《Leia》 prologue The room is dimly lit, only brightened by a small lamp in the corner and sunlight coming through the blinds. The air is hazy and thick with grief. a woman¡¯s voice attempts to get the attention of someone. After repeating his name a few times, she finally gets his attention. ¡°Jun, stay with me here. You spaced out again. You were thinking about it, I can tell.¡± she spoke worriedly. He sat there in contemplation, deciding whether or not to respond truthfully. ¡°Would you believe me if I said I wasn¡¯t?¡± He said with a hint of shaken sarcasm in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no, you¡¯re very easy to read when contemplating. That¡¯s not a bad thing, it¡¯s just something I¡¯ve noticed.¡± she responded This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Jun looks at the ground solemnly. ¡°Look Jun, I know you have trouble with staying focused after what¡¯s happened. Anyone¡¯s mind would wander after such a traumatic event. So I don¡¯t blame you for being distracted. But I also want to help you. That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for. And I can only help if you stay focused.¡± Jun looked at his therapist. Her worried expression gazed into his soul like a telescope into space. She wanted to help him, he wanted to move on. But he knew deep down that this¡­this was it for him. Draw It was a bright summer afternoon. Jun was starting his first year at the University of Washington. He earned his way to a scholarship in his arts class for his breathtaking portraits and takes on realism. To more familiarize himself with the area, he walked through the campus, doing so with a bright, optimistic smile. Looking at building after building in bewilderment. He offloaded his valuables into his dorm room, putting up various items to make it more homelike. Figurines, posters, books, the works. As he settled down for the day, he layed up on his bed and scrolled through old photos in his phone. He came across a picture of flowers he took a while back. Out of boredom, He decided to draw a long winding wreath of them. Grabbing a pen and canvas, he went to work. He was incredibly focused on this project of his. So intently, he entirely lost track of time. He sketched well into the evening and into the night, drawing every minute fold, shadow, and crease of the flowers. After a long streak of sketching, filling in, erasing, and referencing. He realized it was getting much too late. He looked at the time on his phone, it read 10:43. He put up the sketch for the night, realizing it¡¯s much too late to be working on it. He placed it next to his bed and slowly drifted off to sleep. As the morning crept in, Jun lay there, fast asleep. But this state of deep rest would not last for much longer. As he lay there, he was rudely awakened by the alarm he set for himself the day prior. It¡¯s 7 am, Jun begrudgingly made his way out of bed with a struggled groan. He had a list of items he needed for his classes, so he wanted to get up early to avoid the crowds. He washed up, put on an outfit, and grabbed his keys. He got in his car, squeezed out of his parking spot and drove to the art supply store to stock up on some materials and mediums. Once he arrived, he entered the store and began perusing the isles. As he looked around, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head sharply in curiosity. He looked off into the distance for a moment. Then rubbed his eyes, believing he was seeing things due to his lack of sleep. He continued going from isle to isle looking for the right materials when it happened once more. He looked down the aisle again increasingly puzzled. He got up from looking at an item low on the shelf and started walking down the aisle. He got to the end, turned left and right, and once again saw nothing. He continued filling his basket, now in a slightly unnerved state. He made his way down the water paint aisle when it happened once more. This time much more obvious. A length of pink hair floated past the aisle¡¯s end. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. He moved closer to it as it passed by, peering over the end cap. And before him laid the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes upon. He was quite literally struck by her beauty, almost running into the end cap. He sat there a moment, almost analyzing her. He quickly came back to his senses once he realized she noticed him staring. ¡°ahg, sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to stare. I just felt like I was being followed for a second and wasn¡¯t really sure what to do¡± he said. ¡°Ah, don''t worry, it happens. I think we just happened to be going down the same aisles seeing as we seem to have the same items in our basket.¡± she responded Jun peered Into her basket and noticed a lot of the same items. ¡°oh damn, you¡¯re right¡­wait¡± Jun paused momentarily ¡°By any chance, are you going to the University of Washington this semester?¡± He asked inquisitively. ¡°I am actually! Are you as well?¡± she asked curiously ¡°Yes I am!¡± Jun responded excitedly. ¡°It took a lot of convincing from my parents, even with a scholarship. But I eventually wore them down when I promised I could make a career out of it.¡± Jun chuckled to himself ¡°Ah yeah¡­that''s the hope anyway¡± he said. The pink haired woman laughed in agreement ¡°Yeah, same with my parents. They were a little bit understanding but not nearly as deluded. They know it¡¯s not that easy to make a job out of this. But hey, a lady¡¯s gotta have a passion right?¡± she said. Jun nodded in agreement. ¡°The life of an artist is one of hope, passion, starvation, and severe debt. But hey, we make this rock look pretty, so that¡¯s worth something.¡± Exclaimed Jun. The pink haired lady chuckled again ¡°You know, you¡¯re pretty funny mister. What¡¯s your name?¡± She asked. ¡°Jun, and yours?