𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟒 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬

{Chapter 1: Diary}

"So who are you going with tomorrow?"

"You, duh." I roll my eyes, pressing the phone closer to my ear. "Who else?"

Instead of being the good daughter I am and sleeping before bed time, I decide to be like any other normal teenager this night. Here I am, lying on my bed with my stomach facing the ceiling. I look at the digital alarm clock on the small counter. It's already 11:32. I hadn't realized I've been talking to Beomgyu for the last four hours, and I obviously had no plans on stopping now.

"Can't," he says ever so casually, words casting a frown on my face. "Dude, find yourself a partner. I also have a girl to bring over."

"Don't dude me." I shot a glare at his non-existing face on my screen. I let out a disappointed groan, hoping it'll guilt-trip my best friend. "Great, now who am I supposed to go with?"

"Hmm." I hear his hum on the other line. "I know, let's start with the guy you've been pining over for two years."

My ears perk up at his suggestion.

"Hey! I was not fretting over Soobin for two..." Then as I realize his sneaky little trick, I bit my lip. He didn't say a name. I did. I can't believe it worked on me. I grunt pressing the phone to my face more. "No way! I can't possibly go with him."

"Why not? Just ask him!"

"Easy for you to say, but no. Absolutely not." Images of Soobin politely rejecting me entered my mind. And then they turn more horrible thoughts, like Soobin publicly humiliating me in front of the whole school. I am so not physically, mentally, and emotionally ready for rejection. I shake my head in frustration. "Besides, why would he even want to go with me?"

"Cause you're funny, beautiful, and friendly." I snort at Beomgyu's attempt at hyping me up.

"You literally just said the words that describe what I'm not." I roll my eyes. I let out whatever is in between of a yawn and a sigh. "Whatever, I'll figure it out tomorrow. Now, stop pestering me and let me sleep."

"Hey, you were the one who called me." I hear him laugh.

I smile. "Good night, Beomgyu." And our conversation came to an end.

I threw my phone somewhere over the bed and looked at my alarm clock. 11:37. Meh, I'll sleep when it reaches midnight. I'll just do something that'll take my mind off of Beomgyu's idea. I reach for my favorite notebook: purple, leather-bound, and just the size of my hand. I notice the small rip on the cover. I guess this little thing had gone through a lot with me.

I pull the black elastic free and scanned through the pages. Some pages were well-written, legible, and thought through, but mostly were scribbles that looked almost like ancient symbols. Some were tear-stained, while others were embellished with funny doodles. I turn them page by page and I stop. Dated November 30. A small Polaroid stuck on a page, but what exactly made this photo special? It's the very first photo I had with Soobin.

I laugh, reminiscing that particular day. I still cringe at the memory of little Taehyun shoving me towards him, but fortunately Soobin was willing to take the photo. I find myself smiling at the thought, so I flip the pages back to the very beginning. I wrote the first entry two years ago, when I met him.

Dear diary, I wince at such a corny greeting. There's this new kid in class today, his name is Choi Soobin. At first I thought he's cold, because he rarely ever talks and I swear he doesn't even smile, but it turns out I was wrong.

I turn the page. I was waiting at the bus stop, when it finally arrived. It was crowded though, and I crammed myself to get through. I had to stand and as I reached for the hand-rail, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I nearly jumped when I saw him, and I am thankful that I didn't because that would've been embarrassing. Oh, you have no idea. I'm still grateful, up to this very day.

It was Soobin, sipping on the straw of his almond milk. He tilted his head towards an empty seat. He still wouldn't smile though. He kept a straight face the whole ride. I took the seat and thanked him. He got off a few minutes after that. Huh, so he's not so bad after all.

I yawn. My eyelids are getting heavier by the passing second. I set my little notebook on the counter and I dim the lamp. So much for taking Soobin off my mind.