❝ drop the question, drop the, drop the question
want attention, wanna want attention ❞
‒ newjeans, ' attention '
winter pov
Winter skipped across the field towards Ning, jumping on the staring girl with a hug.
Ning, who'd been staring at Aeri, who was sitting reading on the bleachers, did a high-note yelp that Winter was sure did wonders for any unbreakable glass in the area. "What the- oh, Win!"
Winter laughed. "Peeping again?"
"Someone's happy," Ning grumped. "And I'm not peeping. She's right there in public view, you know. Anyone could just walk by and admire her... I guess..."
"But only you could pick out her exact schedule and tell me what book she's reading," Winter sighed, rolling her eyes.
Ning perked up, her blond hair bouncing as the two girls made their way off the field exits, preparing to head home after a long day. "She had AP Chemistry first period. I don't think she likes it, though, 'cause there's that guy that's crushing on her in it. What's his name again?"
"Uhh... Mark?"
"Right! He likes her. And she's quiet. Introverted, so she's not into that stuff. And the book she's reading is called No Longer Human-"
"Okay, stalker," Winter interjected before it got weird, dragging Ning into the school parking lot towards her SUV.
Winter's Toyota SUV was pristine and bright white. The inside had been personalized by Winter, as seen by the white steering wheel cover, freshener and charms hanging from the rear view mirror, and seven vinyl stickers on the passenger seat window.
Actually, it was Winter's father's car legally, but he let her drive it to school and back most days, like today.
Ning was protesting that she wasn't stalking Aeri, she was just curious, when Winter's phone buzzed and her heart rate blasted upward.
Yooji, who she'd actually been texting nonstop for the past few days, was starting to be a mix of a source of comfort and a top-notch free tutor. They (although Winter was nearly certain it was a she) had been texting her homework advice, sites to find evidence and quotes, and even giving her tips on what to include because the teachers would eat it up. In short, Winter's AP Lit grades were slowly but steadily rising.
Her other grades, however? Not so fantastic.
She shook that thought out of her mind and checked the text, internally smiling when she saw who it was.
[ 1 New Message ]
[ 2:37 PM ]
yooji❓
Hey, how did your assignment go?
Winter moved to reply, but a hand snatched the phone away.
Ning was sighing at her, both of them in the two front seats of Winter's car.
"Still texting that random?"
"Hey," Winter defended. "They- she- Yooji isn't a random. They're... I've seen them before."
"Oh, yeah, except you have no idea who it is!" Ning replied. "It could be that weird kid in the corner, for God's sake. Or it could be someone who's totally different online than is in real life. You need to find this person!"
"Do I?" Winter mumbled.
"YES!"
- - -
The next day at school was mildly chaotic, as Ning grilled Winter about Yooji's identity whenever she got the chance- which was in passing, whispered in class, or in the form of relentless texts.
Winter had given her all the information she could humanly conjure up and was just turning off her phone when the cheerleaders strolled into the room.
Karina, Chaewon, Sakura, and Wonyoung.
It was a miracle that they were all in the same class, even more so at the same table. Winter sighed and opened her book to the given page as the four girls got settled, talking softly.
When Winter strained, she could hear them.
"Did he ask you out yet?"
"Yeah."
"Really?! What are you going to say?"
"No, of course."
The girls were huddled around Chaewon, who was gesturing with one hand to her phone. Winter assumed they were talking about Choi Yeonjun, who was the definition of 'down bad for Kim Chaewon.'
Well, he would be, if Huh Yunjin didn't exist.
Winter tuned out their conversation, but then the teacher interrupted her thoughts. "Please share your opinions on Hero and Claudio's relationship and how it relates to the conditions of the times."
Wait.
She knew this.
Thanks to Yooji- who was in this room.
She eyed the room closely. No one but the usual suck-ups raising their hands.
Winter was, out of the blue, struck with an idea. Flare.
Boats sent up flares when they were in trouble. If Winter somehow notified this mystery person of her identity, maybe she'd actually get closer to learning the other's by their reaction, and then Winter could just pass off her observation as something random.
Winter raised her hand, earning her surprised looks, including one from the teacher, who cautiously called on her.
"Miss... Kim?"
"Hero and Claudio have an interesting relationship in that we never truly hear Hero's perspective," Winter began confidently, tossing her red head back slightly, her curls bouncing behind her head as she spoke. "She's the prize Claudio tries to win without actually considering her feelings. She has a single father, so she must become the woman of the family and marry well. But does she want to? We don't know. We never find out, because the story focuses on Claudio."
Silence.
The shocked teacher tentatively broke it.
"Well, Miss Kim... I would not have expected such a response from you, but... you are certainly correct. Would anyone else like to add?"
No one replied, and Winter's heart sank to rest somewhere in her stomach. Of course Yooji wouldn't reply to such an outright confession like that.
Winter sat back in her chair, eyeing the class, and her eyes came to rest suspiciously on Shin Ryujin, who was shooting her a curious look from her seat in the front.
Could Ryujin be...
They'd never talked much, but Winter knew for sure that she'd been at the party on Friday. Yooji sounded sort of like Ryujin, if one thought very hard about it. Also, Ryujin had never explicitly been stated to be smart, but no one had said that she was dumb either.
Was Shin Ryujin really the one that Winter was coming to rely on?