The Genetic Code

Chapter 5

Kera

"Suzy, I said the blue one," I call to the black-haired girl standing opposite me with a hanger in her hand, enunciating my syllables exaggeratedly as if I'm speaking to a child.

"There's like four blue dresses in this rack!" she exclaims. She shakes the one in her hand. "Isn't this one blue?" I roll my eyes and scoff — What an amateur.

"No, that's periwinkle."

She puts the dress back on the rack and picks up another one. "This one?"

I bring my hand up and massage my temple. This girl is giving me a migraine. "Cyan!"

"Aish, jinjja! (Ugh, seriously!)" She slams the hanger back on the rack and crosses her arms across her chest, turning towards me with a pout. I simply uncross my legs and lean forward on the plush seat, cutting her with laser green.

"Ya, Jung Su Ji. (Hey, Suzy Jung.)" I look at her with my eyebrows raised. "Don't use Korean on me."

She sighs in defeat, turning back towards the rack, and holds out another dress.

"This one?" she asks monotonously.

I smile. "Finally! You've been cured of your momentary color-blindness."

She walks forward and hands me the blue dress. I point towards the other side of the boutique, "Shoes now."

She begrudgingly complies, dragging her feet to the glass tiers of shoes. My body collapses across the velvet surface of the chaise.

"Honestly, Suzy, why did you agree to shop with me when you're going to be such a buzzkill? I can't have my retail therapy when you're radiating such bad aura."

"Right... I agreed to this," Suzy answers dryly. I choose to ignore her comment.

"I really need my retail therapy after what happened in school today." I begin to fan myself with my hands dramatically. "I swear, my temperature is rising. That bitch makes my blood boil so much that I might get a fever."

"Who?"

This girl really needs to brush up on her common sense, it's getting tiring having to explain everything to her twice.

"You," I reply.

"What did I do?" She asks defensively, bringing her hand to her chest. "I'm supposed to be having a tennis lesson today but I came here after school instead to shop with you!"

"My god, Suzy, I was kidding," I drawl, rolling my eyes again.

"Oh," she says sheepishly, turning back to the shoes quietly. She raises a silver pair, but I wave my hand dismissively, and she places it back on the display.

"Ohhh, you mean the new girl." This revelation hits her like she just discovered the secret behind microwave technology.

"Remind me again how you have better chemistry scores than me?"

"I have a high IQ. Low EQ," she states matter-of-factly as she lifts up a leather peep-toe, a deep burgundy color with a metallic accent on the heel. I give her a thumbs up, and she signals to the clerk who comes running over in earnest.

"Size six." She drops the shoe into the clerk's outstretched palms without sparing him a look.

"Y-Yes ma'am," he stutters, skittering off.

"That bitch really needs to learn her manners. I'm more than happy to offer private lessons." I sit up and push my hair over my shoulder. "She has the confidence of a Perfect, but the recklessness and vulgarness of the Imperfect that she's been her entire life. That's the worst combination you can ever have... Well, I guess anything with Imperfect in the mix is pretty horrible."