Chapter 3

My eyes opened blearily to a beautiful morning, everything dappled in a soft golden light. Slowly, the pine forest above came into focus, accompanied by cheery birdsong and a lightening pastel sky. I stretched sleepily, my hands tangling in the soft grass. My mind stirred without commitment, content with simply basking in the autumn scenery.

Wait, why the fuck am I waking up in a forest?

I sat up quickly, suddenly awake as I registered my surroundings with confusion. After a moment, the memories of the night before caught up to me.

Oh.

Oh. Oh yeah.

I had met her- Chaeyoung. Park Chaeyoung. I quickly looked around, realizing she was not there. Had she already woken up, and left? Or maybe she didn't sleep there.

Stupid. You're so stupid, Jennie! Of course she didn't sleep there. Who sleeps on the ground in a forest clearing in October with someone they literally just met?!

So, yeah. I was being stupid. And, now that I thought about it, it was Saturday and I should probably get home to make sure my sister was okay. Ji-yeon was hopefully still sleeping, and-

"No," I grumbled, pushing myself up to stand and ignoring my tired body that wished to fall asleep once more on the ground. "You're not going to think about the reason you're in this whole mess in the first place right now. It is much too early in the morning." When I got up, I looked around and sighed in annoyance. "Now I need to figure out which way I came from so I can get out of here. Fuck's sake."

-

On Monday morning, I got up early in preparation for my first day at school. I got myself ready and packed Ji-yeon and I lunch, making sure to give her the better bowl of noodles. I double-checked that all my supplies were ready, and then walked back to our bedroom to wake her up. As I passed by the bathroom, I stopped for a minute. For some reason, the memory that Chaeyoung was going to be there flitted through my mind. I stepped towards the mirror, suddenly a little insecure as I checked my face and my hair. I quickly caught myself before I could get too carried away, though. Stupid. Why was I being stupid? I huffed and continued to our room.

When I opened the door, Ji-yeon was drawing on her bed. I tried to hide a smile.

"Ji-yeon," I reprimanded, trying not to sound too fond. "Now's not the time for drawing. You're gonna be late to school!"

"But look, Jennie," she held up the piece of paper, excited to show me her work. "It's Santiago and his sheep, right before he goes on his adventure! We're going to school today, and I just have this feeling that it's gonna be the start of our own adventure. Isn't that awesome, Jennie? We're going to be the characters in our own story, I just know it!"

I nearly melted at her adorableness. At the same time, I felt a pang in my chest. I didn't have the heart to tell Ji-yeon that kids like us didn't get to have our own awesome stories.

"Yeah, I love it, Ji," I said softly. "Now come on, get dressed. We need to go if you want to have your adventure."

She squealed and jumped onto the ground in excitement, stuffing the drawing in her bag at the foot of the bed.

As we headed out the door, a voice from inside called out.

"Wait, girls, I can walk you! I'm so excited, it's your first day-,"

I shut the door before they could finish.

"Jen-nie," Ji-yeon whined. Before she could argue, I gave her a firm stare that kept her quiet. We did not have time for this. I was not going to let my sister get attached onto any bit of false hope that they tried to give. I would not see her heart get broken all over again.

Or mine, a voice in my head whispered.

We walked the rest of the way to school in silence.

When we got there, I made sure Ji-yeon got to her grade's building first. She was twelve, and therefore would be in grade seven. The middle school and high school shared a building, so luckily I didn't have to walk her very far from my own classes. I waved her off with a tight hug, reluctant to see her go. Now I had to face the day alone in an unfamiliar world.

As I entered the high school building, I held my breath. Beyond the entrance was a large hallway where many students were standing around and talking to their friends. I noticed doors on either side that led to classes, wondering where mine would be. I tried not to feel awkward as I slowly walked past, reading the names of each classroom door in an effort to find the one for grade eleven-

"Jennie!" a voice suddenly called.

I whipped my head around in surprise, wondering who could possibly know my name. Then I saw her, and my heart swelled excitedly in my chest.

Park Chaeyoung stood by the lockers up ahead, wearing the same skirted uniform as I. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and she was smiling bright enough to instantly set her apart from all the other placid faces around. I smiled back and started to walk forward to her, until I noticed that she was standing next to someone.

The other girl wasn't too much taller than me; in fact, she was about the same height as Chaeyoung, but her demeanor made it feel like she towered over me. She stood lazily, one foot propped up against the lockers and her hands typing something on her phone. Her straight hair didn't reach much farther than her ears, with bangs in front and white strands underneath. Her school uniform shirt was cropped very short and her skirt was pulled up much too high on her hips. She appeared to be chewing gum (okay, that has to be against the rules,) and worst of all, she was looking right at me.

Her gaze was fixed on me with disdain, not too subtly unimpressed and annoyed as if I was a piece of dirt she'd spotted under her shoes. Needless to say, the sight of her slowed me immediately in my tracks and made me a little more nervous than before.

My attention was pulled away when Chaeyoung spoke again.

"Jennie! It's so great to see you! How has Anyang been for you?" My smile returned, happy to see her and over the shock of the other girl.

"It's great to see you too! I've been pretty good so far. I haven't had much time to explore, though." She nodded, easily relaxed in her stance and secure in her interactions. She looked over to the other girl, who was now back to looking at her phone, and seemed to remember that I didn't know anyone.

"Oh! You two haven't met. Well Jennie, this is Lalisa Manoban! She's originally from Thailand. And Lisa, meet Kim Jennie. She just moved here and is in grade eleven. Lalisa's in grade twelve with me," Chaeyoung added. I nodded and smiled at Lalisa. She nodded too, although barely and without a smile.

"'Kay, Chae, I gotta go hit up the bathroom before class. See ya later?" Lalisa huffed. Chaeyoung agreed and watched her walk away before turning back to me.

"Sorry about her," she said with a sheepish smile. "Lalisa's not really, well, the more sociable type. She'll grow on you, though." I nodded, not entirely sure about the last part but happy to talk to Chaeyoung.

"Anyways, you're in grade eleven, so all your classes will be in there." She pointed to the last door on the left side of the hall, across from where we were standing. "This door right here is grade twelve," she motioned to the last door on the right side, "And the one up front is grade ten. It's a pretty standard system; all your classes will be in the same room with the rest of your grade, and each period the teacher for the subject will come in for your lesson. I've gotta go-math test first period, but feel free to talk to me about any questions you have, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. "Thanks for being so helpful!"

She grinned back at me. "Any time!" Then she walked away with a wave, and I set my sights on the classroom ahead.

-

Period 1 was going well. I had Korean language, which was one of my strong suits considering I'd been an avid reader for quite a while. I was able to understand the topics the class was learning without too much difficulty, considering the fact that this was a much better school than my previous ones and I was about a month late to the term. I even answered a few of the teacher's questions correctly. (Not gonna lie, one of my prouder moments of the day so far.) All in all, I was gaining confidence that with my diligent studies as usual, I would have this year in the bag, no problem.

What I also began to notice, however, were the other students. You see, they were your typical batch of high schoolers: the studious ones. The class clowns. The well-known ones who couldn't be bothered by anything or anyone, and the ones who desperately tried to be just like them. What was different about these kids, though, was their inappropriateness. Look, I know that some things are bound to happen when you lock a few hundred hormone-infested teenagers in a building for seven hours a day, but reaching your hand under someone's skirt while the teacher is writing grammar rules on the chalkboard is just inacceptable. Just- no. Why? Like, I think I'm actually mentally scarred after witnessing that. Ugh.

Anyways, we'll move on. Other than a few worryingly weird notes being passed around, nothing else of much importance happened that first period. Afterwards, we had a ten-minute break between classes, so I decided to go to the bathroom and wash my eyes out with soap. (Kidding- I had to pee.)

I was doing my business in a stall when I suddenly heard muffled sobs. Someone was crying, hard enough that they weren't able to completely silence it. I was immediately alarmed and decided to go find the person and comfort them.

I stepped out of my stall and followed the sounds to the end of the bathroom, stopping and knocking at the last door. Immediately the crying became quieter. The person obviously didn't want me to hear. I inhaled uncertainly.

"Hey," I said softly. "Are you okay? I don't mean to interrupt, but you were crying and-," And the door swung open.

The girl was sitting on the toilet seat with all her clothes on. Her face was tear-stained and raw. She wore a blue headband and her long, dark hair flowed down her back, slightly matted. Although I had never seen her before, she immediately stood up and wrapped me in a tight hug.

I was stilled by surprise for a moment at the unexpected gesture. Then I decided to return it by wrapping my arms around her gently in what I hoped was a reassuring embrace. After a few seconds she pulled away and smiled slightly.

"Hey, sorry about that," she apologized. I was surprised again, this time by her voice which seemed too deep for a girl my own height. "I guess I just needed a hug. I'm Kim Jisoo, by the way."

I smiled back. "No problem. I mean, we can all afford to hug each other more. I'm Kim Jennie."

"Yeah, hugging is underrated. Wait-hey, we have the same first name!"

I laughed at her obvious comment. Only thirty seconds into meeting her, and Jisoo's goofy nature was evident- even though she'd been crying a moment ago.

"Yeah, well I suppose about half of South Korea shares our first name, so," I reasoned a little jokingly. Then I remembered why I'd come over here in the first place.

"Hey, are you okay? You were crying. We can talk about it, if you want."

Her smile slipped from her face minutely. "No, I'm okay." I didn't quite believe that.

"Are you sure? I'm a good listener, I promise," I responded.

"No really, don't worry about it. Plus, you're in grade eleven too, right? We have class in a minute, so we'd better get going." She forced the smile back onto her face.

I sighed. "Okay, I guess you're right. I'm actually new here, though. Would you mind sitting with me at lunch?"

"I'd love to!" Jisoo beamed, this time naturally. "Sounds like a plan."

Side by side, we headed out of the bathroom and back to class.

-

After third period we had lunch. I let Jisoo lead the way to the cafeteria, seeing as I had no idea whatsoever where anything was at this school. Its location turned out to be self-evident, though, I realized after following the horde of students all headed in the same direction. An odd image flashed in my mind of a flock of sheep. It's so out of place that it made me snort silently.

Although, now looking back at it, in some ways teenagers are a lot like sheep.

I half-expected Jisoo to find her friends and have us sit with them when we entered the cafeteria, so I was taken aback when she went straight to the corner and sat at an empty table. For a moment I stood there dumbfounded, before deciding to act like a civilized person and sit down with her.

An awkward moment passed.

"So..." I began hesitantly, "do you usually sit here, by yourself?" I hoped to god I didn't sound rude.

Jisoo just smiled back, giving me some relief. "Well... yeah." she looked down at her food with some embarrassment. "Please don't laugh at me, but... I don't really have any friends here. You don't have to sit with me if you want. I mean, I get it. I wouldn't sit with me either."

My heart broke a little when she offered a half-hearted laugh. "Hey, don't say that! Of course I'll sit with you! You're the coolest person I've met at this school so far. If people don't see that, they're idiots. You should give yourself more credit."

She beamed at me. "You really think so?"

My heart swelled upon seeing her infectious smile back on her face. "I do. I really do."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

From my peripheral vision I could make out some people staring and whispering at us. Maybe it's not every day they see real friendships being made. I didn't pay them any mind.

We ate and talked about some random things for a minute. I learned that Jisoo loves movies and wants to be an actor someday. The funny thing is, I can totally see her being amazing at that. I have a feeling that lots of people are going to wish they talked to her in high school someday.

Our conversation was interrupted by someone shouting my name from across the room. I swiveled my head quickly, wondering who it was not for the first time that day.

I couldn't help but smile a little when I saw it was Park Chaeyoung.

"Hey, Jennie! Come sit with me!"

My first instinct was to go and sit with her like we were in a fantasy land where no one else existed. Of course, reality came back to me in a split second. I looked back at Jisoo sitting across from me. Her face was one of utter bewilderment. Oh, yeah. Chaeyoung was popular here. Really popular, from what I'd observed in the few hours I'd been at this school. And Jisoo must've not expected me to know her, of all people.

And when I looked back at where Chaeyoung was sitting, I noticed the other kids she was sitting with. They had this regal air about them and were staring at me disdainfully, like I couldn't possibly be the subject of Chaeyoung's attention. Among them was Lalisa Manoban, and she looked mad for some reason I didn't know. Chaeyoung was completely oblivious to this, and her smiling face stood out jarringly from those of the others.

I sighed heavily. "Hey, sorry but I'd like to sit here. Maybe some other time?" Chaeyoung's face fell and guilt twisted my stomach. Under other circumstances I would've loved to sit with her.

When I turned back to Jisoo, she was looking at me with the same expression as before- shock. I attempted a smile. "Yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that I know Chae."

Jisoo just gaped. "What? How? THE Park Chaeyoung?" After a moment she burst out in uncontrollable laughter. I fidgeted in my seat, unsure of how to respond. "Ohmygod, Kim Jennie, this is hilarious. And you just turned down an invitation to sit with her. A golden fucking ticket that other kids here would willingly cut off their right hand for. Damn- you really are something, Jennie." She was wiping tears from her eyes and chuckling.

I couldn't help but laugh too. "Hey, I didn't want to be food for the dogs of Gwanyang High School." We laughed some more before finally recovering and returning to our lunch.

After a moment I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and nearly choked when it was Chaeyoung. She was smiling a bit apologetically. "Hey, sorry for being so forward, but would you guys mind if I sat with you?" I turned back around. Jisoo looked about ready to pass out.

"Um, I think that sounds great. Do you mind, Jisoo?" I tried not to laugh at her flabbergasted expression.

"W-what? U-um, no. No! Of course not. I mean yes! No, I mean no. I mean, I wouldn't mind at all!" I cracked a grin. This was too good.

Turning back to Chaeyoung, I smiled. "Looks good to me! Kim Jisoo, meet Park Chaeyoung. Park Chaeyoung, meet Kim Jisoo."

Chaeyoung smiled brightly and reached out her hand. Jisoo attempted and failed to smile nonchalantly back as she shook it. I nearly died of internal laughter.

Then my heart lurched when Chaeyoung slid onto the seat next to me and her hand brushed my leg. I was definitely not laughing now.

I looked up and noticed Jisoo glancing between Chaeyoung and I. I thought I saw her trying to suppress a smile and my face flared with embarrassment. She had better not be thinking of anything like that.

Chaeyoung seemed not to notice the awkwardness and continued the conversation without interruption.

"So, Jisoo, are you in grade eleven too?"

"Yeah! And you're in grade twelve, right?" Jisoo made it a question although I had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"Yup! Oh, just a heads-up, you do not want Mr. Jung for physics next year. His class is kicking my butt right now."

"Oh really? My sister had him a few years ago and she loved him! But then again, she is a physics major now, so..." Jisoo said thoughtfully.

Chaeyoung laughed audibly. "Yeah, that might explain it! Unless you're a genius like your sister or Kim Jennie here, physics is literal hell." They both laughed and I did too, but not without a blush on my cheeks. God, I did that a lot around Chaeyoung. What is my problem?

The lunch period passed and in the half hour that it lasted, I enjoyed myself far more than I could've expected. The three of us- Chaeyoung, Jisoo, and I- made quite the unexpected group, but somehow, we got along really well. I'd never connected with people like this, or at least not since I was a little kid in elementary school. I'd also never smiled so much that my cheeks hurt or laughed so much I thought I might pass out. It was a new, amazing feeling.

When the bell rang for our next class, I felt someone's gaze on me as we stood up to go. I turned around and then I saw her.

It was Lalisa, but she wasn't looking at us in the angry way she had earlier. It was with something resembling sadness, or even envy. After a second she turned away and it was gone. I had to get going anyways. But I wondered if maybe she wasn't as mean as she looked.

The rest of the day passed, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of my classes. I was a little surprised when the last bell rang and it was already time to go. I packed up and said goodbye to Jisoo and Chaeyoung before heading out of the school building along with everyone else.

When I made my way to the middle school building and found my sister waiting for me outside, she had a huge grin on her face. I couldn't help but smile back at her, too.

"Hey, Ji-yeon. How was your day?"

"It was AMAZING." Ji-yeon proceeded to ramble on and on about the friends she'd made and her classes, especially art for the rest of the way home. It wasn't until we reached the apartment building that she said it.

"Jennie, we're on our adventure. I can feel it- it's the beginning of the story of the rest of our lives. How cool is that?"

Somehow, I found myself agreeing with her. I was on a new adventure, and I was enjoying it. Who knows what the next day will offer?