¡± He asked ¡°Leia¡± she responded Canvas After meeting, the two chatted for a little while about various shared interests, and soon thereafter exchanged contacts. They both bought their items and went back to their respective living spaces. As the days till classes began to come and end, the two texted back and forth about various topics. fixations, hobbies, and commonalities the two had. Eventually the topic of classes came up. Jun: Hey, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve asked this, but what classes do you have? Leia: I was actually wondering the same thing about you. But since you asked first I¡¯ll lay mine out Art history with Mr. tompkins Sculpting with Ms. Jackson Painting with Mrs. Wu And Mr. Abara for storyboarding The rest are just your standard maths and language arts nonsense that I''m not really going for but they make us take anyway. What''s a girl to do... Jun: storyboarding? That¡¯s an interesting choice. Tryna be a writer of sorts? Leia: Something like that. Mostly just fancy the idea of writing my own comic strip or manga someday. It always seemed like fun so I thought, what the hell, why not Jun: ha, yeah that¡¯s fair. sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Hopefully they''re a good teacher. Let me see what I¡¯ve got picked out. I think we might share a class! Jun looks at his scheduled classes and types them out as he reads Jun: Art history with Mr. Tanaka Figure drawing with Mr. Jameson Color theory with Mrs. Megurine And painting with Mrs. Wu We do share a class! Leia: That''s so cool! At least I''m going into this knowing someone now. not sure if you could tell by my accent, but i''m not exactly from around these parts. Jun: I assumed as much. A bit of a shot in the dark here cause I''m not the best with accents but...Scotland? Leia: On the money! yeah, the fam and I moved here a few years back because of dad''s job. but we still visit home often, that''s how I''ve been able to hold on to the accent so well. Jun: ahhh, that makes sense. What''s it like over there? never really met anyone from that neck of the woods before. Leia: It''s not too bad, a wee bit gray and a little frost during the winter. But the people are lovely and the whiskey always runs cold. It would take some getting used to if you weren''t born and raised. but it''s a lovely place. just describing it makes me miss it already¡­ Jun: sounds like it. How often do you visit? Leia: every other month or so. Mum owns a few apartments in Glasgow, so she has to oversee basic maintenance and upkeep. She likes to make sure everythings in running order for her tenants. Me and my dad follow just so we have an excuse to see my grandparents and catch up with friends. Jun: ah, well at least you get to go back every now and then. My parents are from Korea, but they moved here before I was born, so I never really got to experience what my "homeland" was like. I would always beg them to let us go on a trip someday, but they would never budge. always saying that we "didn''t have the money"...despite the fact that two Mercedes Benz''s are parked in front of our two story house¡­ Leia: mmmm, I smell bull shiiiiiit Jun: yeah my dad was never a good liar lmao. I always felt there was another reason he would never let us go, but I could never figure it out. My parents are very loving individuals, but equally so secretive. Leia: Hey, who knows. maybe you''ll get so big and famous from your art you''ll get to travel back yourself Jun: HA HA HAAAAAA Jun: aaaah, Leia you are too funny for your own good I swear ?? Leia: HEY! I''m being serious! I''ve seen the stuff you do. you have some serious skills. art like that doesn''t just appear out of nowhere. the more people who see your works, the more i''m sure they''ll agree. Give yourself more credit, man. Jun was at a loss for words, no one had really stopped him in his tracks like that before. Usually he would be self-deprecating about his abilities and that would be the end of it. But she didn''t let it slide. she didn''t let him talk himself down. and very suddenly, he felt a weird sensation in his heart. a mild rush of emotion he wasn''t sure what to do with. He sat there quietly, at odds with himself. He thanked Leia for her upfrontness with him. then made up a reason to put his phone down. He sat there on his bed. blushing and overthinking. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He did his best to rationalize the situation. Despite his efforts, he had never been able to get the attention of women. He was always polite and gentle, for his parents always told him to treat women with respect. But he was simply never lucky with the opposite gender. So to have someone of the opposite gender not only befriend him, but compliment him. It was a very new and very foreign experience for him. He did his best to stay rational with the situation. But the feeling never quite left him. Over the coming days, he continued talking with Leia. Getting to know her hobbies, interests, tastes, and so on. Sharing his own, as well as finding how much he had in common. They both enjoyed Anime and animation as a whole. Gushing on and on about their favorite shows and series. As the days went on, Jun neglected talking to his other friends, mainly his closest friend since middle school, Diego. Jun checked his messages in the morning to find that he had several unread from him. In a mild panic, he read through them all in a frenzy. They were all asking similar questions of if he was okay, what was he up to, and why he was ghosting him. In all caps, Jun replied: Jun: FUCK FUCK FUCK SHIT SORRY DUDE I COMPLETLEY FORGOT TO REPLY SORRY ?? Jun: I''M FINE I''VE JUST BEEN A BIT BUSY Diego read the messages and instantly started typing. Diego: jesus FUCK dude don''t scare me like that ?????? Diego: What in god''s name were you so busy with that you couldn''t reply? there''s no way bruh ?? Jun sat there staring at his phone pensively. He was unsure of how to explain his newfound situation. So instead of being upfront like he usually is. He stutters, like a fool Jun: so...uuuuh Jun: I met this girl¡­ diego began typing rapidly Diego: JUN IS FINALLY GETTING SOME BITCHES!!! Jun: IT''S NOT LIKE THAT...I THINK Diego: MF WHAT DO YOU MEAN you THINK? Jun: WE JUST MET LIKE A FEW DAYS AGO Jun: I''m still getting to know her. We''re just friends...but like¡­ Diego: "but like" what brother? open your mouth or bugs are gonna fly in Jun: she complimented my art, and it made me feel kinda...I don''t know how to explain it, but it felt nice Diego: awwwwwwwwww jun''s got a cruuuuuuuuuuuush Jun: NUH UH Diego: YUH HUH Jun: SHUT UP Diego: never Jun: whatever...but yes...a little Diego:...she hot? Jun: respectfully, yes holy crap Diego: pics? Jun paused for a moment. He just met this girl, but he didn''t have any