For Life

December 2018

December 2018

In high school, I always heard college kids call finals week a 'hell week'. They said it was the most dreaded time in the entire school year, and that got me scared of how my first hell week was going to be. I'd prepared for it moderately, hoping it was enough to get me at least a decent score in each exam. I'd never been the type to worry too much about my grades, unlike Hyunjin.

And it turned out okay, because I actually had okay study habits, thanks to being around her so much. I guess being friends with her my entire life came with its benefits.

But I knew it was only going to get more and more difficult as the semesters go by. And when we're all done with our core subjects and move onto our own majors, I wouldn't be able to count on Hyunjin anymore.

It was time for me to take things seriously. I had to put more effort on the next one.

But so far, so good.

"Dude," Jeno exclaimed from the backseat, disrupting me from my moment of reflection. "I'm gonna fail!"

"No, you're not," Jaemin sighed, after having reassured Jeno multiple times already during the drive. With his eyes focused on the road and hands on the wheel, he continued, "The test was really hard and I'm sure there's plenty who did worse than you. I'm sure prof will curve the scores up."

"Wow, you guys really got the terror prof, huh? Luckily my class was pretty chill," I said as I turned the volume down on the radio for easier conversation.

"Ugh," Jeno pouted as he crossed his arms, leaning back on his seat. "You guys must have had it easy. Especially you, Hyunjin."

"Um," Hyunjin answered quietly, looking at anywhere but Jeno. "Kind of... But the other subjects weren't easy at all."

I tuned out the conversation and looked out the window instead. It was cloudy, the sun not in sight as fall made way for the winter. There wasn't any snow yet, but the weather was very, very cold. And Jaemin was never the type to get cold easily, so there he was in a simple thin sweater that was tight against his body, while the rest of us were freezing inside Jaemin's mom's old car.

We'd been driving for about an hour and a half, and I felt sorry for Hyunjin sitting right next to Jeno in the backseat because he kept complaining majority of the ride. But secretly I was glad, too, that Jeno always made sure she was part of our conversation, since she still had the tendency to be quiet around him and Jaemin.

"I can't wait to get back home," I suddenly said. "It's been like, four months since I last saw dad. He saw my selfies, said I lost a lot of weight."

"Oh no," Jaemin cooed. "Poor Jinnie is starved! It must have been the stress," he said in that voice he used whenever he teased me.

"Oh, shut up."

Suddenly, he stepped hard on the brake to slow down, throwing the rest of us forward, before overtaking the car in front.

He muttered curses under his breath, to which I laughed at. "Driving at the speed of a bicycle isn't allowed on the expressway," he said. "Dumbass."

"Wow, look at you trash-talking just because you got your license, what, last month?" I teased back. "I don't even know why we trust you enough to drive us."

"I don't know how I trust myself so much either. My feet are starting to cramp."

"Then let's drop by the next stop, shall we? Stretch our legs a little."

"Sounds great. Let's get some snacks too, since college has made you so, so hungry."

Jeno cheered from the back, and Hyunjin hummed in agreement. It took around five minutes to reach the nearest rest stop, and once Jaemin parked the car in reverse in at least four tries, we were in a rush to get out.