Cheeky Girl
Miss Chan guided me to a large open space next to a lengthy staircase. In that moment, I felt as though I had stepped into a grand ballroom, where a prince and princess might come together to dance to the gentle melodies of a violin. The glossy marble floor shimmered like a glass of champagne, illuminated by the radiant glow of the chandelier above. The room seemed to be transformed into a sunlit paradise, with the floor mirroring the intricate patterns of light like a flawless reflection.
It was astonishing that such a place was called a school. I guessed whoever built it went out of their way to make it perfect for young and bright female students. Nervousness started to rise in my stomach again. I took a deep breath and repeated the words in my head, Everything will be okay.
My attention was snapped back when Miss Chan clapped her hands twice and exclaimed, "Form a line, ladies!". Almost immediately, the sound of footsteps grew rapidly louder, as if a stampede of bulls had broken free from their enclosure, their hooves thundering against the ground.
After a few moments, four girls appeared in front of Miss Chan and I, all standing next to each other in a straight line, hands at their sides and chins tilted upwards. They almost looked identical, since they wore the same uniform and had the same hair colour. I could only distinguish between them based on a few distinct features on their appearances:
The first girl had long, straight hair with a neat fringe above her eyebrows; the second was tall, and had her short hair tied into tiny pig tails; the third one was taller than the second girl, being the tallest among the girls. She had long hair and a mole on her cheek. The fourth, also the last, was the shortest among the girls and had her long hair combed to the side so that it covered the one side of her face.
They all wore the same uniform, which were delicate white tunics, white long sleeved shirts, white stockings and black mary-jane shoes with small heels. They were practically dressed as angels.
"Girls," Miss Chan spoke formally, " I am happy to announce that we have a new classmate in our presence."
The girls' eyes all shot my direction, like bullets shooting my confidence and letting it die out to become a zombie of extreme anxiety. I tried to smile, but I suddenly felt sick. It felt as if my guts wanted to jump out and be freed from the ropes of nervousness pulling tightly onto them.
"This is Kim Hyun-gi. She isn't very familiar with a school background, so let us show her the respect she deserves. Understood?" Miss Chan asked the girls firmly
"Yes, mistress!" They all responded in unison
Among the girls, I heard the tallest one whisper to the other, " We'll see about that."
"Lee Hae-young!" Miss Chan called her out, " Did we not just agree to show your new classmate respect?"
"Yes, mistress." She said in a bored tone
"Now, please introduce yourselves one by one so that we can begin class soon."
The first girl with long hair stepped forward. She was the most stunning among the group. Her eyes resembled those of a fox, her lips were heart-shaped and rosy, and her facial shape was a flawless oval. Even her uniform appeared tidier compared to the rest. I desired to become friends with her before anyone else.
"Good day. My name is Bae So Yeon, but everyone here calls be Bae. I am pleased to meet you and hope to be your friend." She said, her voice husky, yet sweet
The second girl stepped forward, appearing very energetic. "Hiii! I'm Yamagishi Tsuki." She greeted, almost as if she was telling. She walked towards me and started shaking my hand rapidly, "Feel free to call me Tsuki. I'm from Osaka, Japan. I'm 16 years old. My favorite colour is everything and I really love cupcakes. Do you love cupcakes? I really love your hair! Where are you from? I love your taste of fashion! Can I be your first friend? "
She shook my hand so much it felt like my brain had turned into liquid. She smiled widely, showing off her teeth chained with colourful braces. I didn't understand what they were at first, but I thought they made her look really cute. Her eyes were large with a foggy grey pupil, and her hands and body were shaking with immense energy. It was as if she could explode with rainbow colours any second.
"Tsuki! Calm yourself." Miss Chan commanded angrily. She was very strict
"Yes, mistress." Tsuki stepped back into her place, her smile fading away
The next person didn't move from her place. Instead, she just stood there with her arms folded, her facial expressions appearing uninterested.
"I'm Lee Hae-young." She said, not adding anything more
The other girls looked towards her direction, shocked by her disrespect towards me.
"What? It's not like she's a queen or anything. Look at her clothes. She looks like she came out of our period pad trash can."
With that said, the last girl in the row turned a greenish colour on her face and puked everything that I assumed was her breakfast, onto the marble floor. The first girl, Bae So Yeon, closed her eyes tightly, feeling the embarrassment for that girl. Yamagishi Tsuki cringed, her body tensing up. And as for Lee Hae-young, she just laughed to the point her stomach ached.
"And this is Shin Yerim, the puke queen!" Lee Hae-young joked
I had to say, that was one interesting class.
Miss Chan was furious now, "Bae, please show Kim Hyun-gi to her room and explain the rules to her. Tsuki, go help Yerim get cleaned up, and as for you Lee Hae-young, please remain behind. Does everyone understand?"
"Yes, mistress!" Everyone said, including me.
I followed Bae up the stairs, covering my nose due to the toxic odor that the puke caused. I didn't dare to look back at the puke on the floor, nor did I want to see the look on Miss Chan's face. She was nice, but after she yelled at everyone, I feared her dearly. I still knew her for her sweetness though. Perhaps being strict was her way of earning respect from the other girls.
I wasn't sure about the others, but she had truly earned my respect.
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Author's POV
Miss Chan stood with her arms folded angrily in front of the brat named Lee Hae-young. She waited for an apology from her, but as minutes passed by, only silence filled the plate of the apology.
"Is there something you want to say to me, Miss Chan?" Lee Hae-young asked, smirking evilly
"I don't know what your problem is, Lee Haeyoung, but your nonsense better end here." Miss Chan growled, gritting her teeth.
"Oh my, what ever did I do?" Lee Hae-young questioned, sarcastically acting innocently
Miss Chan's eye twitched with irritation as Lee Hae-young slowly walked towards her. Lee Hae-young then whispered into Miss Chan's ear, "You know damn well that you can't do anything to me."
"And why is that?" Miss Chan asked
"Oh, you know why." Lee Haeyoung said, "You know very well why."
A smile appeared on Miss Chan's face, "Sure, I can't really do anything about your bad behavior, but I can make you do all the laundry for the next three months, and also make you take out all the trashcans for today.?
Lee Hae-young smile disappeared, "All of the trashcans? Including the pad bin?"
"Now that you mention it, yes. Including the pad bin" Miss Chan smiled confidently, "Oh, and clean this vomit up or else you'll be taking out the trashcans for the rest of your teenage years."
Miss Chan walked away, gracefully.
"What a witch!" Lee Hae-young cursed under her breath