pictures of her. And to be quite frank, he didn''t really know how to ask for any. It''s not like he was asking for anything crude or strange. But he simply wasn''t sure how to approach it. He pondered the thought for a moment, then came up with an idea. Jun: not yet but i''ll ask to see if i can get one. one moment Jun opened Leia''s contact on his phone and gathered the courage to ask one simple question Jun: hey this is kinda out of the blue, but can you take a picture of yourself? I don''t have anything for your profile pic and I try to have an image for everyone. If it wouldn''t be a bother it took a minute or so, but Leia eventually responded Leia: Yeah sure! Let me try to find some good lighting. After a few minutes of waiting , Jun finally got a response. He was at a loss for words. She looked as beautiful as when he met her in that aisle. He was incredibly flustered by her beauty. He responded quickly, thanking her. and saving the image to his phone under a new album. simply titled, "her". He re-opened diego''s messenger and sent the photo there was a minuet pause between them diego then responded "...damn" Jun: yeah...I know Diego: Where did you meet this girl? respectfully, how does one just stumble upon a goddess like this? Jun: In all places, an art store. She was grabbing some materials for school and so was I. I learned we were going to the same school, and we hit it off from there. Diego: damn...all art girls are pretty. It''s like, a universal constant or something lmao Jun: hehehe, true Diego: Well, I don''t really have anything else to update you on. Just wanted to make sure you weren''t dead. please for the love of god don''t do that again. You know how worried I get when people just stop responding like that. Jun: Yeah I get it. It won''t happen again, I promise. Diego: Thanks man, take care. Ciao After that, Jun sat in his bed, thinking of what to do with the day. The semester wasn''t going to start for another few days. And he already had everything laid out for the classes he was taking. "I could go for a run," he thought. He looked at the weather. The forecast read rain till the evening. "welp, that''s out of the question". He rolled around his room, thinking of something to do. He went back and forth with himself, contemplating how to spend his day. And that''s when the thought hit him. She had been running across his mind since he woke up that morning. And the mental image of her only grew stronger when he requested the photo. He wanted to go out with Leia. It wasn''t as if he was going to be asking to go out as anything more than friends. He had only just met this woman a few days prior. But his nerves were grasping him tightly. he wrestled with himself for what felt like an eternity, trying to rationalize what he wanted to ask of her. "She might be busy, I wouldn''t want to bother her," he thought to himself. "But I''ll never know if I don''t ask". He continued to toil back and forth with his decision. But eventually, he had enough of his own indecisiveness. He sat down, opened her messaging, and began to type. Jun: Hey, this is also kind of out of the blue. But are you at all busy today? Leia: eh, no not really. Been lazing about my apartment for the most part. What''s up? Jun: Nothing huge, but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today? I know the weather is supposed to be a bit iffy. But I was wondering if you''d like to go out and do something. Leia: Sure! I''m down for just about anything. Didn''t have much of anything planned for today. Leia: What d''ya have in mind? Jun had a moment of pause. He didn''t think he was going to get this far, so he had very few actual ideas lined up. He racked his brain for a moment, then suddenly, the lightbulb flickered. Jun: I was thinking maybe we could stop at pikes place for a bite to eat and then hit up the international village and drop by Kinokuniya? I''ve got the bites if you''ve got the gas. Leia: Sure, sounds lovely! I''ve never actually had an opportunity to visit the international village, so this''ll be a new experience for me. Jun: Awesome! I''ll pick you up whenever you''re ready. Jun then had a sudden realization. Jun: wait...where do you live? Leia: ah, yeah you probably need my address. Could be helpful, just maybe ?? Leia gave him the address, he looked it up on google maps. It was an apartment complex in a nicer side of town. He put it down in his notes for later. Jun: Alrighty, thank you! like I said, just let me know when you''re ready, i''ll be there as soon as I can Leia: Oh don''t worry too much about time. I''ll let you know but you don''t have to be there in a flash, I can wait. Jun: Well, I get that. But I was raised to always be punctual. I don''t like to keep people waiting too long. It just seems rude, I was the one who invited you after all Leia: awwwe, aren''t you a gentleman ?? Leia: Well, that¡¯s very kind. Most men aren''t as courteous as you are. I appreciate that. Leia: I''ll let you know when i''m ready :> Gift With the time she gave him, Jun perused his disorganized drawers for an outfit he felt suit his personality but also made him look presentable. He wasn''t much of a fashionista, flipping over the same pair of dark wash jeans and nerdy print t-shirts. He felt entirely unprepared for the situation he put himself in. He didn''t want to embarrass himself in front of her. But he also didn''t want to overdress in fear of looking too formal. after several minutes of flipping through his draws. He realized he was wasting his time. He needed to decide on an outfit. He looked in his top drawer for a particular dark blue button up. It was a little wrinkled near the back, but nothing a minute of ironing couldn''t undo. He grabbed that, a lower key print shirt, and a pair of jeans with a nice belt his mother bought for him. He quickly went to town on the button up. Flattening every crease and wrinkle with the iron, almost burning his opposite hands'' finger in the process. with his shirt ironed and an outfit put together, he had a sudden realization. "Oh god...I haven''t cleaned my car out in a while" he thought to himself. He rushed outside with a trash bag, almost forgetting his wallet and keys in the process. Quickly grabbing them right before the dorm room door closed behind him. He sped down to his vehicle and started going