Chapter 2

Yuno's POV

I walk through the familiar halls of Evergreen High, the usual crowd of students brushing past me like shadows, indifferent faces that I never bothered to remember the whole time I've been a student here. An impossibly bright sunlight peers through the windows, a welcome contrast to the darkness and rain from the other day. I feel someone bump into me and almost let loose on them before seeing who it is—Minji Kim, donning a wide grin.

"Hey Yuno, mind if I walk with you?" she asks, her attitude much giddier than her usual composed demeanor.

I blink, feeling my guard lower from her smile. "Sure, whatever," I utter.

We walk together through the maze of hallways with no destination in mind. Minji's arm brushes against me as she hums a tune of a song I've never heard, the subtle contact sending a jolt down my spine. She notices me flinch from the touch and laughs, her voice like church bells in my ears. Shrugging off the moment, I turn my head away, attempting to conceal the embarrassment on my face.

"Y'know, Yuno," she says, her voice lowering to a whisper. "You're not as tough as people think you are."

I raise an eyebrow at her, caught off guard by the random comment. Minji suddenly shoves me against a locker, her face dangerously close to mine. "But I like that about you," she confesses, mischief written all over her face.

My eyes grow wide as a flush of warmth spreads across my cheeks. I open my mouth to protest, but no sound comes out. Minji starts closing the gap between us, her eyes shut and her lips puckered. I try to back away, but all I get is the cold steel of a locker pressing against my head. My heart starts to pound in my chest as she inches closer, the warmth of her breath tickling my skin. Without any other option in sight, I shut my eyes, bracing myself for the inevitable...

BANG BANG BANG

I jolt awake, my heart hammering against my ribcage. I frantically look around the room, trying to make sense of my surroundings. Couch. Window. Minji. Flat-screen TV. Wait...

"Yuno! I've been trying to wake you up for the last 20 minutes!"

I whip my head around to Minji, already dressed and ready for school. She grips a frying pan and a metal pot in her hands. 

"W-what?" I grunt, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My heart rate starts to calm down as I realize that everything that just occurred was a dream. Hell of a dream...

"You're gonna be late for school at this rate. Here," she says, placing my now clean school uniform on my lap. "Your breakfast is probably cold by n-"

"Breakfast?" I interrupt, my ears perking up. As if on cue, my stomach rumbles loudly.

Minji's cheeks turn pink as she averts her gaze, suddenly finding the frying pan very interesting. "Uhh yeah, I made some waffles if you want, I don't know if they're any good..."

Without warning, I follow the scent of food towards the kitchen. A plate of waffles awaits me on the table, stacked three high and topped with whipped cream, maple syrup, and a handful of sliced strawberries. I grab the fork lying next to the plate and dig in, scooping large forkfuls of waffle into my mouth without a care. It's been ages since I've been able to eat something that wasn't frozen.

"O-oh," Minji stutters, her mouth forming an amused smirk. "I'm glad you like them."

"...Fhanksh," I mumble through a mouthful of waffle. Minji turns her face, attempting to stifle her laughter. I go back to finishing my first home cooked meal in a long while, feeling sheepish.

"I have to go in early today for a student council meeting, do you mind locking the door on your way out?" she asks, placing a house key next to me on the table.

I turn to her, my eyebrow raised in disbelief. "You're giving a stranger a key to your house?"

"Well, you're not exactly a stranger anymore, Yuno," Minji reassures me, flashing a warm smile. I feel my heart do a somersault in my chest. Maybe it's from all this sugar.

She retrieves her phone from the pocket of her blazer, studying the screen with a serious expression, before letting out a sigh. "Look, I really have to go, can you just please do me this one favor?" she pleads, slowly backing away.

I give her a nod, knowing I don't have any other choice. Minji mouths a quick 'Thank you' before disappearing down the hall and out the front door. I finish the rest of my breakfast in silence, that same feeling of unease sitting in my stomach.

"What the hell have I gotten into?" I mutter to no one in particular. An impossibly bright sunlight peers through the windows, a welcome contrast to the darkness and rain from last night.

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I step out of Minji's house and lock the door behind me, sliding the house key into the pocket of my uniform pants. The fabric of my uniform feels softer than usual. Must be nice to be able to afford good detergent. 

I head toward Evergreen High School, following the same path I had walked with Minji the night before, still dotted with the puddles of last night's downpour. With that weird dream still fresh in my mind, I can't help but wonder what the hell it could mean. I barely know Minji, and yet, she pops up in my dreams and wreaks havoc on my psyche. Maybe I caught something from the rain after all. I shake my head, pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind as I step onto campus.

With no friends to meet up with before class, I make a beeline to my first period. Thanks to Minji's wake up call, I end up arriving five minutes early instead of being late like usual.

Before I can even take my seat in the back corner of the room, an announcement echos through the PA system."Yuno Lin to the principal's office, Yuno Lin to the principal's office. Now."

Everyone's gaze fixates on me, their faces betraying a mixture of curiosity and fear. I shrug it off and head to Mr. Geier's office, anticipating the same inevitable conversation that awaits me.

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"You're lucky I convinced them not to press charges," Principal Geier barks, staring me down from behind his desk. His heavy breathing and furrowed brows are a look I'm all too familiar with.

I lean back in my chair, uninterested with whatever else he has to say. It's always the same old song and dance—I kick someone's ass, Geier does his whole brown nosing routine to get the parents to not press charges, and then he yells at me meaninglessly for half an hour. It happens so often that I've started to memorize his whole spiel.

This time however, Mr. Geier lets out a long sigh instead of going on his angry tirade like usual. "How's your father?" he asks, his voice sounding uncharacteristically sympathetic.

I raise my eyebrow at his sudden change of tone. "Why do you care?"

Mr. Geier leans forward, folding his hands on his desk. "I know things have been tough for you since your mom's passing. It's not an easy situation to handle alone."

I narrow my eyes, my guard raised. "What the hell does this have to do with Bryce's parents not pressing charges?" I snap.

"Because you can't keep doing this, Yuno," Mr. Geier asserts, raising his tone. "I get thatlosing your mom wasn't something you could just move past." He clears his throat before continuing, his demeanor much calmer. "But you can't keep going down this road. How do you think your father would feel with his wife gone and his only son expelled, or worse?"

I shoot up out of my seat, slamming my hands against his desk. "What the fuck do you know!? What the fuck does that have to do with anything!?" I scream, tears welling up in my eyes.

Mr. Geier rises from his seat, towering over me. "Yuno, I will not have you disrespecting me in my office. I'm only trying to hel-"

"I don't need your help!! I never fucking asked you to help!!"

"YUNO, Y-"

Suddenly, the door swings open, revealing Minji standing there, a bewildered look on her face. I turn my head away from her, furiously rubbing the tears from my eyes.

Mr. Geier clears his throat in an attempt to compose himself. "Yes, Minji, did you need something?" he asks, his tone much calmer compared to the screaming competition two seconds ago.

"U-uh, I just needed to drop off some paperwork," Minji stammers. "S-sorry, is this a bad time?" Her eyes flicker nervously between us.

"N-no, it's fine, just give it here," Mr. Geier replies, reaching for the papers.

Minji gingerly places the papers into his hand before backing off, stealing a brief glance at me. "I-I'm just gonna go, Principal Geier." An awkward laugh escapes her lips as she exits, shutting the door behind her.

Silence envelopes the room as Mr. Geier and I remain, the tension palpable. "I'm going back to class," I hiss, storming out before he can say another word.

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