Meanwhile in California, Jay Hee’s
life had just become unbearable.
“Being a girl is no fun at all,” she
thought one day, looking into her locker which was trashed and dripping wet.
It had started with Duke coming on to
her and trying to kiss her - a month ago. She instinctively reacted and socked him out
sound. As an athlete herself, she packed quite a punch and gave him a black
eye. The worst part was when one of the other jocks saw him and made fun of
him. In the heat of the moment an embarrassed Duke just retaliated "
what can you expect from a girl who doesn't like guys" and that rumor
spread like wild fire until she was called a lesbian, and her locker was filled
with bad messages and every one but a couple of people avoided like the plague.
Her best friend Julie told her to just go around with some one else for some
time and the rumors would just subside, but Jae Hee was adamant that she would
not pretend to go out with anyone.
'Don’t be like this Jay, so stubborn,
it's been almost an year' Julie shouted at her. “For all you know things have
already changed with him”. But Jae Hee was not going to give up waiting for
him, only Tae Joon could touch her heart that way and she was not ready to even
look at anyone in a romantic way.
But she did not know how to fight
back against rumors and innuendoes; what was so funny was when she had
pretended to be a guy she had more fun that being her natural girly self.
Struggling with social life, she took refuge in the upcoming exams and anyway
school became a punishment for her.
She missed Tae Joon now more than
ever. Recounting all the times when he had saved her, taken care of her and
protected her. Wrapping his memories around her like an armor - she blindly
went to school, survived through the day and came back home. Eventually everyone
except Julie pretended she did not even exist.
One bright Sunday, feeling happier
than she had in a long time she went on a walk, to clear her head. She wore a bright
yellow dress with a white sweater, and took her dog and walked until the beautiful
California fall weather cheered her up. When she got home, she stretched out on
the patio and opened her laptop - there was a video mail from Eun Gyol. And as
he spoke, she learned about all the different things that had changed in Genie
High. With Han Na and Sung Ri Sunbae going around, the doctor Sensai leaving
for Paris, and Tae Joon going on a trip to Jejudo.
Tae Joon’s birthday was coming up she
remembered, maybe his father had taken him on a trip. Unthinkingly she knocked
over her dairy, and as she bent to pick it up a shadow fell over her. She looked
up, someone was standing in front of the light, and she was unable to see who
as bright light surrounded him. Her
heart hammered away first, recognizing him before her eyes did - blinking she
focused it was TAE JOON . ....
