The Only Way To Hold Your Hand
Ji Ah got her schedule and found her locker. She was placing her stuff in the locker when Rachel approached her.
"Have you really transferred here?" She asked in her disdainful manner that irritated Ji Ah.
"Yes." Ji Ah said, shutting her locker close.
"What does your parents do?" She fired quickly.
Ji Ah was startled for a moment by the quality of the question.
"What does yours do?" She countered after recovering, surprising even herself.
Surprise crossed Rachel's face.
A few more students gathered around her and a cute looking guy moved his hand in her direction. "Hey, transfer student. I am Myung So. The photographer of Jeguk High." He brushed his hair at the back of his neck in a playful girlish manner.
Ji Ah shook his hand, and introduced herself with a small smile. "I am Cha Ji Ah."
"We heard." A girl with a ponytail chipped in. "Kim Tan introduced you earlier."
Ji Ah felt she was being mocked, and her smile faded away.
"How does Kim Tan and Rachel know you anyway?" Another girl asked, leaning forward and glancing at Rachel -- who at once moved to her locker with a sour expression. Ji Ah imagined they were the gossip girls of Jeguk.
She felt grateful when the bell rang. They forgot their question and rushed to the classroom. Ji Ah followed them quietly.
She had always hated introducing herself in front of a group of people. She pushed her shoulders back and tried to sound confident when the teacher told her to introduce herself to the class. They all knew her already now.
"I am Cha Ji Ah, a transfer student and I hope to get along well." She kept it short and gave a slight bow at the end. Someone laughed and Ji Ah blinked in confusion. What did she do wrong?
"I have a question!" A guy said from a window seat, with a mischief look about him. "Are you single?"
A few snorts sounded across the classroom, and Ji Ah felt her face flush. Their teacher scolded the guy, and the class quieted down.
No one said anything after that, and the teacher told her to take a seat in front of Kim Tan. Ji Ah was about to move when another guy spoke.
"I have a question too." A guy with glasses said. "What was the reason for you transfer?" He asked in curiosity.
Ji Ah was at a loss of words. She had not prepared an asnwer for that question.
Should she mention America?
But mentioning America might raise more questions.
Maybe she should say that she wanted a change of environment?
But who would transfer to such an extraordinarily expensive school for mere change of environment?
Should she say she was expelled from the previous one?
That might not be the best--
"I want to introduce myself too." Kim Tan stood up, snapping Ji Ah out of her rapid ideas.
"Everyone already knows you Kim Tan." The teacher said.
"Still its been three years. Some people may have forgotten me." He tucked his hands in his jeans's pockets, and ambled to Ji Ah.
"Move. Its my turn." He pretended to be annoyed while Ji Ah knew he was helping her. She gave him a grateful look before moving to her seat.
Kim Tan had started speaking, but Ji Ah wasn't exactly listening. She felt someone's eyes on her and turned her head a bit to see Choi Young Do staring at her. Maybe it were his naturally sharp eyebrows, but he had a constant scary expression that unnerved Ji Ah. It was better when he smiled, but still menacing.
Ji Ah suddenly remembered she had declined his calls and turned away from him.
She headed to her locker after the class ended. Myung So was walking into the hallway while arguing with the ponytail girl about something.
"Cha Ji Ah!" He almost yelled her name when he caught her sight. He and the ponytail girl approached her quickly. Ji Ah eyed them with apprehension.
"You are new money, right?" Myung So said.
"New money?" Ji Ah frowned in bafflement.
"Yes, only two types of people transfer here. Either people who recently got rich; new money students, or people who got scholarships; social care students." He explained.
"Which one are you?" The ponytail girl asked in a very judgmental tone.
Ji Ah brushed her hair out of her face, and stammered in nervousness. She was neither of them, and she couldn't tell them that.
"New money!"
Everyone's head snapped in the voice's direction.
Kim Tan came to stand beside Ji Ah, his hands tucked in his pockets in an arrogant manner "She is new money."
Myung So let out a cry of joy. "Told you, Kang Ye Seol!" He said to the ponytail girl.
Kang Ye Seol screwed up her face in disappointment.
"We had a bet." Myung So said excitedly. "I was saying Cha Ji Ah is new money, but Kang Ye Seol insisted that she was social care student." He turned to Kang Ye Seol, saying in a sing song voice. "I won the bet."
Chatting, they both moved away, leaving Ji Ah and Kim Tan alone.
"Why did you tell them I was new money?" Ji Ah said, without looking at him.
"Was there something else to tell?" Kim Tan said in a dead tone, averting his gaze away from her too.
They looked like strangers conversing in public. Awkward and severely distant.
"I will go tour the school." Ji Ah said, wanting to get out of the tense air. Kim Tan's eyes flickered to her once, but she scurried past him.
Ji Ah thrust her cold hands into her blazer pockets, as she stepped out of the building. Her eyes roamed the school grounds nonchalantly, while she strolled. Ji Ah wondered why Kim Tan and that Choi Young Do were fighting earlier. She frowned while recalling Young Do saying he wanted to be friends with her. She knew he was going to confront her soon about the calls--
Ji Ah gave a gasp, as someone thrust out their foot in front of her, almost tripping her. She stumbled forward, but that person caught her hand.
"Are you alright?" Choi Young Do asked in a false concerned voice. Ji Ah immediately pulled her hand out of his, brushing her hair out of her face.
"You tripped me!" She exclaimed.
