"Any progress?" Jin asks when we all land eyes on Yoonji, who's standing in the middle of the hallway looking at a poster.
"I think Yoonji is too much for, Jimin." Hoseok laughs.
Taehyung gives me an encouraging look to tell them everything, but . . . I . . . just . . . can't. The words just won't come out.
"Shut up." Its all I can reply.
"What's the matter, Jimin?" Jungkook asks with a smirk.
"I'm not doing the bet anymore."
"What?" They exclaim at the same time.
"I'm not doing it."
"That means we won! Yes! And I can finally hit on her." Hoseok replies excitedly.
"I think not."
"And why exactly?"
"I ... uh."
Once again Taehyung gives me a look. He then gives me a reassuring smile. "Because.. uh."
"Because why?"
"I ... I think she likes me."
"So? If you stop talking to her and I start getting to know her she will like me."
"It's not that simply okay, Hoseok?"
"You like her don't you?" Jin questions.
"What if he does?" Taehyung asks defensively.
"Of course you like her. Otherwise you wouldn't have called off the bet. You never say no to a bet." Jungkook says.
"Shut up." I reply once again. I'm so annoyed my face is heating up at the conversation.
"I knew it." Hoseok says a bit disappointed.
"Whatever. I'll pay you guys later." I grab my math book and slam my locker door. The bell rings and we start heading to class.
Yoonji is still standing by the poster and she's attentively reading it. So I walk up to her because any excuse to be close to her is good enough for me.
The fact that my friends are probably watching me doesn't even bother me. When Yoonji is in a room she's all that I see. There could be thousands of people, but my eyes would only be on her the entire time. She's so captivating she steals all my attention.
"Come out and enjoy an enchanting night, May 28." I read out loud from the poster. Yoonji turns around and finally notices me.
"Oh hey, Park." She replies clenching her books tighter to her chest.
"You've been reading this prom poster this whole time? What's so interesting about it? Prom is a waste of time." I laugh staring at the white poster with purple flowers.
"Nothing. Yeah it's very dumb. Prom is dumb." She says turning her back to the poster.
"Oh." I finally say when I realize that she's probably looking at the poster because she wants to go.
For me prom is not important. My friends and I were planning to ditch prom anyways and go to a beach house to get super wasted and have sex with random girls the whole night.
Now that I'm thinking about it that's a good way to get STDs and even though I said I wouldn't go—because wasting money and time to go take pictures and show up at a fancy restaurant to just dance literally one song and then leave—I feel the need to ask her.
That's every girls dream, right? To get asked to prom and stuff. Who knows.
"Do you think it's dumb?"
"Yeah. It totally is." She says starting to walk away. I quickly follow her behind. "I mean would you go?"
"Definitely not."
Yoonji sounds confident of what she says 99.9% of the time and her answer was not confident at all. "Ah okay."
"Yeah." She mumbles.
"Hey! Wait up! You walk to fast." I groan trying to keep up.
"Well maybe you have small legs that can't keep up."
"Excuse me? I am taller than you!"
"Actually, I'm like half an inch taller." She mocks.
"You better be glad I like you Min Yoonji otherwise—"
"Otherwise what? You'd be mean to me and make me cry?" She pouts and it's the cutest thing I've ever laid eyes on.
"You know that pout is really making me want to attack your lips." I whisper with a smirk.
Her eyes widen as a pink tint spreads across her cheeks.
"I'll see you later pumpkin. I have to get to class." I wink and her blush only deepens. "Yeah — wh-whatever."
•••
"You're just complicating your life man." Taehyung says.
"It's just that I can't say it in front of them. They're probably going to tease me about it."
"So? They'll get over it quickly."
"Not Hoseok." I roll my eyes.
"That's why you should really tell them. You don't want him to hit on your girl now do you?"
"Of course not."
"See."
"Fine. I'll do it, but first help me think of a way I can ask, Yoonji to prom."
"You're going to prom? What happened to—and I quote—'ditching that lame shit'?"
"Yoonji happened."
"Whoa. She like changed you and that's like some real love shit."
"I wouldn't call it love.Not that I don't believe in love, I've just never been in love. I have a deep regard for her, but that doesn't mean I'm in love with her."
"I think you're falling in love."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Okay well I'm fucking glad you can see my emotions or whatever." I roll my eyes.
"I just know it."
"That doesn't even help me with the promposal or whatever you call that."
"I have an idea."
"Great—"
I'm cut off by Yoonji who is currently walking down the steps a few feet from Taehyung and I. My eyes then travel to Yugyeom who looks like he's about to walk to her.
"Text me the idea later." I say to Taehyung as I quickly run to her before he even has time to think about it.
"I have to show you the prettiest girl I've ever seen." I tell her when I'm right beside her. She looks at me confused and I pull out my phone showing my front camera.
She laughs playfully smacking me. "You're so lame."
Yugyeom stands in his place talking to his friend but his eyes are on us. I thought Jungkook was going to take care of that but apparently not.
"It's the truth. I mean I'm not a photographer, but I can picture you and me together."
She throws her head back giggling. The butterflies in my stomach multiply. They're not even butterflies anymore. They're fucking rhinoceros.
This human is the cutest human in the entire world. Hell, the entire fucking universe. Every time she giggles the sun shines, the birds chirp, and life is just beautiful.
"I'm going to need you to repeat that giggle while I record, please."
"You're so weird sometimes and I thought I was weird."
"I'm so serious. That is the cutest shit I have ever heard and I've heard plenty of things."
"You're exaggerating, Park."
"I am a hundred percent not. Where are you headed?"
She raises her hand showing me car keys. "To the car to wait. Namjoon stayed talking to some girl. I think he might like her."
"You should come watch me run. You motivate me."
"I wish, but I can't. I have a paper due tomorrow."
"Well how about tomorrow afternoon?"
"Uh. Sure."
"I'll walk you to your car, yeah?" I ask taking her bookbag to carry it for her.
"Okay."
We start walking to her vehicle and I notice some people staring. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but you could say I'm sort of one of the popular kids. So everything I do and everything I say is huge in this school.
"Everyone is staring so hard and I know they're probably talking about us." She whispers.
"You're right. They are. Let's give them a bigger reason to talk."
"Huh—?"
I put my arm around her shoulder and suddenly the whispers become louder. I smile to myself satisfied because I don't even care if they see us together anymore.