44 Season 2 - Page Sixteen

[Siren]

I woke up feeling heavy and I can barely breathe. There was something soft hugging me and I could feel its warm breath tickling my neck.

I slowly opened my eyes and sees Peach's calm sleeping face beside me.

"Can you move? You're so heavy..." I mumbled as I try to push her away. Peach only moaned and hugged me even tighter. I sighed in defeat. I just want to sleep in peace.

I checked the clock beside Peach. It's 4 AM. It's useless to sleep now. What should I do? I can barely move because of this person. Guess I'll just stare at the ceiling until she wakes up.

Peach's sudden moan beside me brought shivers down my spine. Is that her hobby when sleeping? Moaning?

"Y-you're awake?" She shake her head and buried her head on my shoulder. "Just so you know, I'm not a pillow and I can barely breathe right now so stop hugging me."

"Just a minute..." She mumbles. "Can we stay like this for just a minute?"

This is getting weirder now. This shouldn't happen, I should not let her do this to me.

And I shouldn't react this way.

"Peach-"

She slowly moved away and had her back facing me. I sighed. This is what should happen with her this far away from me.

I sit up and ruffled my hair. Maybe I should get a glass of milk to clear my mind.

- - -

"We're leaving!" Peach announced.

"Sorelle's already out for work," I told her and went outside yawning. I didn't get a chance to sleep at all and now my head feels heavy. I'll just sleep at the infirmary later.

"Siren!"

Yujin's cute and sparkling face greeted me and I can't help but smile.

"Are you done with your report?" I nodded as I grab her hand and we started walking.

"You can stay over this week. Or today?"

"Today, my dad comes home so tomorrow? Is it okay?"

I smile at her and nodded. We soon reached the school and saw a bunch of stalls and strangers wearing suits and ties.

"What's going on?" I ask as I looked around.

"Career fair?"

I saw one of the stalls that endorses something for business administration degrees. So it is a career fair, and we have no class? I shouldn't have come to school today. Ugh.

"Do you think we have no class today?" I asked as we walk our way to the classroom.

"I don't know. I heard it's for seniors so... I guess?"

I sighed. "I hope so. I'm not in the mood for classes today. I just want to sleep."

"Peach! You're here!" One of our classmates shouted. Oh right. I was with Peach!

Peach walks past us and greets our classmate. Why do I suddenly feel guilty?

I totally forgot about her so yeah, I should feel guilty about it.

"Siren? What's wrong? Aren't you going in?"

I didn't realize that we were infront of our classroom if Yujin didn't speak. I shake my head and went inside. Hana and Lea are already there, with Hana so excited about the career fair.

"What are you excited about?"

"Aren't you?! It's a career fair! Don't you feel excited seeing adults?!"

I frowned. "You're acting like a kid. Are you sure you're going to be an adult?"

"I... I will! I-I'm already an adult!"

"Right. You are." Lea chimes in, grinning. "You're adult enough to be kissing someone under the stairs."

My eyes widened in shock. She what?!

"Y-you kissed someone-" Yujin's shocked voice echoes beside me. She's probably as surprised as me.

Hana, who can't keep her calm, tried to explain her situation. But what we all get we're stammers and babbles, like she's a kid who's just learning how to speak.

"You're hiding things from us now, Hana?" I asked, faking getting hurt.

"N-no... I-it was just a... a..."

"Don't tell us that you did that just for fun? I didn't know you were a playgirl, Hana." Lea added who seems to be one enjoying this the most.

"No..." She mumbles as if telling us that she'd given up on explaining things. I'm honestly stopping myself from laughing at her reaction.

"Hana..." Yujin instinctively wraps her arm around Hana. "Stop teasing her already... She's about to cry..."

"We're the ones who want to cry the most, Jin. Our best friend's hiding things from us."

"I-I'm not really hiding things! It's just... It's really complicated right now. If... If things get better then I'll tell you everything. I promise!"

"Complicated? Are you in a love triangle or something? It's not like you're using someone else and playing with their feelings." Lea's statement gets me taken aback. Is she pertaining to someone?

Perhaps, is she talking about me? I guess she's still mad at me.

"No! I would never do that! P-playing with feelings is a bad thing!"

"Right," Lea answers as she glances at me sideways.

Miss Astrid then comes and announces it's a free day for us seniors except that we have to participate at the booths outside our building.

"It's also an opportunity for you to find a degree that might suit you, in case you still haven't found what you really wanted to do." Miss Astrid adds as she looks around.

"I'll dismiss you now but you can't go home, alright? I'll give deduction points to those who won't participate. Tomorrow, give me an essay about your experience today. Okay? Dismissed."

Students started leaving one by one after Miss Astrid left.

"Siren? Aren't you going?"

"Huh? I am." I hesitantly stand up. "Let's go. Where should we go first?"

"Can we check if there are booths about veterinary?"

"Sure."

"Siren! Where are you going?" Hana skips to reach me.

"We're checking if there are booths about vets."

"Really? Then can we check baking classes next?"

I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Hana clings to my left arm and Yujin clings to my right. It's heavy but I don't have the heart to push them away.

"Where's Lea?" Yujin asks while we're walking in the hallway.

"I don't know. She just suddenly disappeared!"

Of course. She's mad at me so she won't stay at the place I'm at.

Ah, this stings. It's all my fault everything turned out this way.

To be continued.