CHAPTER FIFTEEN
the next morning wheein woke up, washed away any trances of the salty tears on her cheeks, put on her school uniform, and left for the bus.
it was friday and after today she had break for a few weeks, which also meant she was going to spend the entire time revising all of her work she had learnt that semester. alone. without being around her favourite person in the world, who, by the way, actually made her feel like her presence was appreciated in the world.
the school week had been going dreadfully slow. wheein tried her best to distant herself from hwasa, and surprisingly, so far it had been working.
both only ever saw each other on the bus, other than that, they never spent any time together.
wheein hated every minute of it. she wanted to be with hwasa; talk to her, laugh with her, hold her hand. she missed every single little thing. but, she had to keep up the act of being completely fine. she always went with the excuse of being too busy in attempt to keep the girl away at a safe distance- it was the best she could do. besides, it wasn't a complete lie, she did hide away in the library reading over her textbooks.
yet, the more distance that was created, the more wheein just wanted to break the invisible barrier and never leave hwasa's side.
waiting at the bus stop, she pulled her earphones out of her pocket, already plugging them into her phone. it had been awhile since she listened to music on the bus. it was considered a distraction for her, in which the bus ride became slightly less irritating.
but ever since she became friends with a certain beautiful, bright-eyed girl, she didn't need to be saved from all the misery. because with hwasa there, the war within her mind refrained and things seemed to be, somewhat, brighter, too.
five minutes of waiting, the bus pulled up, and the dark haired girl trudged up the stairs, searching for a seat.
she took one near to the front, sitting closest to the window, her body almost pressing against the interior of the vehicle. wheein placed her earphones in, clicking 'shuffle', then turning up the volume; trying to steer her scattered thoughts in the opposite direction.
soon, the sweet melodies of the song gave wheein a sense of calmness, also making the girl grew more tired by the minute.
she closed her eyes, resting her head against the glass. when she could feel herself about to fall asleep, someone pulled one earphone out, and started speaking to her.
"are you gonna fall asleep again?" the person softly chuckled, the hint of a grin so clear while they spoke.
hwasa.
the dark haired girl opened her eyes, being greeted by the same warm smile the other always wore when she was around her.
and the exact smile almost made wheein forget she shouldn't be letting herself around her. there needed to be more space between, they needed to be further apart. she was too close. at the same time, her brain was screaming: she wasn't close enough.
she cleared her throat, "i only fell asleep one time."
the orange haired girl laughed, dropping her bad on the ground at her feet. wheein knew she shouldn't be talking to her, it would only make it harder when she knew they won't be seeing each other until school starts back again.
who knew if then hwasa would still want to be friends with someone like wheein.
"does that time when you almost fell asleep on my bed count?" she smirked, eyes holding a faint glisten in them.
those eyes made wheein's stomach flutter, her cheeks to heat up with a deep rosy-pink colour.
she turned her gaze away, suddenly feeling too flustered looking at the girl. she tried shrugging it off, and said, "nope, i'm not counting that time."
from her peripheral vision, she could see hwasa shake her head, still a grin on her lips. she also caught the words that escaped past her mouth, just as smooth as ever: you're so cute.
at first she thought she was just hearing things, but even after that, she noticed the tinge of red on the orange haired girl's cheeks- that was when she knew it was real.
from that moment onwards, wheein knew it was going to be even more difficult trying to stay away from her, to stop thinking about her. but, then again, it was the last day of the semester and soon hwasa would probably forget about wheein. things would change over the break, and though she didn't want to lose the girl, everything came at a cost. if she was putting all her attention on school work now, it was just certain to happen that the other will vanish once again- like she never existed in her life.
finally reaching school, the bus came to a halt, letting all the students off.
as the two were walking to the gates, hwasa tried making conversation, "so, what class do you have first?"
as much as wheein wished she didn't have to answer, and could avoid talking to the irresistible girl, she replied, "geology. what about you?"
"i have art." the way she said it; her voice, the angelic-type tone to it, was an art in its own form.
wheein always found it ironic that hwasa took art class, when the girl was a living piece of art work herself.
eventually, they parted ways, going to their separate classes, moving on with their day. it would all be over before wheein could comprehend it. everything would definitely be different, but at least she had the chance to talk to her crush.
even if it was only short-lived.
