The school felt weird to AeGuk without Fedora, empty. It was also impossible not to think about her here, back in Korea he could just space out. But not here. Here she was everywhere. There wasn’t a single place in this whole school that Fedora and AeGuk had not hung out. And everytime he walked by one of those spots he thought of her.
Walking into homeroom alone was a challenge, made worse by Harriette and her crew staring at him like he was an alien. He braced himself when Harriette waved him over, what would the Populars want with him?
“Hi!” Harriette said, “Hows it going?”
“Uh-um,” AeGuk stuttered, nervous that she’d ask about Fedora.
“It’s okay, I don’t bite,” Harriette teased, “I just want to know what’s up?
“N-nothing,” AeGuk said.
“So your summer was good?” Harriette asked.
“Uhm, y-yeah,” he said.
Harriette smiled, “good, I just wanted to make sure you were fine.”
“Wh-why w-wouldn’t.... I b-b-be.” he said, he knew the next part of this conversation..
Harriette frowned, “because of, you know, the breakup?”
AeGuk bit his lip, he didn’t want to talk about this, “I’m f-f-fine.”
“Okay, see you later,” Harriette said, waving him away.
AeGuk walked away and sat at a table in the back. He should have known they just wanted to talk about Fedora. Now he felt even worse.
“Hey,” someone said, causing AeGuk to jump.
“Uhm?” AeGuk said, turning to see Collin. What was he doing here?
“Sorry for scaring you,” Collin said, sitting down next to him.
“It-it’s okay,” AeGuk stuttered.
“I just wanted to apologize about Harriette back there,” Collin said, gesturing towards the Populars, “she didn’t know she was being nosy. I’m sure you didn’t want to talk about Fedora.”
“Uh-uhm, yeah, I I g-guess.” AeGuk said, he wished he would just magically stop stuttering, “It it’s okay, th-though.”
Collin looked at him for a while, which made AeGuk sort of uncomfortable.
“I like your hair,” Collin finally said, “it’s nice longer.”
“Uhm, th-thanks,” AeGuk said.
“See you later,” Collin said, getting up and sitting back with the others. AeGuk just turned back to the front, and tried not to think about what Fedora would say about that weird conversation. But Fedora had opinions on everything and he could practically hear her say “he obviously likes you.” But hearing her voice in his head was really the last thing he wanted.
Fortunately homeroom started and he could be happily distracted again.
---
Even though cell phones were not technically allowed in school Harriette called Fedora at lunch.
“Your lucky I’m not in school right now,” Fedora answered on the third ring.
“It’s me, Harriette,” Harriette said.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?” Fedora asked.
”I am, it’s lunch time,” Harriette said, “and I wanted to talk to you about something I only just found out even though I should have found out back in July.”
“Oh?” Fedora said.
“You broke up with AeGuk and didn’t tell me?” Harriette asked, annoyed.
“I guess,” Fedora said, she could practically hear her shrug, “it wasn’t important. I mean I guess it was, but I didn’t want to talk about it.”
“What happened?” Harriette asked.
“Nothing,” Fedora said, “I didn’t want to date long distance.”
“So you don’t have a new boyfriend?” Harriette said.
“Uhm, no,” Fedora said, “I’m too busy to have a boyfriend.”
“Oh,” Harriette said, “DaeRi thought that’s why you broke up with him.”
“And you believed her?,” Fedora laughed, “she doesn’t even know me. Plus I wasn’t even hanging out with anyone back in july, it was just me and my dad.”
“Okay,” Harriette said, “I didn’t think so, DaeRi just thinks she knows everything.”
“She does,” Fedora said, “Well, I have to go.”
And then she hung up.
Harriette, feeling good about the previous conversation, went back to sit with her friends. She noticed that Collin was missing.
“Where’s Collin?” Harriette asked.
“Sitting with AeGuk,” DaeRi said.
“He thought he looked lonely,” Tamarai said.
“Oh,” Harriette said, thinking about earlier when he went to talk to him in homeroom. He was probably glad to get away from the Popular table, he had shown earlier just how much he had disliked being popular. Harriette hoped he wouldn’t ditch her. Last year he had been friends with Bentley, that was good because he was still popular so they still hung around in the same crowd. But AeGuk, he was a loser, a nerd, a dweeb. If he hung out with him then he would be dubbed one too. Harriette wouldn’t let that happen.
But lunch for one day wouldn’t hurt. He’ll look charitable.
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