to town, cleaning it out with maximum speed and intensity. It wasn''t as if he was a slob, but the sudden pressure of someone else being in his car made him realize how much of a mess he could be left unchecked. "I should really pick up after myself more" he thought to himself. With the trash taken out and the car cleaned. Jun sat there, Unsure what to do. He was waiting for a response. But nothing came. "Did she forget? Did something come up?" he thought to himself. He continued to twiddle his thumbs in anxiety, waiting for a response. But nothing came. Then, with keys in hand, he decided to act on instinct. He was going to drive to her apartment and wait. "God, I hope she doesn''t think I¡¯m weird for this." he said to himself while turning the key. As the engine roared to life, he opened his phone to put on his driving playlist. The second it connected, he put the car in drive and began on his way to her. As he drove down the highway, traffic began collecting in front of him. Not wanting to get bogged down by it, he weaved in and out of the lane it started in. Doing his best not to get held up by anything. He continued making his way down the road, narrowly avoiding some drivers trying to enter different lanes. Then, as he neared the exit the gps told him to go down, he got a notification. Not wanting to be more risky than he already was, he quickly pulled off to a nearby parking lot. He opened his phone to find a notification from Leia: "Okie, you can come pick me up now :)" Jun looked at his gps, he was only 2 and a half miles away from her apartment. "oh god...why am I like this" he thought to himself. He began regretting his decision to act on instinct. "She''s gonna think I¡¯m so weird". He sat there, staring at her message for a second. He didn''t want her to think he was weird for showing up too early. So he simply replied: Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Okay! on my way :>" It wasn''t a lie, he was. Just a bit sooner than she would have anticipated. He sat in that parking lot, face in palm. Sitting in a pool of his own embarrassment. He sat there for another 15 minutes, trying not to die of his self induced cringe, while also giving himself some time for plausible deniability. He was going to be there incredibly early no matter what, but he wanted to be at least "fashionably early" instead of stalkerishly early. As it got down to a reasonable time, he exited the parking lot and made his way down to her apartment. As he made his way down, he thought of how to greet her. Obviously a simple "hey" would likely suffice. But he felt like doing more, though it would likely be unnecessary. He wanted to make an appearance of some sort. His nerves were getting to him again. He was overthinking it, and he knew it. But he couldn''t help it. Some part of him wanted to "impress" her. He didn''t know why, but he couldn''t help himself not to. As he pulled up to her complex, he parked in the first spot he could find and let her know he was there. He decided he was going to lean on the front of the car, trying to look cool. He knew it was a bit corny and ultimately unnecessary. But he wanted to try and look cool for her. He combed his hair, spritzed his neck with a tiny bit of cologne, and waited a little while longer. Even with the cool breeze coming in, he was still sweating bullets. He was nothing but a ball of nerves. So when she came up to him from behind, it was all released in one loud, cowardly yelp. "AHG" he screamed in terror. Leia began belly laughing at his fright. Jun was weak at the knees. He was very easy to catch off guard. His friends had always pulled off pranks in a similar fashion, and it seems that trend was to continue with her. "That''s just not fair!" he said in a sour tone. "ahh but you should''ve seen the look on your face! Absolutely priceless" Said Leia through giggling teeth. Even with his heart rate through the roof, Jun couldn''t find it in his heart to be mad at her. For he was once again, entirely too captivated by her beauty to be upset. He looked her up and down, observing the outfit she had put together. A cropped pink woolen top matched a similarly colored skirt. Only made better by the knee high black socks and converse she was wearing. "wow..." Jun quietly blurted out. "You like what you see?" Leia said in a teasing tone. "Yeah...UM I MEAN UH-" Jun loudly tripped over his words as if they were rocks jutting out of the ground. Leia snickered, "so upfront you are! I appreciate it.". Jun seemed to be frozen still. He was embarrassed yet enthralled. Too many emotions were running through his head. He didn''t know what to do. "hello? Earth to Jun?" she said while snapping her fingers in his face. He woke up from his haze. "Oh geez, sorry. lost focus for a second there" said Jun with a nervous giggle. "It''s alright, just making sure you''re still on the planet with me.". "so, shall we?" Leia asked, gesturing towards the car. "Oh! yeah! Here, let me get the door for you." Palette The pair fastened themselves in the car, Jun connecting his phone to the audio system. He then paused for a moment before playing. "Do you have any music preferences?" he asked her. "Not really, so long as it''s not too abrasive" she responded. Jun scrolled through his albums and playlists. Finally deciding on one that was a mix of everything he listened to. He put the car in gear, and made his way to Seattle. As he drove, the weather got a little bit worse for wear. The projected rain became a reality. Soon after, traffic began to appear. The speakers continued playing his playlist, but the car felt silent. In an attempt to make small talk, Jun chimed up. "Yknow, for a place that is always raining, You''d expect people to know how to drive in it by now." Jun exclaimed as confidently as he could muster. "Honestly!" Leia responded. "I''ve been here long enough to experience the driving conditions. I don''t have a license yet so I take the bus most of the time. But every time without fail, there''s some bloke who acts like they''ve never seen rain before and almost crashes into the damn bus!" She spoke verbosely. "It makes me wonder why your country doesn''t invest in public transport more, since clearly they don''t teach some of you to drive very well." Jun chuckled in agreement. "I could write a whole paper on this. There''s