The Queen of Tteokbokki

Jae had been in his car. He had skipped his last class. He checked if he had any homework he needed to turn over or any tests to take in them before deciding. Besides, the class happened to be Math. He could just ask Max's help for the lesson he missed. At least, his best friend didn't bore him to sleep. See? He had been nice enough to skip the class instead of falling asleep in front of his teacher. The second one looked more disrespectful. Jae had made the right decision. He would have snuck out and headed home but… how would someone sneak out a car? The guards would surely alert his father about it. All he could do was jam to some music or play with his phone. Maybe he could take a nap too. When he checked the time, there were only 10 minutes left of school. He figured it would be safe to come out and stretch for a bit. He got out of the car and interlaced his fingers. He pushed them upwards, stretching his arms and his back. It felt good. He definitely had more energy now for basketball practice. Coach would surely appreciate his efforts for the betterment of the team as its captain. He let his arms when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head. A petite young girl had walked into the parking lot. She wore a white shirt and high waisted pants with a black leather belt. The bottom hems had been rolled up above her ankles. That combined with the black sneakers on her feet showed off her fair skin. She had her light blonde hair up in a low bun, a few strands sticking out. She also carried a small backpack. What could she be doing here? Jae thought. He crouched behind his car and peeked over it. The girl stopped under the tree in the middle of the parking lot. It was the biggest tree around. He watched her put down her bag and fished out a pair of binoculars. Now, that was a sight he didn't see everyday. The girl didn't seem to notice him. She checked her watch once before looking through her binoculars again. Such a curious thing she was. Next thing Jae knew, he had walked over to her side and spoke to her. Not that she answered him right away but, at least, she did talk to him now. "Let me think about it" Emily mused, tapping on her chin and staring at the sky. Then, she snapped her fingers, "Yep. I'm not interested." She raised her binoculars and turned back to the school entrance. Something about her seemed familiar. Jae just couldn't place his finger on it. "Have we met before?" He couldn't help but ask. Almost instantly, Emily snarked back, "You need better lines, boyyo. I've heard that one before." "I'm being serious here" Jae explained, "I feel like I saw you before. Maybe we have a common friend online and I've seen you in a photo." Emily snorted, "Highly unlikely." Jae thought for a while. The only reason he felt so sure it had been a photo was because… well, he'd remember her better if they had met in real life before. The vague memory of the picture finally came to his mind. He only needed to recall a bit more for a clearer image. The photo had two people in it. One of them had to be her and the other… who was it again? "Are you stalking someone?" Jae changed tactics, "You know the school wouldn't be merciful if that was the case." "Then, why would I tell you about it? That would just be trouble for me then," Emily replied. "What makes you think I won't help you?" Jae leaned his shoulder against the tree, crossing his arms over his chest. He kept his eyes on her and hoped something would trigger his memory. "You're mistaken. I meant I don't want help at all." "Are you by any chance Logan's girlfriend?" Jae asked. The question was a shot in the dark but any girl he hadn't seen before could possibly be his girlfriend. Emily's ears perked up. She removed the binoculars from her eyes and looked at Jae, "Logan? Logan Parker? You know him?" Jae raised his eyebrows. Could he finally get some answers? He pointed a finger at her and said, "So you do know him." "And why do you know him?" Emily shot back. "Who doesn't know Logan? I do go to school here you know." "Skipped classes, didn't you?" "And you didn't?" "I'm not a delinquent like you" Emily rolled her eyes, "What do you know about Logan?" Jae grinned, "Why would I tell you?" The bell rang from a distance. Classes had finally ended. Emily immediately raised her binoculars. She couldn't let this chance pass, "I'm not playing this game. If you can't tell me anything about him then, you're useless." "Looking for information about Logan… " Jae thought out loud, "You haven't met him, have you? You know him but haven't met him. The only question that remains is why would you be interested in him?" "My boyfriend is associated with him" Emily said. She had played her ultimate card. Hopefully, he'd finally leave her alone. Thank goodness that Alex also had used the same story. "Your boyfriend?" Jae raised an eyebrow, "Does your boyfriend know you're stalking other guys?" Students came flooding out the doors like Emily predicted. She focused her eyes in order to check all the faces that passed by. She couldn't let him get away. Emily shrugged, "My boyfriend trusts me." "Who is he anyway?" "His name is…" "Alex" Both of them said at the same time. Emily turned to Jae with wide eyes. How would he know something like that? "I remember now. You're Emily. The girl from the photo Alex showed us. Wow, Alex's girlfriend in the flesh. Pleased to make your acquaintance" Jae smiled and extended his arm for a handshake. Unfortunately, Emily didn't share the same sentiment. She crossed her arms over her chest. Why would her cousin be associated with someone as flirty as this dude? "Yeah, that is me. Who are you then?" She squinted her eyes at him. So far, she saw no reason to trust this guy. For all she knew, Alex needed to be wary around him. "I'm Jae. I'm harmless." "Right. I'm Emily. I'm the queen of Tteokbokki." Jae scrunched his eyebrows, "Isn't that a rice cake?" "I didn't think you'd know that." "Do I get brownie points for it?" "I could spare you from another hit of my binoculars, how about that?" Emily pressed her lips together and blinked twice. "Much appreciated thank you" Jae chuckled. He turned his head towards the entrance, "I think Logan and your boyfriend are headed this way."

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