm having with her today.
She changes and I put my towel away and change myself before walking out to class. I HATE gym and HATE exercise. I groan as I see today is dodgeball. I happen to like dodgeball. The starts and the most athletic kids start whipping the balls hard and getting people out. I throw my own to my best ability which isn't great. I see the hoobae on the other team and look at her as she tries to pick up balls but other kids keep taking them.
As the balls get thrown and kids get taken out one of the athletic kids whips a ball really hard and it flies right into the hooabe's face. She falls back onto her ass and everyone but me and the teacher burst out laughing. I sigh and walk over to the girl as she is holding her nose and I help her up. "Come on." I walk over to my locker and pull out a hand towel and give it to her for her to hold on her bleeding nose. "Does it hurt?" I look at her and she nods. "Okay come on." I put my hand on her back to guide her out the locker room and we get to the door. "Wait here."
I walk over to the teacher and tell her what's going on before walking back to the raven haired girl. "I'm gonna take you to the nurse." The girl nods. She doesn't talk much and I don't know why, she seemed to ramble earlier when talking to the class. Maybe she's scared of me. I don't know everyone in this school is scared of me.
After dropping her off I return to the class. Gym was done thankfully but the rest of the day blew by. Music theory was the best class as it's my favorite but English was so boring. 6 classes a day is dreadful as by organic science in the end was awful. At least Math and cooking class before lunch went well. I didn't see the girl the rest of the day which was relaxing for once. She was everywhere before she went to the nurse.
I grab my bag from my locker and start walking home. My father offered to send someone to pick me up from school once I started high school 4 years ago but I already hate that I'm connected to them and their richness of the city. Plus the friends who are only my friends for my stuff and money are just the sound you make when you gag. I've never had friends growing up either since money was the only thing in their eyes. My parents tried to make me my own friends and boyfriends that they wanted me to get with for their business.
When I reach the house, or well a mansion I should say and as soon as I walk in the door there's yelling. You've got to been fucking kidding me, tonight is going to be a long night.
"Instant pain is all I really felt. The ball came so fast and it hit so hard, I blacked out." The nurse laughs slightly. "No it's true! First I was standing there watching this girl play then I'm in here. No clue who brought me and who gave me this towel, but it was probably a teacher because everyone seems like entitled dicks."
The nurse just laughs as she puts a bandage over the bridge of my nose. "Well sweetie, believe it or don't but Mira brought you here. Not her first time bringing someone though. She's always made sure people get medical attention." She turns while speaking to take off her gloves and throw them out before standing up. She looks and sees the confused look on my face. Who the fuck is Mira?. "She's tall and has pink hair." I nod understanding her. So her name is Mira. Good to know, I think.
I skip out of the nurse's office and look at my phone. "2:40? How is it 2:40? Gym was at 1pm." I groan and walk to my locker. No point in even going to class for the 10 minutes. My bag is SO heavy due to all the textbooks they gave out before lunch it's super annoying. I pull my headphones on and start my journey home, It's about a 20 minutes walk to the apartment we are renting. I walk by the streets of the rich rich neighborhood for the snobby stuck up rich people who has a stick half way up their ass. I hate the rich.
The weather in Korea is very different than California. It was always sunny and warm in Cali but here for fall it's cold. I wonder what winter with snowfall during Christmas is actually like and to finally have a white Christmas like I've always dreamed of. I've only ever seen snow when I went to visit family during the holidays in other states but I can only dream. Why did she take my to the nurse? She seems so scary? I shake my head. "Why the hell is she still on my mind?"
I look up and see I passed the apartment building. "Oh shit." I turn around and rush back and get in the elevator. I push the 4th floor and wait. The elevator is kind of slow but at least this building has one. Although the place is really nice, average kind of apartment big enough for the 3 of us. I open the door. "Hey mama-" I look around at the empty apartment. "Mama?" I walk into the kitchen and see a plate of cookies with a note on them.
'They called me in early, I'll be home later. Don't let your brother eat all these cookies for dinner. <3 - Mama Bear.' I groan and take a cookie going to my room throwing my bag down.
I've always been a snooper online so obviously I looked up my school on Instagram and tried to find familiar faces and some names before I scrolled upon hers, Wong Mira.
I clicked on and to my surprise it was public. Scrolling through all her photos of the years, there's none with her family and a few seem like they were taken at a hospital which was odd. A few were beautiful shots of her in a flower field and some were at the beach which she looked hot in those. Relax Zoey, you only know her name and nothing else you can't be falling for her already. Plus she most likely has a boyfriend or doesn't even like girls.
After a few hours of phone time, being bored out of my mind and coming up with nothing while snooping I find myself back on her profile again. Scrolling through the photos checking them all over again as I land on a photo from years ago of little Mira. Aw so cuteeee. My whole body freezes, thumb stays hovering over the screen as I see the red heart. "I just liked a photo from... 10 YEARS AGO." Oh I'm SO FUCKED.