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Popular girl Ari Cho is absolutely charming, leaving Yumi Kim, the school nerd, so gay to function normally. ** FOREWORD: Like any other day, I sat back and watched Ari hold court in the far corner of the school cafeteria. She was surrounded by her usual swarm of admirers, each one trying—and failing—to win her over. One by one, they crumbled under the weight of her gentle rejections, their faces painted with the sting of unrequited affection. Oh, what a marvellous sight to behold. The scene took a dramatic turn when two of the boys started arguing, throwing out accusations about who was making Ari more uncomfortable. The irony was almost too good—they were both so oblivious to the fact that their entire presence was likely making her want to bolt out the door. I took another bite of my sandwich, savouring the free entertainment. Poor Ari, trapped in the middle of a gaggle of hormonal teenagers who genuinely believed their cringe-worthy displays of “manliness” would sweep her off her feet. Pathetic. You might be wondering why I’m not stepping in to rescue Ari from that circus of admirers. Well, let me give you three solid reasons why meddling is a terrible idea for me. First, I’m no Superman—I don’t do heroic deeds. Second, I’m far too comfortable living my drama-free life to jeopardise it now. And third, let’s be real, my body is definitely not built for a catfight. As I happily munched on my sandwich, enjoying the chaos from a safe distance, I made a grave error, I locked eyes with Ari. Oh, crap. Picture this: while the two idiotic boys were still mid-argument, Ari—with a slightly shy smile—started walking towards my direction, her tray of food balanced in her hands. No, no, no. God, please tell me she’s not actually coming to talk to m— “Hi, Yumi!” she said casually, her smile so bright it could power a small city. ** OTHER STORIES: Miss Not So Typical (on going) Join the discord: https://discord.gg/mCBYVgW8MH
I have a few pet peeves.
No, it's not the cheesy romance movies Gigi forces me to endure during "bestie bonding time," nor is it Shu's incessant attempts to coax me into modelling her elaborate—and sometimes baffling—fashion experiments.
Those are nuisances, sure, but manageable ones.
The real bane of my existence is far simpler. I'm a socially awkward introvert with a chronic case of panic attacks—and when I say panic attacks, I specifically meant—gay panic attacks.
Pretty girls are my kryptonite.
The sheer mental gymnastics it takes to function around them is utterly exhausting. My inner monologue devolves into a cacophony of nonsensical affirmations and sudden dread, like a duck trying to do calculus. Yes, I said duck. President Aria, my pet duck, could probably empathise with my plight better than most humans.
So imagine my surprise when my two extroverted tormentors—uh, I mean best friends—neglected to tell me we'd be hosting a new tenant. And that said tenant would be gorgeous.
No warning. No heads-up. No, "Hey Yumi, maybe prepare yourself because an absolute knockout is moving into our home."
Of course not. Social courtesy isn't in Gigi's vocabulary, especially when there's fun to be had at my expense.
So there I was, standing in the living room, blinking dumbly at the embodiment of charm herself. Ari Cho. Christ's sake. Even her name sounds gorgeous.
She had a soft, warm smile and a voice that could probably end wars. Meanwhile, I was clutching President Aria like a security blanket, praying he'd absorb some of my humiliation.
"Hi, I'm Ari Cho. Thanks for letting me move in!" she said, her smile crinkling the corners of her eyes.
I don't know what came out of my mouth, but based on her slightly amused expression, it wasn't words. Gigi, of course, was too busy cackling in the corner to help.
Thus began my life with Ari—the girl who was entirely too charming for my sanity.
