Sweet Desire

02 Fortune favors me

As soon as I walked into the classroom, I was met with questioning looks from my classmates. Some of them were whispering at each other and discreetly pointing at me—well, not so discreetly. They probably couldn't believe that a 'good' girl like me was violating school rules. I wondered if any of them would report me.

To be honest, I enjoyed the judgmental stares directed at me as if I were a criminal. I always had a desire to go against the rules.

Thanks, Winter. Because of you it came true.

My gaze stopped on her, she was sitting at the first desk, leafing through a textbook. My hair tie in her hair. I smirked, remembering what she'd done a few moments earlier. If anyone else had been so brazen to me, I wouldn't be able to contain myself. But Winter doing it made me think of her even more.

I reluctantly averted my gaze and headed to my seat in the next row, two desks away from Winter.

"Hey!" My friend Aeri waved her hand as she noticed me, but when I got closer, she bulged her eyes. "Wait—Why—"

"Hi," I smiled, dropping my bag next to the desk and carefully settling in the chair, so my skirt wouldn't wrinkle. "Can you lend me a hair tie?" I asked, knowing that she always carries a bunch of unnecessary stuff with her, and she must definitely have one more hair tie.

"But where is yours?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Lost it in the practice room," I replied nonchalantly.

Aeri narrowed her eyes in disbelief but started to rummage through her bag anyway, looking for one.

Her reaction was predictable; I never lost anything important, and I always followed the rules, well, at least at school, even if I didn't like them... but that's only because I feared punishment from my father.

"You're lucky I had a spare, otherwise—"

"Nothing bad would happen, I would just ask someone else," I said rashly.

"What?" Aeri pouted. "You can't ask anyone else when you have me..." Jealousy slipped into her voice.

I didn't like it when she did that, but I suppressed my annoyance and quietly laughed. "Ah, Aeri, it was just a joke, okay? As long as you're my best friend, you're the only one I'll ask for help." I raised from my seat and leaned over to peck her cheek.

In response to my actions, Aeri's face lit up with a satisfied smile.

"Here." She held out a simple black hair tie.

"Thanks." I intended to take it, but suddenly Aeri retracted her hand, got up from her seat, and motioned for me to turn around. "I want to braid you, pay for the hair tie." She giggled.

I don't like my hair braided...

Even so, I said nothing and obeyed. Sometimes Aeri can be so annoying that I want to slap her. Why did I befriend her then?

Because I wanted to piss off someone.

"I love your hair, so soft." Aeri began to brush it, her movements gentle and caring. I closed my eyes. For a little moment, I imagined it was Winter's hands separating my hair and braiding a neat braid. I inhaled deeply, almost drowning in the ocean of thoughts of Winter.

I blinked open my eyes—

to meet Winter's stare, she was looking at me strangely with the corner of her mouth slightly raised as if mocking me.

Nonetheless, I winked and smiled brightly at her. She rolled her eyes and averted her gaze.

Maybe Winter didn't like me now, but I got her attention. Why else would she stare at me when she thought I couldn't see it?