Saturday Fundays

Chapter 3

Today is Saturday. It looks like the weekends are free game to do anything you like. It's April 22nd and it's a bit rainy today. I wonder are we allowed to leave campus. I climb out of bed and stretch, yawing as I do so. Nayeon is still sleeping as I head to the bathroom to start my day.

After my shower, I decide on a yellow hoodie and a pair of blue jeans. I wear black and white stripped socks. I head back in the bathroom to fix my hair. Today, because it's such sad weather, I'm going to wear my hair up. A few strands fall down my face as I tie it up in a messy bun. I check out myself in the mirror. My almond shaped eyes, my brown eyes, my thin nose, and my small pink lips. Do I want to wear contacts today, or my glasses? I stand in the mirror as I slip my contacts in and blink my eyes a couple of times.

When I step out, Nayeon is sitting up in her bed. She blinks her eyes a couple of times while she adjusts herself to the light outside. "What time is it?" She questions.

"It's 6:51. It's almost time for breakfast." I say. She sighs, crawling out of bed. "I'm leaving first." She doesn't reply as she closes the door behind her to the bathroom. I grab my bag and head to my desk where I slip the yellow notebook into it. I sling my bag over my right shoulder and head out the door. As I start walking down the hallway, I notice the students wearing house slippers. I rarely see anyone just wearing socks. Am I just the outcast?

"Hey!" Someone calls. I stop, turning around to the voice. A girl with short blonde hair waves and slowly approaches me. We are standing a few feet away from one another. She looks at the ground. "Uh, I thought I should say thank you for what you did for me last night." She whispers. I look at the ground.

"Oh, it's no problem." I say, lifting my head up. She lifts her up as well and smiles a small smile.

"I really appreciate it." I smile and she throws her hand, waving me off. "Well, see you around." I watch as she turns in the opposite direction. I make my way to the dining hall. Where was it again?

"Good morning, Nari." Minjun says as he approaches me from the side. I glance at him as we fall into step together. "You sleep well?" I nod my head. "Glad to hear it." We don't say anything as we make our way into the dining hall.

"Where's Moonbin and Chan?" I question.

"Minjun!" Chan calls. We turn around and see Chan and Moonbin standing around the tables. Moonbin smiles at me and I touch my ears to keep them cool. "Good morning you two." I wave and Minjun smiles, waving back. Moonbin walks over to me and nudges me.

"Did you read it?" He whispers. I look up at him. Today, is hair is pushed out his face. It looks nice. I nod my head. He grins. "Awesome, I'll grab it from you after breakfast." I nod again.

"Hey! What are you guys going to eat? Pancakes and waffles are leaving fast." Chan says.

"Be right there." Moonbin says. "Let's get going." He says, smiling at me. I smile back.

"Sure."

After breakfast, we head to the student longue. Why are there so msny students out and about duuring this hour? I mean, it's literally 7:22 am. I sigh as we all head to a group table. There is a loud, chatty group next to us. Moonbin looks sorry.

"If it wasn't raining, we could hang out in the courtyard in the back." I shake my head.

"No, it's okay." I say. Chan looks from Moonbin to me.

"You guys sure are becoming close." He raises an eyebrow. "You guys plan on dating?"

"No!" We both shout at the same time. I'm surprised that he said no too. Does he not like me? I quickly shake my head. No, that would mean I like him and I don't. At least, not in that way. Chan laughs.

"Relax, there isn't a need for you guys to get defensive."

"We aren't." Moonbin says. I glance at him and his cheeks are flushed pink. "Anyway, you guys wanna play a card game or something?"

"Sure, that sounds alright with me." They head over to the shelves, leaving me with Minjun. Today, his hair looks a bit wavy. It's still cute though.

"I'm really glad you're making friends." He says. "Would you say you're adjusting well?" I shrug my shoulders.

"I mean, It's only my second day." I start to open my mouth, but I quickly shut it as the purple notebook falls onto the table. We both look up to see Felix standing there. He has an irritated look on his face.

"I did the stupid assignment." He says, crossing his arms over his chest. I slowly take the notebook from the table. "I'm leaving first." Minjun and I don't say anything. There is a sticky note on the front of the notebook. The handwriting is beyond messy but at least it's easy to read. 'Here little girl. Hope this will satisfy you for a while.' I sigh. Why can't he ever call me by my name? Minjun smirks.

"Oh wow. He actually did an assignment. That's different." I open the notebook and turn the page. He's only written a sentence.

I have no intention of getting to know you.

I sigh, closing it. "Well, it's not like he said much." I say, grabbing my bag and stuffing it into my bag. I still have to give Moonbin the yellow notebook. Would it be okay to give it to him in front of his friends? I'm sure he wouldn't, right? Maybe I should text him to make sure. Just as I pull out my phone; Chan and Moonbin return with a box of uno cards. I quickly slip my phone back in my pocket.

We play for an hour or so before we get bored. As Chan cleans up the cards, I look at Minjun. "Do we wear uniforms here?"

"Of course. We didn't wear them yesterday though because we have casual Friday every Friday." Chan taps the cards on the table. "You'll start wearing yours Monday morning."

"What do they look like?" I ask.

