When I see you again | rorasa

Chapter 1

Rora pov

I walked into the classroom full of jitters, clutching my bag as if it might somehow keep me from falling apart. High school was supposed to feel like a fresh start, but right now all I felt was lost.

The room was already buzzing with voices, the scrape of chairs, and the low hum of students settling into their seats. I scanned the rows nervously, looking for an empty spot, when my eyes landed on a spot by the window. A girl was already there in the seat next to it.

I walked up.

"Hey, is this spot taken?" I asked.

"No," she replied

I plopped my stuff onto the table and took a seat. The bell rang. Class started. Our teacher introduced themselves.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Park, and I will be your teacher for this semester in English."

We got out our materials and started class.

The classroom fell into a steady rhythm of shuffling papers and quiet introductions, but I barely heard any of it. My heart was still racing, and I kept my eyes on my desk so I wouldn't have to look at anyone for too long.

Then I noticed the girl beside me glancing my way.

"I'm Asa," she said softly, offering a small smile.

"Rora," I answered, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

She nodded like that was enough to start something, and maybe it was. I looked back toward the front of the room just as Mrs. Park began writing the day's assignment on the board.

Of course, the first thing she gave us was a pair project.

"You'll work with the person sitting next to you," she said. "Talk together and write a short introduction about each other. Be ready to share in ten minutes."

My stomach dropped. I turned slowly toward Asa, and she gave me a look that said, Well, this should be fun.

"So," she said, leaning closer, "what do we say first?"

I let out a shaky breath, then almost smiled. "Hopefully something that makes me sound less terrified."

For the first time since I'd walked into the room, the knot in my chest loosened a little.

We got to work, and I realized I had to talk to her. I looked over. And she looked at me.

"Righttt. Introduce yourself." I said

"Name's Asa Kim." She replied. Asa Kim. Interesting. "What about you?" She asked

"Rora. Rora Lee." I said. She scribbled down what I said. "R. O. R. A." she spelled out.

"Yes, that's me," I answered.

We continued writing and talking. Asa was a very interesting person.

"10 minutes is up!" called Mrs. Park from the front. "Who wants to go first? How about Wonhee and Iroha first?"

Wonhee and Iroha stood up and walked to the front.

As they presented, I doodled in my notebook. Asa looked over and said, "That's a really cute doodle."

I glanced down at the little doodles scattered across the corner of my notebook. "You think so?" I asked, pressing my pen against the page.

Asa leaned in a little closer. "Yeah. It's actually really good."

A heat crept up my neck. I wasn't used to people noticing the small things I did, let alone complimenting them. "Thanks," I murmured, not sure what else to say.

She smiled again, easy and bright, as it came naturally to her. "You draw a lot?"

"Only when I'm nervous," I admitted.

"That makes sense," she said, like it was the most normal answer in the world. "You've been pretty quiet."

I looked at her, surprised she'd noticed. "Is that bad?"

"No." She shook her head quickly. "Just an observation. You seem like someone who has a lot going on in her head."

I let out a tiny laugh before I could stop myself. "That sounds way more accurate than I'd like."

Asa smiled, and for a second I forgot about the room full of people around us. There was something about talking to her that felt strangely easy, like I didn't have to think too hard before I spoke.

Mrs. Park called another pair to the front, and the class settled into the soft background noise of presentations. I kept doodling, but Asa kept stealing little glances at my notebook.

After a minute, she tapped her pencil against the desk. "So what are you drawing?"

I tilted the page toward her. "Honestly? I don't even know anymore."

She studied it for a second, then nodded seriously. "Looks like you started with a flower, then gave up and made it cool instead."

I blinked at her, then laughed for real this time. "That is not what I was going for."

"Well, it works." She folded her arms on the desk and looked at me with a teasing little grin. "You're funny when you're not trying to be."

That made me freeze for half a second.

"I am not funny," I said automatically.

Asa turned toward me, resting her chin in her hand. "You definitely are."

I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Instead, I looked back at my notebook, suddenly very interested in the half-finished flower in the corner.

For some reason, my heart felt lighter than it had when I first walked into the classroom.

Maybe high school wasn't going to be as terrible as I thought.

Or maybe it was just because of the girl sitting next to me.

"Rora." Mrs. Park's voice cut through my thoughts. "Since you and Asa finished early, why don't you be ready to share your introductions after the next pair?"

My stomach flipped. "Oh—right."

Asa gave me a sideways look, clearly trying not to laugh. "You okay?"

"No," I whispered.

That earned a quiet snort from her. "Good. Me neither."

I stared at her, then laughed under my breath, and just like that, the fear in my chest started to ease again.

Maybe this class wouldn't be so bad after all.