talesofheaven

Popular girl Ari Cho is absolutely charming, leaving Yumi Kim, the school nerd, so gay to function normally.

**
FOREWORD:

Like any other day, I sat back and watched Ari hold court in the far corner of the school cafeteria. She was surrounded by her usual swarm of admirers, each one trying—and failing—to win her over. One by one, they crumbled under the weight of her gentle rejections, their faces painted with the sting of unrequited affection.

Oh, what a marvellous sight to behold.

The scene took a dramatic turn when two of the boys started arguing, throwing out accusations about who was making Ari more uncomfortable. The irony was almost too good—they were both so oblivious to the fact that their entire presence was likely making her want to bolt out the door.

I took another bite of my sandwich, savouring the free entertainment. Poor Ari, trapped in the middle of a gaggle of hormonal teenagers who genuinely believed their cringe-worthy displays of “manliness” would sweep her off her feet.

Pathetic.

You might be wondering why I’m not stepping in to rescue Ari from that circus of admirers. Well, let me give you three solid reasons why meddling is a terrible idea for me.

First, I’m no Superman—I don’t do heroic deeds.

Second, I’m far too comfortable living my drama-free life to jeopardise it now.

And third, let’s be real, my body is definitely not built for a catfight.

As I happily munched on my sandwich, enjoying the chaos from a safe distance, I made a grave error, I locked eyes with Ari.

Oh, crap.

Picture this: while the two idiotic boys were still mid-argument, Ari—with a slightly shy smile—started walking towards my direction, her tray of food balanced in her hands.

No, no, no. God, please tell me she’s not actually coming to talk to m—

“Hi, Yumi!” she said casually, her smile so bright it could power a small city.

**

OTHER STORIES:

Miss Not So Typical (on going)

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Too Gay for You: Don't Give me Heart Eyes (GL)

So this is Jun, huh, I thought to myself, observing their interaction with mild curiosity.

"Just wanted to ask if we could have a private conversation?" he said, glancing in my direction with a look that made it clear he expected me to leave and give them space.

I scoffed internally. How rude.

Not that I really cared to stick around, but the fact that he wanted me to leave while I was in the middle of enjoying my pretzels? Yeah, that rubbed me the wrong way.

"Do you want me to give you guys space?" I asked Ari, my tone neutral, already beginning to slide off my seat. I wasn't in the mood for a petty argument and figured it was easier to just go.

"No. Yuu will stay," Ari interjected firmly, surprising me. She placed a gentle hand on my arm, stopping me mid-motion, giving me butterflies all of the sudden. "I just got her snacks. It's rude to make her leave," she said, her voice steady and unyielding, directed to Jun. "You can say whatever you need to while she's here."

I blinked, caught completely off guard. I hadn't expected Ari to stand up for me like that, let alone with such firm conviction. My heart did a little swoop before I could stop it.

"Oh," Mr. Rude Guy stammered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Clearly, he hadn't anticipated Ari shutting him down so decisively. "Okay…" he mumbled, clearing his throat to recover.

Meanwhile, I busied myself with my pretzels, though I couldn't resist sneaking glances at the scene unfolding in front of me. Watching Mr. Rude Guy squirm under Ari's calm yet piercing stare? Not gonna lie, this was peak entertainment.

"Well," he began, his cheeks turning red as he fidgeted. "I just wanted to say that you're really pretty," he finally blurted out, his voice tinged with nerves. "And, um… would you like to go out with me sometime?" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly—again.

I'm not usually the type to judge people based on their appearance. Honestly, looks don't matter all that much if you've got a decent personality.

But in this case? With his total lack of self-awareness and his earlier rudeness toward me? Yeah, I'm giving myself a pass to be a little judgy.

And let me just say it outright, that hairstyle of his should be illegal.

It looked like... ugh, I can't even put it into words. It's so bad I can't even describe it without cracking up. Just know it's bad. Like really bad.

Okay, fine, I'll say it. Well, it's—his hairstyle looked like—well it looked like... an uncircumcised head.

Oh my God—it's even more hilarious now that I've admitted it to myself. I can't—stop—laughing. Someone. Please. Send. Help.

I was so busy trying not to burst into laughter that I completely tuned out their conversation.

"Okay, hit me up if you ever want to hang out," he said with an awkward wave before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

And then I made a critical mistake, I looked at the back of his head.

That's when I wheezed—while drinking my cola. You can already guess how that turned out. God, this is so embarrassing.

"Are you okay?" Ari asked, her voice tinged with concern as she grabbed some napkins for me.

"Yes. But not my dignity," I muttered under my breath, not really intending for her to hear.

I started wiping my nose with the napkin, only to catch her trying—and failing—to stifle a laugh. Narrowing my eyes, I shot her a warning glare. "Don't." My tone was daring her to cross the line.

"I won't," she said, chuckling anyway as she leaned in to help.

She wiped some of the cola from my cheek, her touch gentle, and then—without warning—gave my cheek a subtle pinch.

Normally, I'd swat someone's hand away before they even thought about pinching my cheek. I hated it.

But this time? I didn't stop her. I didn't even want to stop her.

God help me—I'm so down bad for this girl.