"How can I catch you if I don't trip you?" He gave her a smug grin.
Ji Ah scoffed. "You are weird."
His grin only widened. "Just weird? Not scary?" He stepped vaguely forward, raising his eyebrows.
Ji Ah leaned back, but thrust her chin up, trying to sound brave. "Why should I be scared?"
His expressions turned scary. "Because I am going to trip you again and again."
Ji Ah couldn't hide her frown of fear. What was his problem?
"Why?" She asked, blinking far more than necessary.
"Why do you think?" He took another threatening step forward, and Ji Ah backed away. "You didn't answer my calls, you didn't answer me truthfully when I ask you a question."
"What question?" She licked her lips, ignoring the calls part.
"What is it between you and Kim Tan?" Young Do repeated the same thing he had asked that day.
Ji Ah opened her mouth, then closed it. She wanted to tell him to ask Kim Tan himself if he was so curious, but Young Do didn't look like he would appreciate that remark.
"I told you there is nothing." She said firmly.
Young Do leaned forward with a slight tight lipped smile. "Are you sure?" He said as though giving her a chance to redeem herself.
"Yes," Ji Ah said confidently.
He clapped his hands together, leaning back. "Okay! Then answer another question."
"Stop playing question answer with her." Kim Tan's voice came from behind Young Do.
He swaggered into Ji Ah's view, and Ji Ah saw Young Do's excitement turning into irritation.
"Go, you were supposed to tour the school." Kim Tan said to her.
Ji Ah glanced at the scary look on Young Do's face -- he really did look scary when there were no traces of amusment on his face -- and took this chance to escape him. She bent her head, and turned her back to them. Ji Ah could hear their faint voices, as she began in the opposite direction.
Kim Tan had come to her rescue thrice in a day ( if she didn't count the time he pulled her out of Choi Young Do's grasp this morning.)
Ji Ah shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself, as a cool breeze brushed past her.
Why didn't he hate her too like Halmeonim?
The rest of the classes passed peacefully and lunch break came. Ji Ah's stomach was churning because she didn't have anything for breakfast due to her strained nerves. She poured herself a plate, and sat down at a table.
Ji Ah would sometimes wonder if this was a punishment for her lack of gratitude towards food. She silently complained about the food everytime she sat down to eat with her father because she thought there were more tasty things her father had purposely deprived her of. Today, she would be happy to eat only vegetables and fruits, but the ones with a taste. Not the ones which left a weird metallic taste in her mouth which wouldn't go away even with water.
"Get up. This is my seat." A somber looking guy with huge glasses hovered over her.
Ji Ah frowned, and placed her fork in her plate. "You can sit there." She motioned to the seat in front of her, trying to be nice while he wasn't.
"I can't." He replied tersely. "Get up."
Ji Ah frowned again in disappointment. She didn't want to argue, so she stood up and squinted at the cafeteria, looking for another completely empty table.
She turned around when she heard a ruckus from behind her. Young Do had taken a seat across from the glasses guy and was eyeing Ji Ah with interest, while two of his other friends gathered around the glasses guy, jeering at him and throwing food at him, as he tried to ignore them to eat silently.
Ji Ah scowled at them. "What are you doing?!"
"What?!" Said one of the guy picking on the glasses guy. "Do you want to join us?"
"I don't mind." Young Do chipped in, raising his hand.
"Ya!" Ji Ah moved forward, but --for the fourth time that day-- Kim Tan showed up out of nowhere and seized her arm, pulling her away.
"What are you doing?!" She cried, trying to look over her shoulder at the glasses guy.
Kim Tan pushed her into a chair and plopped himself on the one across from her. Ji Ah glared at him.
"Don't interfere." He warned.
"Why?" Ji Ah said crossly.
"Do you want to sit in that spot?" He said sardonically, and Ji Ah faltered.
"Why don't you stop them?" Ji Ah said, suggesting more than asking.
"Because it was started by me." Kim Tan imparted, picking up a fork to begin eating.
Ji Ah was taken aback.
She glanced down at her plate. She was hungry, but didn't feel like eating anymore.
Someone placed their plate filled with food next to Ji Ah's. She looked up to see Young Do pulling the chair beside her to sit.
"Can I join?" He arranged himself into the chair, looking back and forth between Kim Tan and Ji Ah with a slight tight lipped smile.
"No," Kim Tan said in an unfriendly tone.
"Too bad," Young Do mocked. "I already sat down." He then propped his elbow on the table, placing his head on his fist to face Ji Ah and made an aeygyo face. "Eat a lot Cha Ji Ah!" He mimicked a cute affectionate voice.
Ji Ah scoffed at him. Complete weirdo!
She couldn't eat with this guy by her side.
"I have lost my appetite." She stood up, but let out a faint gasp when Young Do grabbed her arm and pulled her down again. "Don't go.' He threatened with his head bent down.
"What are you trying to do?" Kim Tan said, with hint of annoyance.
Young Do let go of her arm and raised his head. "I am just trying to be friendly." He said with an irritating mockful expression.
Ji Ah frowned, as she moved her head slightly away from him, and a curtain of her dark hair obscured his face from her view.
"We don't want your friendliness." Kim Tan glared at Young Do.
"I have been rejected?" Ji Ah could hear Young Do's amusement in his voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please review, because I am losing the motivation to write :D
I want to know if someone finds it worth reading. :)
Interesting scenes in the next chapter, I promise.
~Fawns