2 A New Start
The sun peeked above the horizon and flared through the window onto my eyes, signalling to me that it was time to wake up. I reluctantly do so, until I realize it's not the weekend anymore. I groan, resting my head on my hand and ruffling my hair.
"Minji? Breakfast is done, come down whenever you're ready." My mom calls. Those words alone are enough to force me out of bed. Really, who would turn down food already prepared? Without wasting any more time, I make haste and go to get changed into a pair of white jeans and a bulky sweater. Before dashing down the stairs for breakfast, I take one last look at myself in the mirror. My wavy black hair fell in messy curls past my shoulders. Combined with my puffy face, I looked like the perfect specimen for the monster of a horror movie. I rake my fingers through my hair, attempting to pat it down before giving up and heading downstairs.
I glance over at my mom who's making pancakes and prop a seat at the table, watching how she makes pancakes. Prepare the batter, let cook, plate, then add final toppings. It's simple yet it tastes so good. It's also easy, yet I can't seem to make it without burning the batter. I eye the finished product, mesmerized by the glistening syrup on the stack of pancakes. She turns to me and places the dish right in front of me.
"Guess who's turning 16 tomorrow?" My mom says excitedly while reaching over to hug me. I smile, smelling the strong scent of syrup all over her.
"Yeah, don't worry. I didn't forget my own birthday."
That was a bit of a lie. I practically forgot about my birthday. Not that I completely forgot it, it's just that they've never been memorable to me. Of course, as a birthday should be, they were enjoyable, but nothing was setting it apart from any day I spend with my mom or my best friends Seoyun and Dahyeong. The mere notion of a birthday is strange to me.
"I know, but you've seriously grown-up. It seems like just yesterday I saw you for the first time, staring at me with beady eyes." My mom chirps back. "Alright, now hurry up. I don't wanna make you late to school again."
I nod in between mouthfuls of pancake, scoffing the remainders down my throat and grabbing my plate. For as long as I can remember, I've always eaten extremely fast to the point where the people around me would get concerned. The speed was even more so the case when I was eating something I enjoyed. No one has the time to sit down and eat one bite at a time, so I don't.
I place my plate in the sink then run off to get my school bag ready. With the speed I'm running at, getting ready for school might as well be a sport. I open my bag to cram my textbooks and computer in then close it back. Opening another pocket, I rip out my hairbrush and comb at the literal bird's nest on my head. As much as I love having my hair to the small of my back, it not only takes forever to comb, but it also hurts and is a tough process that really tests your physical capabilities. I stuff my brush back into its pocket and make final adjustments to my hair. Regardless of how much I try to maintain my hair, it still ends up in an unspectacular frazzled display. I give up on my hair and turn my focus to the ground and dart my eyes around, scanning for my shoes. Once I spot them, I grab hold, hop into them and pick up my bag. I rush out of the door, waving my final goodbyes to my mom.
"Right, school." I say to myself while locking the door. I put my keys back in my bag and begin to walk to the bus stop to meet up with Seoyun and Dahyeong. I definitely know they're going to be planning something for that day I turn 16. After all, they know how I feel about birthdays so it only makes sense. Don't get me wrong, every birthday before was great, but I can easily do that with them on any other day.
I turn my attention to the ground, watching my feet go one in front of the other as the ridges of the paved cement pass my field of vision. I walk down the street and make my way to the sidewalk towards the bus stop. Every morning I go to the bus stop, something about it is so refreshing. The cold air across your face and hair blowing in the breeze, the sound of birds singing their morning calls and cars driving by me and the sound of wind passing your ears and leaves fluttering about. As long as the weather is not scalding, any morning walking is a good morning. I look up and spot the bus stop in the distance and make my way to it.
"Minji!" I turn to the direction of the voice. A grin makes its way to my face and I dash over to Seoyun and Dahyeong.
"We've been waiting for you for a while now." Seoyun greets, mimicking me by smiling back.
