Rival

I'm such a social outcast

I was the most talented girl in Physical Activity. No one could beat me in anything, especially tennis. When I got paired up with Bom to play a set of tennis I thought, this is my chance to show her what I can do. I tossed the ball high up in the sky and smashed it with my racket making it launch straight towards the ground, barely going over the net. It was a tricky serve and I was sure she hadn't even seen the serve. But when I looked up and saw her smiling victoriously, her racket in a posture as if she's already hit, I was too confused to speak. The ball wasn't there on the ground at her side. It was on mine, at the edge of the corner, just barely in.

I shrugged it off because I knew I must have slacked off on the serve. I postured right and served it again this time heading straight toward the opposite side she was standing in. However, Bom was able to see through my move and rushed to her right and smashed it back to me. I was so surprised I almost didn't react to Jane's move. No one ever got passed my first serve.

Smash!

She had gotten it again. My eyes must be deceiving me. Now lots of the other students had stopped their practice and turned to stare. This one set has been going on for more than two minutes. Everyone's eyes widened as they continued to watch the ball head from one side to the other.

Finally after one huge smash towards the left corner, with perfect aim, I was able to win the point. It was one on one now. By the end of class it had been three on three, an exact tie.

The other students crowded around Bom, congratulating her and complimenting her skills. Not a single one came towards me.

'So what let them ignore me,' I thought bitterly. I knew I shouldn't mind much because I've been living through it for years but the fact that someone actually tied with bothered me a lot.

"Hey," I jumped up from the bench and looked up to face...Bom.

"That was a good match," she grinned as she wiped her sweat off a small towel, "you're really good."

"Whatever," I mumbled and stood up to exit the gym. I looked sideways to see her still grinning slightly, but looking a bit confused. As though she wondered what she had said to make me feel upset? What she didn't know was that was the first compliment I got in years. The reason I left in a hurry was I felt...uncomfortable to hear it after such a long time, because I was embarrassed. I knew I shouldn't get used to it though. Sooner or later she would learn to avoid me to keep her popularity status. I tried to get rid of the compliment and the friendly smile from my head. Even though I refused to believe, secretly I was pleased.

By the next day the thought that Bom had beat me twice, over towered the complimentary she gave me turning my feeling of gratitude to anger and jealously.

I wasn't going to let my reputation slip that easily from my clutches. As I took the bus to school I made a vow to myself to ignore Bom and to only focus on my studies. I would also have to make more arrangements with my tennis tutor even though we were starting soccer pretty soon.

"Hi," Bom greeted me from behind as she took a seat beside me.

I just nodded towards her presence to show her I've heard her.

"You know you haven't told me your name yet," Bom reminded me.

"Hyori," I said shortly, "Park Hyori."

"Aren't you mixed?" she frowned.

"My mom," I gritted through my teeth. What was with the unnecessary questions? No doubt those others must have forced her to play around with me.

"Oh," she smiled, "me too."

"What?" I growled, not understanding.

"Half," she said simply.

"No really?" I snorted sarcastically. She gave me a strange look, as though I was the weird one.

"Come on, don't you use sarcasm from where you came from?" I muttered under my breath.

"Sorry what?" she asked, her eyebrows burrowed in confusion.

"It wasn't intended," I emphasized the last word, "for you to hear."

Her eyebrows rose in mild surprise. Others who were close to us started whispering.

"How could she be so mean," I caught on to one of the sentences.

I didn't know why I was being so obnoxious to Bom, the new student. By the looks of it, she wasn't talking to me because of a bet she made with the other crowd. That was just my misunderstanding on her sudden kindness. But I couldn't help but feel this surging feeling inside me every time she was around me. It was something I didn't feel in such a long time. Could it be that I was feeling such a strong feeling or hatred towards this girl I've just met a day ago?

It seems as though Bom had gotten the fact that I was in a bad mood. She turned away from me and focused on something else- like her blank notebook.

Not being able to stand the awkward silence mixed in with whispers I decided to say something.

"So is it your mom or your dad?" I questioned, trying to restart the conversation.

"Pardon?" she replied, her eyes seem to be playing with me, as though it said 'I knew you'd talk to me again.'

"Is your mom or dad foreign?" I asked again, becoming impatient once again.

"Oh," her mouth dropped, and the small grin that was reappearing on her face disappeared.

She averted eye contact with me, and stared off in a distance. Her eyes seem to swagger and her lips turned into a frustrated frown as though she was reliving a sick memory.

"My mom," she said finally.

I knew not to ask any more questions. The conversation pretty much died after that. I just assumed her mother was dead and now that I've brought the thought back to her all I could do was just hope that she wouldn't start bursting into tears, because that would be extremely uncomfortable. But luckily Bom didn't start sobbing. Her eyes didn't even turn watery. I was starting to think that my guess on her mother was wrong. Maybe she just hated her mother.

That would be impossible for me, because all I have is my family. I never bother to try to talk to anyone else.

I know I'm such a social outcast.