Sleep | Park Sunghoon

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

|| SCARLETT POV ||

"Is everyone here from Ms. Kim's class?"

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"Yes!" My class shouts at the top of their lungs at the principal who was making sure everything was in check. We all show our permission slips one by one as we're let onto the charter bus.

As I'm one of the first people in, I take this opportunity to admire the leather seats and the dark blue walls. Luxury things like this are the reasons why I personally love that I go to a private school.

Sadly for me, the seats were chosen randomly so I can't sit near any of my friends. Curse the teachers for enforcing that idiotic rule. She says it's to 'Get to know each other!' but I think that's complete bullshit. I think most people would agree when I say I DON'T want to sit next to a student I barely know for two and a half hours with one-stop in between.

My seat was near the back, which I was thankful for. Everyone knows that sitting in the front is the absolute worst because that's where the teacher has to sit, meaning they can monitor you and prevent you from starting any trouble. The back is the best because you can pull mischief without getting caught in action.

I sit down reluctantly at the window seat after putting my suitcase in the overhead department. I place my small backpack underneath my seat and take out my phone as I scroll through Twitter while waiting for my seatmate to come.

"Are you seat 17?" A voice asks from beside me. I look up to see a blonde Minjeong holding a pink suitcase in her right hand and a yellow Hermès bag in the other.

"Yeah," I say before looking down at my phone again. Minjeong to me has always been a little iffy. Ever since she gave me a rude response last year, I've never been too sure about her. Over the past month we've been in the same class, I can say that she's probably neutral to me. Let's just hope this trip doesn't make me loathe her in the end.

She hesitantly sits down next to me while observing her surroundings, her small purse still in the clutches of her hand.

"Aren't you worried you'll ruin a designer bag during this trip?" I ask jokingly, setting my phone in my pocket and opening my coat to let the three chip bags I shoved in there before out.

"Oh, don't worry about my bag... Why do you have three chip bags up in your shirt?" She asks concerned.

I laugh out loud before putting a finger to my lip to indicate to her to keep this a secret. "I snuck in some snacks because Ms. Kim said we're not allowed to."

She nods her head, understanding. "But isn't that against the rules?"

"It's not against the rules if she never knows..." I give her a mischievous smirk. "Besides, I'm not eating them right now. I'm just letting them get some fresh air before the ride."

She looks at me fascinated. "Wow. You're so cool."

My normal cheeky grin is replaced by a flustered face. I stammer as I try to find the right words to thank her with.

"Honestly, I didn't like you when I first transferred here. But I never had a reason why. Maybe I was just jealous cause I thought you were better than me." She sighs in defeat as I'm left with the sudden confession.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think you're a lot cooler than me." We both exchanged smiles that are quickly wiped off when a large kick from behind sends us forward, crashing into the seat in front of us.

Niki and Jungwon (The students in front of us) whip their heads back towards us and give us dirty glares.

"It's not our fault!" I start my defense. "The people behind us kicked the seats." All four of us turn our heads slowly to see Sunoo and Sunghoon giving us a small wave. They might look proud of their little kick, but I can tell deep down Sunoo was shitting his pants with the sight of me scowling at him like that.

"You know what, I take back when I thought you were cool, Park Sunghoon." Minjeong barks at the boy who just rolls his eyes in return.

"What about me? You never thought I was cool?" Sunoo points to himself in disappointment.

"Shut up." Minjeong and I fire back at Sunoo at the same time that makes him shut his jaw in an instant.

"You." Minjeong points her long finger directly at Sunghoon's head. "I get that you and Scarlett have some beef or whatever, but let's just keep in mind that I am not involved in any way. So keep me out of it!"

She slumps back into her seat with a sour expression as I give her a smug high-five. "I love it when Sunghoon gets put into his place."

"I can hear you, bitch!" He calls out from behind, causing an eruption of laughter to come from Minjeong and me.

Our waves of laughter die down after the car starts driving downhill the roads. Which is the same time my belly decides to start rumbling audibly. I take out my forbidden chip stash and tear one up silently, being mindful not to make any additional sound.

I put one into my mouth and offer one to Minjeong, which she takes appreciatively. I continue snacking on my food until Niki takes a glance at me. His eyes light up and he signals Jungwon to watch with him.

"What? Am I a circus animal to you guys?" I ask, my mouth still full of potato chips.

"How did you sneak the food in? The principal checked all of our bags and suitcases." Niki drills me for an answer.

"I stuffed it into my shirt. What else could have worked?" I gloat as the boys look at me in amazement. "Do you want a bag?"

They both nod their heads frantically as I launch a bag of Doritos towards them. They share the bag of chips between themselves and some of the other boys sitting in front of them. I smirk delightfully before looking out the window to admire the scenery.

High buildings and businessmen in black umbrellas sway beyond me in a blur. I watch as some people walk through the streets holding hands with each other while giving each other romantic looks. Lucky, aren't they? Being able to love someone just like that. I know I'm supposed to be happy about love and all that, but it just seems super draining to do.

Maybe it's my commitment issues talking, but loving the same person for the rest of your life appears exhausting to do. Wouldn't they get bored of me? Wouldn't I get bored of them? How could you love the same person for the rest of your life? It sounds extremely unrealistic.

I don't know if it's just me, but I don't think I'll ever love someone enough to want to be with them for eternity.

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