"There was a bus that came earlier but we decided to wait for you." Dahyeong chimes.
"We're getting new people in the school, remember?" Seoyun grabs hold of my hand and tugs at it with a glint of eagerness in her. "Dahyeong and I wanted to be able to talk to some of them."
Right. At our school, we get new people every quarter. As much as I love meeting up with people, today, my sleep came first.
"How many new people do you think we're getting?" I ask.
"Most likely the usual. 5-10 people." Dahyeong replies, bringing a hand up to fix her hair from the wind.
Seoyun gestures towards the bus arriving at the stop. I nod in acknowledgement and grab some loose change from my bag and pay the fare. Once we board, Seoyun, Dahyeong and I make a beeline for the back seats, dropping onto them and putting our heavy binder and textbook filled bag on the ground in front of us. The bus takes off and I notice that Seoyun seems very excited.
"You that thrilled for new people?" I tease.
"I guess. I don't know why I'm so happy."
"Alrighty, smiley. Whatever you say." Dahyeong playfully shoots back at Seoyun, earning her an equally as playful slap on the back.
We sit in silence for a bit. Not the awkward kind but the one where you just feel content. I stare out the window, lost in thought. I wonder who the new people are; are any of them nice? I pause for a bit before my expression twists into a scowl. I'm not too sure why our school always obsesses over new people and yet, I can't help but do the same as well. I suppose our school is just like that. Maybe everyone's just too interested in more connections, who knows?
"Next stop, Cheongju High." The automated announcer declares.
I look over to Dahyeong, who's already fallen asleep during the 10 minutes of the bus ride. I stifle a laugh and look over to Seoyun. We both exchanged glances before I put my hands on both Dahyeong's cheeks and squished them. She wakes up in a panic before realizing what happened.
"RUN!" I scream at Seoyun while laughing. We both jump out of our seats and make a mad dash towards the exit with Dahyeong following suite.
"Get back here!" I hear Dahyeong boom from not far behind us. Being a part of the school track team, Dahyeong is far faster than Seoyun and I. It's no wonder we sprinted as if our lives depended on it because it truly did. Seoyun and I run down the sidewalk and whiz by buildings, hearing Dahyeong's footsteps and hard breathing inching closer to us. I catch sight of the school on the horizon and motion for Seoyun to speed up. She looks up at me and begins to hasten her pace. Approaching the school, my legs start burning and my breathing shallows, which I can only assume is happening to Seoyun too. Dahyeong on the other hand is just at our tail within arms reach of Seoyun. I think we might have gotten a few glowers from passerbys, but that doesn't matter to me. It's a serious matter of life or death here. We keep sprinting till we reach the school.
"Hey! You guys are dead meat now." Dahyeong teases while seizing Seoyun just as we pass the gate entrance. I tap on Dahyeong's shoulder and point towards a clump of students around the gate of the school.
"Hm? What's that even?" Dahyeong asks, letting go of Seoyun slowly.
"Do you think those are the new students?" Seoyun turns towards both of us and continues, "Is this a new form of orientation or what?"
"They might be showing them around the school. Let's just keep going." I say.
Dahyeong, Seoyun and I walk past the new students, while of course, eyeing a few of them. I find myself looking at one of them in particular. The guy looked to be very attractive and was decently tall as well. He had his black hair parted down the middle and brushed to the side with an undercut. Apparently, he must've been looking at me and my friends too, as he catches me staring at him. I quickly dart my eyes to the ground and peek back.
"Kim Wonjun, are you listening?" A faculty member asks, slightly annoyed.
"Yes." He replies, looking straight back at them.
I decide to ignore him and catch up with my friends, who were already a few steps ahead of me. I felt antsy for no reason in particular. I can't tell if it was the expression the guy shot at me or the fact I embarrassed myself like that. The one thing I do know is that something tells me that very soon, nothing will ever be the same again.