"Standard. Boys wear black slacks with a white button up shirt and a red tie and girls wear a black skirt with a white button up shirt and a red tie also. It'll be summer soon so we'll wear the summer uniform which is basically a short sleeve white button up. You can still choose to wear your jacket if you want but lots of students don't." I nod my head slowly.

"Okay, thanks for explaining that." I say, smiling. I look around, still too many people here. "Are you guys allowed to leave campus on the weekends?"

"Of course. You just need permission from the principal." Chan scoffs.

"Don't get your hopes up though. He's picky on who he lets leave campus. He also has favorites."

"No, he doesn't." Moonbin says.

"You're only saying that because he ALWAYS lets you leave." Chan says defensively. They go back and forth. Minjun waves his hand towards them.

"Don't worry about them. Is there anything you want to do Nari? Maybe we can get you into a club today?" I sigh. I was hoping I could avoid this longer. "Probably best to do it sooner than later." I stand up, pouting.

"I guess if there isn't anything else to do." I mumble. He smiles and points towards a hall.

"We'll go check out the clubs in the student council room." We start to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Chan calls.

"Don't worry about it!" Minjun says as we disappear down the hall. "He can be so nosy sometimes. I heard he got paired up with Nayeon for the journal project." I chuckle.

"It's probably a good idea. They are both nosy individuals." I say. He laughs.

"True that." He says.

We step into the student council room and the inside is pretty. The walls are a forest green color. There are hanging plants all around. There is a desk by a large open window and the view isn't bad, even if it's just the front of the school. In the middle of the room is a coffee table and a dark brown couch sitting against the wall. There is a clock hanging above it. It smells like campfire. The wood that cools off after it's been burnt out. It has a welcoming vibe. "Student council room. Welcome." He says, closing the door behind him. I take a seat on the couch as he takes a seat next to me.

"I like it in here. It's very nice." I whisper. He looks around.

"It is pretty nice. Isn't it?" He questions. I nod my head. He smiles as he stands up. "Alright. Over here is a bulletin board of all the clubs that you can sign up for. Be aware there are qualifications for certain clubs you want to join." I raise an eyebrow.

"Like what?" I ask.

"An example would be, lets say that you want to join the football team. You'd have to maintain a B+ or higher to stay in it." I turn to look at him.

"Okay, well. What about the photography club?"

"You must have a good camera. And when I mean good camera, I'm talking like a 600+ camera. 600 being the minimum " I bite my bottom lip. That's a lot of money. I could ask my parents if they could get it for me but I doubt they have that much saved up. They had to break into their savings just to send me here.

"What about the book club?"

"That one actually doesn't require anything. Just make sure you show up to every meeting and finish the books you guys decide on in a timely manner." I think about that for a second. If we choose a book that I don't like it, I'm almost 1000 percent sure that I won't read it.

"How about being here? With you?" He blushes a bit and I pretend I don't notice it.

"I mean, how was your GPA in NYC?"

"Pretty good. 3.0." He taps his chin.

"That is good. You might have to interact with students being a part of the student council. Can you handle that?"

"Like large crowds?" He nods his head. I bite my lip again. "I think photography would probably be best for you." I sigh and then my eyes widen.

"Is there a writer's club?" I ask. He nods.

"I actually forgot about that club cause the person who hosts it doesn't get a lot of people. Shall we sign you up?" I nod my head quickly. He laughs and walks over to his desk. He pulls out a piece of paper and a clipboard. He hands me the items with a pen. "Just fill this out quickly, naming the club you wanna join and then hand it back to me and I'll give it to the principal." I nod and take a seat on the couch, filling out the form.

Once I hand it back to him, he looks at it and then me. "You also wanna join student council?" He asks. I smile, nodding my head.

"I do." I say confidently. "Hanging out with you will boost my confidence and I'll get to see my friend often." He smiles at the word friend.

"Alright then. I'll send it to the principal and let you know what happens. If the two clubs interfere with one or the other, you'll have to choose one." I nod my head.

"Okay." I say, standing up. He guides me out the office, closing the door behind him. "I'll see you later?" He nods and I watch him head in the opposite direction of me.

I haven't Nayeon since this morning. I wonder if she's back at the dorm by now. It's almost noon. I start heading back towards the dorms when Moonbin calls my name. I turn around and smile at him as he approaches me. "Hey! Do you have the notebook?" He asks. I nod and drop my bag on the ground. I dig around for a bit before pulling out the yellow one. I hand it to him. He smiles. "Thank you. I'll return it to you soon." He says. I nod.

"No worries. I'll see you later." I start to turn away, but his voice stops me again.

"Actually, if you're free. Come hang out with me. I was just going to ask the principal if I could leave for a bit." I stare at him.

"I thought Chan said the principal had favorites." Moonbin chuckles awkwardly.

"I promise you; Chan was talking out his ass. He's just upset because the principal always denies him." I laugh and I'm surprised because I usually don't laugh around people I don't know well. What is it about him that makes me feel at ease? Why is he so comfortable to be around? He starts to walk away. "C'mon. It'll be fun. You'll get to meet the principal too." I follow after him.

"Okay, I guess that's cool." I say quietly. He chuckles as I fall into step with him. He nudges me, giggling. I nudge him back, giggling back.

It's only second day but I think I have a crush on Moonbin.