• 홍지수 •
the first bus packed full of highschoolers rolled away, leaving me to stand next to the bus stop holding my bookbag over my head. the rain wasn't letting up anytime soon, that was clear to anyone. i was already a ways away from the school, so trying to walk back for shelter would only result in me missing the bus again. therefore is stood, waiting for the second bus.
my bookbag was already soaked through and i could only hope my papers would miraculously survive. i stuck with that mindset until my brain gave me a little kick and i resorted to stuffing my bookbag under my arm, instead taking off my school jacket and holding it over me.
rainy days always seemed so depressing. maybe it was the way the bright blue sky was covered over by angry clouds, or the chills sent up your spine whenever you went outside, or the inability to comfortably step foot outside. whatever it was, i didn't enjoy rainy days at all.
the bus was taking a long time. my jacket was slowly beginning to soak through as the rain relentlessly pounded on the thick fabric. i sighed.
a shadow cast over my head and i peaked over my jacket. it was a bright blue umbrella. i glanced over to my left, where a short girl stood, holding out the umbrella over my head. she made sure not to get to close to me, but the umbrella wasn't very big, so her shoulder was slowly getting drenched in the rain.
"you looked cold," she said with a closed-lipped smile, her eyes smiling along.
"oh, thank you. yoo hyojin, right?" i recognized the girl from my year. we had been in the same schools since we were toddlers, but i had never talked to her.
"mmhm. we can talk casually if you want, jisoo." hyojin suggested, brushing her long brown hair in front of her shoulders in order to prevent it from getting wet. i was surprised, she was very straight-forward.
"alright." i shrugged.
"or," hyojin said, "would you prefer joshua? i hear people call you joshua sometimes."
"either one is fine. joshua is fine," i answered. "get under the umbrella, you're getting wet too." i lightly tugged on her bookbag to drag her underneath the umbrella. we were rather close together, but hyojin didn't seem to mind.
hyojin stuck her hand out under the umbrella for a few seconds, watching the rain hit the palm of her dainty hand before retracting it and shoving it into the pocket of her jacket. "it's supposed to be raining pretty hard for the rest of the week. possibly next week too." i groaned.
"i hate the rain," i sighed.
"i love the rain," hyojin remarked. "you get to sit under a layer of cozy blankets, sipping a hot drink and listening to the raindrops sitting the window. it's great."
i shrugged, "i guess so. but i prefer going out and doing stuff."
"alright. we all have our thoughts," hyojin said. "here comes the bus."
the slow rumble of the bus made me turn my head to watch as it slowly rolled to a stop. steam rose up from the tires as the driver cranked the doors open.
"i'll see you tomorrow." hyojin flashed me another smile. she left me in the rain, watching her slip away in confusion. she wasn't getting on the bus, so what was she doing standing at the bus stop?
"what a weird girl," i mumbled to myself, before climbing onto the bus. there were maybe ten other people on board, ones like me who were just barely late for the first ride.
i moved to the middle, sitting by the window. the ride was quiet, being there weren't very many people along for it. all i could think about was hyojin. we'd never talked before, what was her motive for today?
we passed by her walking alone. my eyes followed her until she wasn't visible anymore. i wondered if i would see her tomorrow.