so many factors that go into it, it''s honestly ridiculous. But at the end of the day, it''s down to the same reason it always is." The two looked at each other and said in unison, "capitalism" The two laughed. Though the weather was still iffy at best, and the traffic wasn''t getting much better. They were very close to seattle. The aforementioned traffic was not getting much better as they neared the city, so Jun made the executive decision to get off at the closest exit in the city, and made his way down to pikes place. Driving in the city always made him nervous, but he did his best not to let it get to him. Especially not in front of Leia. He squeezed his way through the winding streets and found an above ground parking garage to park his car in. He got through the toll and found a spot on the third floor. Once he Squeezed his car into the spot. He got out as smoothly as he could. Being the Gentleman he aspired to be. He insisted on opening Leia''s door for her. It was a bit of an awkward squeeze between himself and the wall, but he made it work. He opened the door slowly, as to not ding it on the wall. Exclaiming "m''lady" in a mock british accent. "You dork!" said Leia jovially through a snicker. Right as they were about to leave the garage, Jun remembered something. ¡°Wait right here¡± he asked Leia. He quickly went back to his car and rummaged through his trunk. After some digging, he found it. His little umbrella. He never really used it, but he felt it was appropriate for the occasion. With a rush in his step, he made his way back down to her. ¡°Thanks for waiting for me¡± Said Jun, slightly out of breath. He waved the umbrella around to show her what the wait was for. ¡°Ah, smart thinking! It¡¯s still coming down there a bit¡± Leia responded. With that, the two made their way down to the market where they¡¯d be eating. Making small talk and observing the sites as they went along. As they made their way down, the pair began window shopping from store to store. Perusing through the various trinkets and doodads that they came across. then, as they were looking around. Something piqued Leia¡¯s interest. She stopped to look at a bracelet that was very striking to her. ¡°Something catch your eye?¡± asked Jun. Leia paused for a moment. Still looking deeply at the bejeweled wrist piece. ¡°Oh, um yes sorry..¡± she was a bit lost for words. Jun looked at the piece she was viewing intently, quickly understanding, at least on the surface level, why she was looking at it. It was a beautiful pearl bracelet. Connected at the points by what appeared to be small bits of silver. It was truly a beautiful piece. ¡°Oh my, that is quite nice. I¡¯m not much of a jewelry guy, but I can appreciate beauty when I see it.¡± said Jun coolly. ¡°Yeah, it is quite beautiful.¡± said Leia quietly. She stared at it for a while before speaking up once more. ¡°Sorry, it just reminded me of one my grandmother on my fathers side used to wear. She um¡­¡± Leia paused for a moment. ¡°She passed away when I was younger. It was an open casket funeral. She was buried with it¡±. The two stood there silently for a moment. Unsure of how to break the silence. ¡°I was very close to her. I still miss her to this day¡± she said. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The silence resumed. ¡°Ahg, sorry. That was a lot. Just brought back some memories is all.¡± exclaimed Leia. ¡°It''s quite fine, no need to apologize '''' responded Jun. ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel safe enough around me to share that. I appreciate the trust, means a lot¡± he followed. The two shared a smile and looked into each other''s eyes for a moment. A moment that was quickly interrupted by Leia¡¯s stomach making a monstrous growl. Jun tried to hide his laughter as Leia began turning beet red. ¡°We should probably keep heading to that taco place you were talking about, hmm?¡± said Leia in a hurried, embarrassed tone. ¡°Yeah, sounds good¡± replied Jun, failing to hide a chuckle. Before they left the store, Jun snapped a picture of the bracelet just in case. The two made their way down to the market, avoiding crowds and un-noticing drivers to the best of their abilities. It was a bit of a squeeze, but they eventually made it to the shop. ¡°Los Agaves¡± read Leia, her accent showing through thickly in her attempt to pronounce the name. ¡°Yep, that''s the name!¡± responded Jun. ¡°I come here almost every time I¡¯m in the area. One day I was around the market and I was hungry. Looked around for something. Came across this place, and I¡¯ve been coming ever since.¡±. Leia looked across the menu, trying to figure out what she was in the mood for. ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re ready to order. I¡¯m just gonna get my usual.¡± chimed Jun. It took her a moment, but she finally landed on something. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have¡­the taco plate with chicken. That one looks pretty good.¡± she said. ¡°Ooh nice choice, that one''s always good.¡± responded Jun. He ordered their food and grabbed seats next to the stairs adjacent to the eatery. Once the two sat down, they began making conversation. Talking of various bits and pieces of their lives. Asking each other questions in an attempt to get to know each other better. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one everyone squirms at.¡± piped Leia with a look of pure mischief. With a worried feeling in his gut, Jun poked. ¡°Oh lord¡­what¡¯ve you got up your sleeve?¡±. Leia chuckled to herself. ¡°What was your first time like?¡± she asked. Jun always dreaded this question. He never had a good answer for it, because he didn¡¯t have an answer. He felt this question was always the death of him. He was always teased for his lack of experience. He never really had a good reason as to why he never had any. He wasn¡¯t bad looking, he had enough self confidence, he didn¡¯t have any jarring opinions on social issues. Realistically, there wasn¡¯t anything truly keeping him from having any intimate contact with someone. He just never had the chance. With a deep, sullen breath. He admitted to her. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­never had sex before¡±. Leia looked at him, deeply puzzled. ¡°You mean¡­¡± she paused. ¡°Not even once?