the girl in the corner.

episode 8: there was another her.

there was one girl in class.

if i was the popular boy, she was the popular girl. and she definitely had the qualities to be the popular girl—she was pretty, she had perfect grades, and she was nice to people. people she liked, but everyone overlooked the fact that she was mean to certain people and nice to others because she was the pretty girl of the class. i certainly did not, and i didn't interact with her unless necessary.

i'd mentioned before that i would receive a number of confessions from girls around school—mostly juniors—and in my class most girls had already confessed to me. she didn't, but i knew she liked me. it was impossible to not notice how she and her friends would peek at me and giggle shyly and mischievously while "discreetly" pointing at me.

i didn't bother trying to get close to her, for she honestly ticks me off a little, with her picky attitude and her pride. i would say i'm better than her, but no one's perfect.

i noticed that after i started hanging out with suzuki more frequently than my friends and in general, that girl got a lot quieter and i would catch her and her clique always glaring at the quiet and peaceful suzuki and muttering things about her. i couldn't confront them, upset though i was that my friend was most likely being slandered in their secret conversations.

one time while suzuki and i were at the cafeteria—she'd forgotten her lunch at home so i decided to buy us both—the popular girl came up to us. suzuki shrunk beside me as the girl's sharp glare pierced poor suzuki's soul. the other girl gently but firmly pushed her away from me and gave me a venomous, fake smile as she had her attention on me.

she gave me a little box with a tiny envelope taped on its cover and told me to read the note when i'm free. i glanced between her and the box and asked what it was for. she said it's some taiyaki she made for me because she knew i liked it.

but i never told her i liked taiyaki.

i dismissed that thought and smiled politely at her, thanking her for the effort and telling her that i'll enjoy it. she nodded giddily at that and muttered that i should not share it with suzuki, because it was made for me. i thought she did not intend for me to hear that, but whatever. she then asked if i was really friends with suzuki, a question i heard one too many times. i repeated my answer of yes, i am friends with suzuki and i genuinely enjoy her friendship. the girl didn't seem convinced with my answer but she nodded nevertheless and went back to her table.

upon her departure, suzuki lifted her head and scooted a bit farther from me to keep distance, then her body relaxed and she continued eating the lunch i bought for her. i asked her what made her react that way to the other girl's presence. suzuki only shrugged and told me she felt uncomfortable around her. i can't blame her, i did too.

i put the little box that the popular girl gave me on the seat next to me, and then i continued eating and chatting with suzuki, promptly forgetting about the gift i was given.

i didn't forget to take it with me, though. i didn't leave it there at the cafeteria, but i just didn't eat it. i don't know, i just... didn't want it, and i was way too shy to tell her i didn't want it.

while i was collecting my belongings at the end of the day, the girl came up to me asking if i liked her gift. i smiled awkwardly and nodded, discreetly shoving the box into my backpack. i could feel suzuki's eyes on me as she sat at her desk waiting for me, but i didn't turn around.

the other girl told me that she has to go spend time at the cooking club, of which she was a member. i nodded and thanked her for the taiyaki, and she giggled and trotted out the classroom. i sighed and swung my backpack over my shoulder as suzuki stood up to approach me.

the popular girl unintentionally occupied my thoughts throughout my whole journey back home with suzuki. i didn't like that.

there was her, suzuki, a shy, sweet little thing who only wants to make friends, and there was another her, who wants to destroy suzuki's little private bubble.