GIRLS ON TRACK || Ryeji

Chapter 4: Destined to the Infirmary

"Yeji, take this." Lia handed me some tissue papers to wipe my bloody nose before scolding the two girls, who were engaged in a quarrel. "Stop it, you two! Let's get Yeji to the infirmary."

The tall girl finally let Chaeryeong go, and they both glared at each other before Chaeryeong pointed at Ryujin, who was still trying to process the whole situation with a mixture shock and guilt apparent on her face. "I'm not done with you!"

Ryujin and her friends were left behind as we proceeded to walk away from the area; hence, Chaeryeong turned back and snarled, "Don't just stand there! It's your fault, so follow us!"

"Our Ryujin wouldn't d-"

"Quiet!" The tall girl shut her mouth with a gulp the instant Lia snapped in a dangerously low voice.

The walk to the infirmary is rather awkward, and the atmosphere is quite intense with a deafening silence engulfing us. Neither of us dares to speak nor make a sound. Moreover, the only sounds that I can hear are the thudding of our footsteps along the tiles and the faint whispers of the students along the hallway as they watch us pass by them. Maybe they also feel the hostile aura radiating from us. At long last, I let out a breath, which I didn't realize that I was holding in, when we reached the infirmary.

****

Somi's P.O.V

I watched Ryujin fidgeting her hands and letting out a sigh once every few minutes as she stole glances at the new girl being treated by Nurse Nayeon, so I held her nearest hand firmly to calm her down, and it succeeded. She gave me a small smile as a reassurance to show that she's fine. Then, she ran her free hand through her short brown hair, glancing back at the girl again. What made you run away from her? What effect does she have for you to act that way? Who is she to you, Ryujinnie? Many questions clouded my mind as I stared at Ryujin's side profile, while she was busy paying attention to the wounded girl.

"Uh-hum." I flinched when Yuna coughed, and it seemed like I was the only one who heard her.

"Do you have any idea who that girl is?" Yuna whispered, referring to the new girl.

"No," I whispered back, at which Yuna nodded to.

"You have to apply ice on your forehead and nose every night before you sleep, miss..." Nurse Nayeon paused before she looked at the girl's name tag on her coat's pocket. "Hwang Yeji."

"How long will it take to recover, Nurse Nayeon?" Lia queried.

"Her broken nose should start getting better within 3 days and be fully healed within 3 weeks," Nurse Nayeon answered, "And the swelling on her forehead will disappear in a few days."

"B-broken nose?" Ryujin gasped.

"Well, hello there," Nurse Nayeon said with a chuckle as she scribbled down on a notepad, "A second visit to the infirmary, huh?"

"Oh? There will be a third time for her then," Chaeryeong threatened, receiving a soft slap from Lia on her arm.

"Chaeryeong, she didn't do it on purpose," Yeji defended with hands waving in front of her, "She accidentally fell on top of me."

"T-top of you?" Yuna stuttered as her eyes grew as wide as saucers, while Chaeryeong let out a gasp and Lia remained neutral.

"Come on," I uttered, holding in my laugh, "Why are you guys making a fuss? They just fell on each other. It's nothing."

"I fell face-flat on the floor," Yeji muttered as she winced, probably recalling the event, "and she fell on my back."

"I've never treated a new student on their first day of school, let alone an old student in the same day," Nurse Nayeon confessed, tearing off the note she was scribbling earlier and handing it to Yeji. "Here's your prescription, young lady. Don't forget to follow it."

"Yes, nurse," Yeji replied politely with a slight bow.

"You, don't stress yourself out." The nurse turned to Ryujin and stared at her sternly as she continued, "Take the supplements I have prescribed this morning daily and don't skip your meals." Then, she left the cubicle.

"So, you guys know each other?" Lia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ye-No," they both replied two different answers simultaneously, and I assume one of them was a lie, which probably could be Ryujin's denial.

Yeji looked at Ryujin nervously, while the latter was just giving her a cold shoulder, not meeting her pleading gaze.

"Don't act like that toward her after breaking her nose," Chaeryeong snapped, glaring at Ryujin.

"Hey! Yeji already said she didn't do it on purpose," Yuna defended, getting up from her seat.

"Geez, just quit it," Lia told them before they could bicker any further.

"Ryujinnie, can't you tell us?" I pleaded Ryujin, which softened her expression.

"I'm sorry," Ryujin muttered in a low voice, staring blankly at the wall, "It's a long story and I don't think I'm ready to tell yet."

So, we all looked at Yeji expectantly, waiting for her to satisfy our curiosity.

"I-" The bell rang, interrupting whatever she was about to come up with.

"Girls, you should go back to your class," we heard Nurse Nayeon call out from the other side of the room, "except Yeji if she's still in pain."

"I'm fine, nurse," Yeji replied, removing the blanket that was covering her legs as she hopped off the hospital bed, "I'm sure I'm in the state to attend classes."

****

Ryujin's P.O.V

I can't believe that Hwang Yeji, the girl I tried so hard to forget, is actually sitting right in front my seat, jotting down notes with her back against me as the teacher explains the rules of geometry. First of all, why does she have to be in the same class as me? Second of all, why does she have to choose that seat out of all the seats in class? Last but not least, why does she have to enter my life again? Just why?! Seeing her reopens the wound that is being healed through time. Now that I'm starting to settle down and learning to reach out to people, she just had the audacity to appear out of nowhere. Moreover, she was the reason why I developed trust issues in the first place.

Snap. I broke the pencil lead since I was exerting too much pressure on it. I rolled my eyes and took out another pencil from the case.

"This is the end of our lesson," Mr. Kim Namjoon, our geometry teacher announced, "Any questions?"

Jeongin raised his hand.

"Yes, Jeongin?"

"I gotta leave now, Mr. Kim." The boy rushed out uneasily with his hand on his bottom, making the whole class burst into laughter, except me who wasn't in the mood.

"Class dismissed." We all stood up from our seats and bid our goodbyes to Mr. Kim as he left the room. Then, everyone kept their things and prepared to leave.

I saw Yeji stealing glances at me from my peripheral vision while I was keeping my things hastily to get away from her as soon as I could.

"Ryu-" I left her without listening to her.

****

Yeji's P.O.V

It broke my heart to pieces when she left me without even sparing a glance. I stood still as my eyes trailed after her disappearing figure, contemplating whether to follow her or not, but I chose not to bother her eventually. She doesn't want me...

"You okay?" Lia asked with Chaeryeong beside her, both of them studying my face with concern.

"Yeah," I lied, but that didn't seem to convince them.