¡± she said, befuddled. Jun sank deep into himself, practically curling into a ball. He despised telling people about his lack of experience. Especially at his age. People tended to be judgmental when they found out. It embarrassed him, it made him feel wrong in a way he wasn¡¯t sure how to explain. ¡°Yeah¡­I don¡¯t like talking about it. People tend to think there¡¯s something wrong with me whenever they pop the question. And every time, I try to explain to them it¡¯s just because I''ve never really had an opportunity. But¡­¡± he paused. ¡°¡­I never get that far before they¡¯ve already made their judgements.¡± Right as he was about to sink deeper into himself, the lady behind the counter announced that their orders were done. He got up and grabbed them so they could both enjoy it. But by now, he had mostly lost his appetite. He placed the food on the table and slid into his seat with a mild look of sorrow on his face. He tried to hide it, but he felt this relationship, whatever it may have been. Was already over before it began. Until she spoke. ¡°Hey, nothing to be ashamed of. Don''t look so sodding mate.¡± Jun raised his head enough to meet her eyes. ¡°I can tell that¡¯s something you¡¯re a bit insecure about. I honestly assumed you already had a few body¡¯s under your belt.¡±. Jun chuckled, that chuckle slowly turning into a laugh. Through a fit of laughter, he asked ¡°Now what on earth made you think that!¡± he exclaimed as he continued to chuckle to himself. ¡°Well I mean¡­¡± Leia began. ¡°You look like you could pull! Is that what you Americans call it? Pulling? I mean like¡­¡± she continued. ¡°You¡¯re quite nice on the eyes to be honest with you. And you¡¯re quite funny at times! And you¡¯re honestly a very kind person from what I¡¯ve seen. You really shouldn¡¯t beat yourself up about it so much. I honestly wish I was still in your position.¡±. Jun tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± he asked. Leia took a deep breath and explained. ¡°Well, it¡¯s honestly quite embarrassing. But since you shared your side I think it¡¯s only fair I share mine.¡± she began. ¡°It was a few years ago back in Scotland. I was hanging out with some friends at a party. We were all drunk off our arses, and we had no plan on stopping. Well, the night goes on, and this guy I had shown interest in briefly during my academy years strolls by. Well, he¡¯s equally drunk, if not more so. We get to talking, he gets to flirting, and when I''m drunk I tend to reciprocate that kind of thing. Well, one thing led to another, and well¡­¡± she paused, with a sullen look on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much after that. But I woke up the next day in his flat, wreaking of booze and my clothes strewn across the place. He was still completely passed out, and while I was still hung over, I could at least sort of walk my way up and out. I put my clothes on, grabbed my stuff, and made my way back home.¡± Leia had a look of embarrassment strewn across her face. She had a feeling of mild regret running through her mind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± she apologized. ¡°That was a lot. I don¡¯t really tell many people about that. It just kind of came out. I didn¡¯t mean to make things awkward.¡±. Jun looked at her with a mix of concern and empathy written on his face. ¡°Leia, It¡¯s fine. You didn¡¯t make anything awkward.¡± he stated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that. I¡¯d be pretty shaken up too. There''s nothing to be embarrassed about.¡± . Leia lifted her head with a feeling of relief. ¡°Thanks Jun.¡± she said with a slight smile. ¡°That aside, how¡¯s ¡®bout we eat our meals before they¡¯re ice cold?¡± asked Leia. ¡°Oh geez, yeah!¡± Said Jun with a slight chuckle. The two both ate their meals, the unfamiliar of the duo being thoroughly impressed with its quality. ¡°Oh my god?¡± exclaimed Leia through bites. ¡°Good, right?¡± asked Jun. Leia took a monstrous bite from her taco, nodding her head after doing so. The two enjoyed their meals, exchanging dipping sauces to see which ones worked better on their meals. Appreciating every bite more than the last. ¡°Yeah I''m definitely coming back here as often as I can, good god these are good.¡± exclaimed Leia while finishing the last few bites of her plate. Jun looked at her, and when he saw her, he started to giggle. He tried to hide it, but he failed to do so. ¡°Now just what are you laughing at?¡± asked Leia, perplexed. Jun finished the bite of his burrito he had, and said to her in a cheeky tone. ¡°you¡¯ve got sour cream and grease, like¡­all over your face¡± he gestured around his lips and nose. ¡°Oh Jesus¡± exclaimed Leia, quickly grabbing some napkins. She wiped her face, but in doing so, only managed to smear some across her face even more. Jun was trying not to laugh, but she just continued smearing it onto her face. ¡°Leia stop, just let me get it¡± he asked, feeling almost like a disappointed father. He grabbed a napkin and patted down the areas that kept getting smeared. ¡°There, all better¡± he said, as if to imitate that disappointed father. He shook his head and chuckled. He looked at Leia and asked ¡°You enjoy your meal?¡±. ¡°yeah, I did, seeing as I left about half of it on my face.¡±. The two had a good laugh about it before deciding to head off to the international village. Morning glow The atmosphere was warm with the new day¡¯s rise. Jun slowly rolled from his bed, putting himself together as he awoke. He hadn¡¯t really planned the day out much the night prior. He had a list of chores for himself to get done before school began, but he hadn¡¯t put much energy into accomplishing them. But he did have one goal in mind. Buying that bracelet from the store Leia had been caught in a trance by. He wasn¡¯t sure if he had enough cash on hand, but he wasn¡¯t leaving that day without jewelry in hand. He finished getting dressed, grabbed his keys and wallet, and made his way back to Seattle. The drive was longer than usual. Sunday morning meant everyone was trying to get to the city early, thinking that they could avoid the traffic if they hit the road sooner. Unfortunately for them all, that was not an original line of thinking. No one gets the worm if everyone is an early bird. It was a bit of a drudge to get anywhere. But Jun was able to find his way through it. He pulled off onto the exit and