The Genius | #1✓ [SAMPLE]

Chapter 8

I don't feel well. I shuddered as I walked through the crowd of students. I hate crowds, I hated them so much.

"Hey, Wyatt, wait up!" I grimaced, hearing Aiyana's voice over the noise of talking students in the hallway. It was midday at school, and I was trying to get to my gym class without passing out in the hallway.

I stopped walking, waiting for Aiyana to catch up with me. She had an excited grin on her face as she approached, cradling her gray knapsack like a baby. We started walking to class together as soon she caught up with me.

As we walked, my gaze moved to her, realizing she'd not really accepted my apology earlier. "Aiyana, I'm sorry about snapping at you the other day. I really didn't mean it. I was just — I wasn't in my right senses."

"It's okay," Aiyana muttered as a big smile made its way to her lips. She looked at me with her big brown eyes, nudging my shoulder playfully before tightening her grip on her grey bag so it didn't go tumbling down onto the school's tiled hallway floor.

We soon reached the gym, leaving for the separate sex-divided locker rooms.

A sigh left my lips in irritation at the number of people crowded within. I hated locker rooms. I hated everything from the smell, the noise, and the feeling that one of the school boneheads might decide to pick on you at any time.

I didn't spot Ji-Hun in the locker room but I did see Ben changing into his appropriate sports shoes at a corner. I looked away, hurrying to get into my clothes so I could get to the field in time and avoid any sort of punishment my gym teacher could give.

I scrambled out of the locker room soon after, shuddering at the thought of the place before heading out the open gym doors and into the open fields.

Our coach gave me a pitiful look when I was in sight, unlike most of my teachers that loved me, coach Casper hated my guts. I didn't blame him. I had no doubt that any sports-inclined person that saw me running laps hated me too.

"Just run two laps," he sighed, dismissing me with a wave. I nodded, walking past him as quickly as I could. Two laps may sound like a piece of cake, but I was hopeless and probably going to spend the rest of the double period trying to complete them.

After pausing for maybe the fifteenth time on my first lap Coach Casper dismissed me out of a mix of pity and annoyance. I thanked him, leaving the sunny field for the cool air-conditioned gym. What coach Casper did back there wasn't nice. He might have dismissed me but that didn't change the fact that he was going to fail me.

I hurried back to the locker room, grateful to be able to take a shower without the presence of everyone else. I changed back into my regular clothes before leaving the locker room. I was heading towards the gym entrance to make my exit but stopped when I heard the sound of familiar non-English music lyrics.

"Ji-Hun?" I muttered instinctively, looking about the gym until I spotted Ji-Hun at the bleachers. He was sitting high up with his laptop on his lap as he typed away. He didn't have headphones on, indicating that the music was coming from his laptop.

I called his name again, watching as he turned to look at me with an expression of surprise.

"Is the class over already?" he asked, putting a stop to the music coming from his computer. I shook my head as I walked up to meet him.

"No, I just got let off early. There should still be about forty minutes before the class is over. What are you doing here anyway?" I asked, wondering why he wasn't taking part in gym class. If he was skipping class he wouldn't be sitting here in the gym where anyone could walk in on him at any time.