7

                                    

                                          
Flashback {Author's Narration}
                          
It was the beginning of a beautiful autumn season and school was going to start. Juhee had finally graduated from elementary school and was going to join the 'big kids' in middle school. 
                          
Juhee was never the loud and sociable type of person when it came to socializing with others. Instead, she would calmly sit in the back of the room either reading a book or drawing sketches of nature and her dream vacations. These were her sweet escapes from reality and from the distractions in her life. 
                          
Because of the quiet-like reputation that other kids had formulated for her, she never had many friends growing up from when she was in kindergarten. She would have had no friends if it weren't for the ahjumma who worked at the convenience store just passed her school. After school, Juhee would stop by the convenience store many times to have a quick conversation with the ahjumma. And on somedays when Juhee looked a bit more down than usual, the ahjumma would even give her banana milk for free. Her favorite drink ever. 
                          
As Juhee walked down the sidewalk, with trees on both sides lining the walkway. The trees were glowing with red and orange leaves. They would dance as the cool breeze blew through the rustling trees, giving Juhee a slight shiver as she pulled the opening of her jacket closer together trying to conserve her body heat.
                          
As she walked down the tree cascaded walkway to her new middle school, worries and nightmare scenarios clouded her mind. 
                          
Juhee kept thinking: 
                          
What if I make no friends? 
                          
Will I be eating lunch alone?
                          
I hope I don't become the laughing stock of my class.
                          
What if I fart out loud during class and everyone calls me "Ms. Farting Monster."
                          
The possibilities for disaster and humiliation was endless as Juhee walked down the pathway step by step with the sound of crisp leaves being crunched under her red converse highs. 
                          
In the midst of her clouded and miserable thoughts, she felt an arm abruptly swing around her neck, causing all her worries to be knocked out of her as she was literally knocked out from the impact of the arm swinging around her neck. 
                          
"Song Juhee! What is that I-am-so-sad-and-scared look on your face? You should be excited. Today is our first day of middle school!"
                          
Song Juhee turned her head toward the direction where the voice was coming from to find her one and only close friend from elementary school displaying a wide and pearly white smile to her. 
                          
Lee Baek-hee. 
                          
Even though Lee Baek-hee was only a little middle schooler, she had the looks and features of a young actress. You could almost say that she was as pretty as Lee Min Jung. Her long, think, and silky chestnut hair fell all the way to her mid-back, causing her hair to wave gracefully back and forth when she walked. Her eyes were a bright hazel color (which is extremely unique for Koreans) and had the cutest button nose and dolly pink lips you could ever imagine. 
                          
Baek-hee averaged around 3 casting calls per week asking for her to either train as a kpop idol, model, or actress. It was truly a crime for someone to pass by her on the streets and not give her a second glance. In other words, she was the goddess in her age category. 
                          
This goddess of a middle schooler was also Juhee's friend. The quiet, odd, and excluded girl's friend. 
                          
They had met back in their hometown country, Busan, when they were in elementary school by the ocean. They would often escape during their lunch times and sneak out to their favorite picnic location for the short 30 minutes they had for lunch.