made his way to the same parking garage from before. He couldn¡¯t remember the name of the store, but he was good at retracing his steps. He made his way down the way he and Leia did the days prior. Walking street to street, corner to corner, until he finally came upon the boutique they found themselves in. He walked in with a gentle kind of vigor. He didn¡¯t want to disturb the shop, but he was on a mission, and he wasn¡¯t going to let anything get in the way of accomplishing it. He looked around the shop, trying to find the piece Leia had been fixated on. But something seemed off. ¡°Everything is¡­in different places¡± he said under his breath. The store wasn¡¯t very large, but it had many a piece. From dresses to handbags to antique silverware, strewn about neatly on little displays. Finding one piece of jewelry in this kerfuffle was going to be a task, but Jun was up for it. He perused the store''s selection, as if he was looking for anything else. He thought he had found it a few times before, but it wasn¡¯t the same one. He still had the picture of it he took on his phone. He kept looking with great effort, but with no luck. He was beginning to lose hope, thinking someone had bought it before him. But right as he was about to give up, a comforting voice chimed in. ¡°Young man, are you looking for something?¡±. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Jun looked to his left. It was an older lady in a cardigan, walking up to him. ¡°Um, yeah actually¡± he responded. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t still happen to have this, would you?¡± he asked, pulling up the image on his phone. The old shopkeeper looked at the photo inquisitively. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± she pondered. ¡°Oh yes! Hold one moment, I recently re-organized the shop, so I had some things moved to the back until I had a better place for them.¡±. The lady shuffled to the counter, past the curtained doorway behind it. ¡°Just one moment young man, I''ll be right back!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°No need to rush ma¡¯am, I''m just glad you still have it!¡±. It was a few moments before she returned. But once she did, a smile was strewn across Jun¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good eye young man. This piece has been sitting in my shop for a while now. I couldn''t tell you why, I think it¡¯s quite a beautiful piece.¡± said the shopkeeper. ¡°I¡¯m one to agree¡± responded Jun. ¡°Now, to the fun part,¡± said Jun sarcastically. ¡°How deep in the hole is this going to put me?¡±. The shopkeeper chuckled at his witty question. ¡°Well, I saw you come in the other day with a beautiful young woman. Your girlfriend I assume?¡± asked the lady. Jun paused for a second, partly wishing he could say yes. ¡°Eh¡­not exactly, not¡­not yet.¡± Spoke Jun shyly. ¡°Aww, well point is, I see what you¡¯re trying to do. And for that, I¡¯ll cut you a deal.¡± said the shopkeeper. ¡°175 and it¡¯s all yours. Now that may seem like a lot, but that¡¯s quite a deal when it comes to pearls.¡± exclaimed the lady. That number caused a deep feeling in the pit of Jun¡¯s stomach. He could afford it, but it was a lot more than he could justify. Especially for a girl he had only just met recently. Even so, he pulled out his wallet and asked the lady behind the counter ¡°Do you take card?¡±. With that, he was now 175 dollars poorer, but had the apple of Leia¡¯s eye in his possession. As he walked out the door, the sun shone through the thick cloud cover of the Seattle skyline, and those pearls glistened in the light like a halo atop an angel in Jun¡¯s hand. With his main objective accomplished, Jun grabbed a coffee before heading back to his car to get the rest of his self allotted chores out of the way for the day. As he made his way back to his dorm, he thought of how he would present Leia with the bracelet. He went through several scenarios in his head, each one more theatrical than the next. He made himself cringe with every iteration of the scenario. He eventually gave up on the idea, and just decided to figure it out when he got to that point. ¡°I haven¡¯t even properly asked her out on a date yet.¡± he thought to himself. With that, he ignored the idea and focused on the road ahead of him. After a while waiting in what felt like unending traffic, he made his way back to the dormitory after squeezing into his parking spot. He grabbed the small bag the bracelet was in delicately, then walked back to his room. He thought about where he could put the piece in the meantime, wanting to keep it safe and away from any danger. He eventually decided on a small empty box he had with him. He put it in and stowed it away in his drawers. With that, he began going down the list of menial tasks he needed to get done before school started the next day. Just follow time The world around was pitch black. There wasn¡¯t a soul to call upon. Jun scanned the area to find any form of exit or relief, but to no avail. Just as suddenly as the abyss surrounded him, light blinded him. A figure of glowing radiance appeared before him, reaching out for his hand. He reached out for it, nervous and shaken. And as their hands touched, he witnessed horrors beyond his understanding. All at an instant, he watched his whole life come crumbling down as if shaken by an unnatural disaster. It all flashed before him instantly, giving him very little time to process it all. He fell and stumbled away in fear of this being. But quickly his legs became numb, he couldn¡¯t move, he couldn¡¯t run. So frozen in fear, he couldn¡¯t even scream. Suddenly, he awoke in a cold sweat, breath shaken and mind stirred. He could barely move, his body was limp in fear. He looked over to his alarm clock, it read 3:36 am. With what little strength he could muster, he rolled himself to the edge of his bed and took a deep breath. ¡°What the hell was all of that?