Innocence // STRAY KIDS' Han Jisung

five

In which she questions her sanity.

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Mirae wanted to crawl inside a cave.

The morning had started relatively good though: her mom had made pancakes and packed Mirae and Miyoung sandwiches to take on. She had her glasses back, which meant she could finally see what was around her as she walked to school with Jeongin, who mentioned how pretty they were. She had managed to write more neatly with the cast and was able to grab the chopsticks better, saving herself from Soyeon's teasing, who found out about her inability to do things with her right hand.

She had also received back the test of History, which she thought she'd lose, surprising herself when there was written nest to her name a big black 'B'. It was being a good day, until English class arrived.

"Today we're going to start a small project," the English teacher started speaking, holding a book on his hands. "Randomly, you're all going to be assigned into five different groups and will have to develop this guideline I have right here," he lifted the stock of papers and started delivering them.

"Teacher Ryan," a girl raised her hand. Mirae looked back and realized it was Minah, "How are you going to organize the groups?"

"Felix," Mirae tapped his arm softly, ignoring what the teacher was saying, "how did it go with Minah yesterday?"

"She likes me," he sighed and seemed somewhat down. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and felt her glasses slipping a bit. "She confessed to me after I explained some stuff about present progressive tenses. I told her I'm not really interested in her."

"What did she say?"

"She thanked me for the lesson in a perfect American accent and I left," he shrugged. "It was extremely weird, now that I think of it."

"Well, that's our class president," Mirae fixed her glasses and looked at the paper on her desk, reading the five different stories' titles.

Mirae turned her attention back to the teacher and saw him taking out some papers from a small bag. As he read out the names written on each one of them, she realized that was how the teams were going to be made. She was hoping she'd be at least with either Soyeon or Nora, although it would be good if she was in the same group as Felix, having in account his English skills.

However, all the people she wanted to be with were already called before her name was mentioned. Mirae pouted, waiting with an increasing anxiety for her to be called in at least a decent group.

"Kim Aeri, with Jung Youngjae, Choi Mirae and Han Jisung," the teacher read out the papers.

Mirae wanted to seriously crawl inside a cave.

She pressed her hands together under her chin, her lips tight as she tried to not show any reaction. However, her heartbeats gave away how nervous she was. She had been trying to avoid thinking on whatever was making her heart flutter whenever she crossed gazes with certain boy with cheeks similar to a squirrel's.

She kept telling her that there was no way she could feel anything other than friendship towards Jisung, but as she approached to her teammates with her materials and the guide, she could feel how her chest started going up and down faster as she walked on.

"Hi," she waved out and sat on the chair in front of Youngjae's desk.

"Which story did we get?" Aeri, a girl Mirae had barely spoken to, asked as she shook her hair over her shoulder. She noticed how Youngjae, the tallest boy in the class, stared at her with dreamy eyes.