She is Homophobic || FreenBecky [Completed]

Chapter 8

"Is she asleep?" Richie asked when he saw Freen dozing off on my bed. "Let's find a place to talk," he said, tugging me out of the room.

It was already 10 a.m., but Freen was still fast asleep. I wasn't sure if she had classes today, but Richie came early, saying he wanted to check Freen's assignment, only to find her missing from her room.

Richie and I decided to head up to the rooftop of our dormitory, a place where no one usually hung out. The view from up there was pretty cool, though some girls found it too high and scary.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" Richie replied with a chuckle.

"You gave her a hard time, and now she wants me to come back as her tutor," I said.

Richie furrowed his eyebrows. "Hard time? I just let her slack off and didn't push her. I even told her to finish her assignment all day, and I'd come back to check it tomorrow. What's so tough about that?" he asked in disbelief. "Maybe she just wants you back, and she's making up reasons. You know me, Becky, I'm a good teacher." Richie boasted, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"What's good about you besides your looks?" I asked playfully, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"So, you admit that I'm handsome." Richie snapped his fingers and stroked his chin, all proud.

"I only said it because we look alike. Go back to where you came from, silly!" I teased and punched his shoulder again.

"But honestly, I want you to come back, Becky." Richie sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "Mom and Dad miss you already."

"I need some time alone, Richie. I want to remember all the memories I've forgotten," I said, gazing up at the sky.

"I told you that you can't reclaim them anymore. It's in the past, Becky. You don't have to dwell on it," Richie tried to persuade me, but I shook my head.

To be honest, I lied to Freen when I said I skipped middle school. My parents had told me that I had an accident while traveling to England, and I lost my memories after that. They enrolled me in special classes, and when they discovered my high school-level IQ, they made me apply to high school.

It wasn't too hard at first, but as time went on, the curiosity about my past haunted me. What happened before the accident? What did I do before? Why did I become like this afterward?

"I want to move on too, Richie. But my heart keeps telling me it's not time yet," I said while still looking at the blue sky.

Richie wrapped his arms around me, and together, we looked up at the sky. He sighed and nodded.

"Fine, if that's what you want," he said. "But if you ever get tired of being independent, you can call me, and I'll be there for you. Understand?" he asked, ruffling my hair.

"Even if I'm tired, I won't call you," I replied, removing his hands playfully. "My pride won't let me." I stuck out my tongue and rolled my eyes.

Richie's phone beeped, interrupting our moment. He glanced at the message and began typing a reply.

"Someone messaged me, Becky. She said her name is Irin. You know her?" he asked, his attention divided.

"Yes," I said. "Your soulmate." I wiggled my eyebrows.

Richie let out a sigh and squinted at me. "If I gave your number to my guy friends, you'd be mad too, wouldn't you?" he said, sounding a bit frustrated.

"Irin is cute, gentle, and totally your type," I said, smiling sweetly.

"I'm going home, and tell your friend Irin not to message me again," Richie said, leaving me alone as I shrugged and enjoyed the view.

***

Prof. Kim offered to move me to a different room so people wouldn't wonder why I kept coming to Freen's room, but I declined.

Besides not wanting to be close to her, I couldn't care less about what people thought about us.

"Is that the last chapter?" Freen asked while munching on her fruits.

During our tutoring sessions, Freen behaved herself, not getting angry with me. But as soon as we stepped outside her room, she turned into a different person, hardly speaking to me and acting like a total stranger.

"Yep," I said. "After this, I won't be coming here anymore."

"Why?" Freen asked innocently.

"What do you mean, why? I have my own life, Chankimha. And I have final exams. I need to study," I replied.

Freen nodded and played with her swivel chair. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and turned to face me.

"What will you do this summer?" she asked.

"Study," I responded.

"Sounds boring." She rolled her eyes. "Don't you have any friends? Childhood friends to visit?" she asked.

"I only have one, and that's Irin. But she's also studying throughout the summer," I said, still busy checking Freen's booklet.

"She's your only friend?" Freen asked again, and I sighed.

"Yes, and why do you care?" I asked.

Freen seemed taken aback and nodded. She looked at her booklet and smiled at her scores. Then she turned to me and flashed a tight smile.

I wasn't sure what had happened, but she looked hurt. Wasn't she the one who hated me? Why did it suddenly feel like I was the one hurting her now?