¡± he thought to himself. He had had nightmares in the past. Abstract horrors that he couldn¡¯t really make sense of. But this was different. This left him with a kind of gut wrenching feeling that he hadn¡¯t felt in his entire life. He slowly got up and walked over to the sink to pour himself a glass of water. His mouth was cotton dry, and he needed something to ground him. He sipped the cup down to the bottom, put it down, and walked back to his bed. He was utterly shaken by what he had just witnessed. Unsure of how to rationalize why his subconscious mind would create such a figure for him to bear witness to. He couldn¡¯t make sense of any of it. What he witnessed, it felt so real. In the blink of an eye, by the touch of a hand. He witnessed what felt like the rest of his life in 0ne moment. And what he saw left him speechless. He couldn¡¯t put it into words, but the feeling was guttural and unshakable. He layed back in his bed and closed his eyes, trying to get back whatever sleep he could. But that vision, the premonition of horror. It made him restless. He eventually fell back asleep. But nothing could shake the feeling that nightmare had given him. He awoke several hours later, the clock now reading 8;32 am. Jun slowly rolled out of bed. His first class started at 9;30, so he needed to put himself together. He got together his outfit for the day and took a quick shower to freshen up. He brushed his teeth, shaved, and got dressed. He microwaved a breakfast sandwich he took out of the fridge freezer and ate it while getting his materials into his bag. The time began to dwindle down. He scarfed down the last bite of the sandwich, followed by a gulp of orange juice straight from the bottle. He put on his shoes, tied them, and made his way down to his first class of the semester. He was nervous, he wanted to make a good first impression on his peers and his teachers. But being late wasn¡¯t gonna help that. He had a map of the campus and a general idea of where he needed to be. But he was never great with directions. He stood still for a moment, looking for his first class¡¯s room. To his utter horror, it was all the way across campus. He had 10 minutes on the clock and it would take at least 12 to get to the building and into the classroom. With a rush of adrenaline in his veins, he sprinted across the campus to get to class on time. Narrowly avoiding other students in the process. ¡°I should¡¯ve worn my running shoes for this.¡± he said to himself out of breath. He ran through the courtyard, dodging bushes, trees, and people narrowly. He was no more than a dozen yards from the building when he lost his footing. He stumbled over his own laces that had untied in on the run there. He fell on his side, barely covering his face in time before it scraped the concrete floor. Jun groaned in pain while picking himself up from the ground. He saved his face from the fall, but not the back of his hand. The skin off the back of his right hand scraped clean onto the pavement. He had saved himself some time by running to the building, but he would now have to find a sink to clean his hand. And maybe some bandages while he was at it. He rushed into the building, desperately looking for a restroom to clean himself and patch up his wound. He looked around like a helpless puppy until he finally saw a sign for a bathroom. He walked as quickly as he could to it. He opened the door and quickly made his way to the soap and water. The stinging he felt on his skin was sharp. He bit on his lip cleaning out the abrasion to even out the pain he was in. He cleaned it out to the best of his ability, opened his bag for some tape, grabbed some paper towels, and made the best makeshift bandage he could in the time he had left. He finished up, exited the bathroom, and continued searching for his first class. He looked at the building map, and much to his relief, he wasn¡¯t far off from it. He walked down a corridor, up a set of stairs, and on his left was his first class of the semester. Art history with Mr. Tanaka. He found a seat and placed himself in it. He pulled out his overpriced textbook and note taking gear and waited for the teacher to show up. As he sat there, more students rolled in and found places to sit. As they sat down, a few threw glances at his hand. He knew he was gonna get some weird looks, but he wasn¡¯t expecting this many. He lifted up the towel to see if his hand was still bleeding. It was, but not heavily. It had mostly stopped at this point, but there was still some surface bleeding. He grabbed some tissues he had in his pocket and patted down the areas that were still bleeding over. In the middle of this, a familiar voice called to him. ¡°Jun? What happened to your hand?¡± Jun looked to his left, and there stood Leia. ¡°Leia? What are you doing here!¡± he asked excitedly. ¡°Oh, schedule change! Sorry, forgot to tell you¡± she said with a slight chuckle. ¡°Now what happened here?¡± she said, picking up Jun¡¯s hand. ¡°Oh, I uh..¡± Jun stumbled over his words momentarily, slightly embarrassed to admit what happened. ¡°I fell, pretty hard. Just barely managed to cover my face. Definitely could¡¯ve been worse, but it does sting a bit.¡± Leia looked at it for another moment before rummaging through her bag. ¡°Lucky for you, I came prepared¡± she exclaimed. After a moment of searching, in her hand, a small box of bandage wrap appeared. ¡°Take off that attempt of a bandage, this will do you much better¡± Jun undid the makeshift cover he had made and lent Leia his hand. As she wrapped his hand, he began feeling a feeling he couldn''t quite explain. It was one of comfort and mild euphoria. He chose to ignore it and just let her wrap him up. But the feeling never fully left him that day. He went through the rest of his day casually, carrying himself the best he could. Making acquaintances in each class and talking to the teachers to see if he could pick up on their personalities. As the day neared the middle, he took off to the dining hall to see what they offered. He grabbed a tray and went down the line. A mix of what appeared to be mostly healthy food. Chicken, rice, soup, and various mixed vegetables. He asked for his servings and found somewhere to eat. As he sat down, he felt a buzz from his pocket. He pulled out his phone and saw a notification from Leia. Leia: where you at? Jun quickly opened it and began typing Jun: the dining hall, you? Leia: heading that direction actually, where are you sitting? Jun looked at his surroundings to give her some general direction. Jun: at a table next to a window a couple steps from the entrance. You¡¯ll see me when you get there Leia: table, window, entrance, got it. I¡¯m gonna grab some food and I''ll look for you when I get there :) