Chapter 1: Twenty-One

Autumn was gentle, kind, and tender. Cross-legged she sat on a wooden bench, under a yellowing tree as she tried to derive the latest equations assigned by Mrs. Meyer. While the breeze fluttered, so did the maple leaves along with her pink hair. The slight chill brought a flush to her cheeks, partly concealed by the thick mustard scarf around her neck.

"'Lita-ya!" The girl barely glanced up to deduce a pair of long, milky legs and locks of dark hair. The bench trembled as it encountered another source of weight. But barely fazed, she only leaned further into her Calculus textbook.

"Classes are over, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Yumi, her best friend, berated. She pulled the textbook from Aelita's lap and closed it with a deafening thump.

Aelita sighed and shot her friend a wry smile, of calm amusement. "There's something called homework, Yumi-ssi," she bit back with her usual wit. Smoothing out the pleats of her uniform skirt, she gently took the book back. "If I don't finish it, I'll fall behind."

"Aish." The look on her face told Aelita that she was exasperated. "There's no one in our class that's as smart as you. You place number one in every exam!"

"It doesn't just magically happen." Aelita stood up and swung her backpack over her shoulder. "I think I'm going to head home now since there's less distraction." Aelita smirked at her friend condescendingly.

Yumi's vigor didn't go away. The strong girl clenched her fists. "Oh, no, you're not-"

"Yumi-ssi." Aelita shot her a look of warning.

"Can you at least appreciate your friend's concern for you?" Yumi placed her hands on her hips and scrunched her eyebrows so she could look scarier. "You always have your nose stuck up in a book! When was the last time you've gone out?"

Aelita swallowed and lifted her chin. "I don't have time to worry about those things," she replied loftily. But slowly, her expression began to fall.

"I just want you to enjoy your life." Aelita didn't say a thing in reply. "You're already eighteen. Girls your age usually would've dated at least once or twice by then!"

Aelita slouched her shoulders, pressing her book to her chest. It was true—when was she ever not studying? And when was she ever out with a boy? Things like this normally didn't bother her, but now—she couldn't help but wonder.

.

Aelita frowned as she remembered what Yumi had said to her earlier.

So what if she hadn't had a boyfriend? And what if she was already 18? There wasn't a law against it, and she probably wasn't the only one. As Aelita took the route towards her home, backpack swinging with every step, she eventually let out a dejected sigh.

Now that she thought about it, it was a bit sad. No boyfriend meant no hugs, no kisses, no gifts or good morning texts. It meant no love story.

But was that really obligatory? She couldn't be the only one out there, right?

Looking for an answer, she suddenly started observing the world around her. And she realized that she was wrong—she was the only one. All around her were happy couples, walking past her with their arms linked.

"Am I the only one left out?" she whispered to herself. Lips pressed to a small pout, she wondered why so many couples decided to appear on her way home today. Were they doing this to her on purpose?

In all her years of existence, no boy's ever asked her out on a date. She has never received a bouquet of flowers, or cute notes in her locker. Maybe if she was as pretty as Yumi-ssi, she could have boys lined up at her door, too. Her classmates were always talking about their boyfriends.

As much as she didn't want to feel irritated, it was as if the whole world was teamed up against her.

Aelita's fingers curled in anger. "AISH." Her entire 152-cm body trembled with determination. "NO MATTER WHAT, I'M GOING TO DATE SOMEONE BY THE END OF TODAY!" she exclaimed. So what if she asked the boy out? That was pretty normal nowadays.

An old woman walking beside her gave Aelita a weird look. She was shocked not only because she screamed, but also because of what she said, too. Aelita's face turned red as she apologized quickly, bowing to the woman several times.

Aigoo, why did she have to shout? Aelita bit her lip. Now she had even more reason to find a boy.

21 was her lucky number (well, it was her number on the class roster), and this neighborhood was small. Maybe the twenty-first person she encountered on her walk home could be the lucky guy. Her eyes brightened at the great idea—life was full of surprises, right?

She took a few steps down the path, posture straight with a new resolution.

"1." He was just a normal-looking guy. Just.. anyone you'd see around the neighborhood. Obviously, he wasn't the one. Aelita thought these things as he walked past her. Goodbye, number 1. She imagined herself bowing to him politely.

"2, 3, 4, 5." The next couple were an entire group of boys. But they were high schoolers, and Aelita certainly didn't want to be a noona. That made her think—what if number 21 was too young? Or too old? She prayed her luck would work things out for her.

…7…8…9…

Confirming Aelita's fears, they were a trio of older men! Not only that, but they were gangsters with their matching bandanas and leather jackets. The one in the front had the two others trailing behind him. They looked like the mafia from those movies. Aelita tightened her grip around her backpack straps.

…10…..11..12…

A multitude of problems. One was too skinny, another was too large. Not that Aelita needed a boy with chocolate abs, but she didn't want someone that looked as if he would be knocked over by the breeze. Nor did she want someone unhealthy. Number 12 looked like he could beat Aelita to a pulp, with muscles and veins popping out from every nook and cranny.

…13…14…

Aelita's eyes widened. Girls! Oh, please let 21 be a guy!

…15…16…17…

"18." Just when she was about to lose hope, Aelita's eyes turned into doe eyes from pure admiration. Oh, he was so beautiful. Just the sight of him was enough to make all her irritation and tiredness vanish.

She didn't realize she was smiling at him until he chuckled and smiled back. Did he… just wink at me? Aelita blinked in a daze. God really did love her!

But then… he was walking away. Aelita quickly spun around and caught sight of his back profile. Even that was perfect. She couldn't let him exit from her life! She was about to follow him, but then she realized something.

He wasn't number 21.

But how could she find someone else like number 18 with just three more to go? Well, she had to try. Aish, why did her lucky number have to be so high? With a heavy heart, Aelita continued her walk home.

…19…

Regret slowly began creeping up on her.

…20…

Just one more to go. She didn't even realize how quickly this would go by. Even if number 21 was the wrong person, she could always skip him, right? Aelita shut her eyes and pressed her hands to her chest.

Aelita-ya, fighting!

Stopping her steps, she opened her eyes again slowly, ready to face number 21. But… all she saw were girls.

Girls?!

She was already wishing she could go back to number 18. He was even interested in her, too. But that was when the door to the coffee shop opened, and Aelita's eyes widened. It was really a guy!

And mind you, he was much better than number 18. Much, much better. He didn't look too young, or too old. And his body was just right, too, lean but built. Aelita mentally did a happy dance. All of her hard work had finally paid off!

She began to walk towards him, but then she felt her palms get sweaty. Her heart was beating fast, too, and there were butterflies in her stomach. She was so nervous. Just asking him out would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? She's never done anything like this before.

He was just five steps away now. And he looked even better up close. But he looked cold. So cold. Kind of like those cool boys in the Korean dramas when the girl first meets him. His handsome face didn't show any expression, either. He only stood there, staring lukewarmly at her.

There was no turning back. Besides, rejection was definitely the worst thing that could happen, and it's not like she could die from it. "Hello.." she said quietly, keeping her eyes to the floor.

He didn't respond. His eyes were only fixed on her, making her even more nervous. But she said it anyway, lifting her head to face him straight on. She couldn't let him intimidate her!

"How about going out for a date?"


Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! Hearteu. :3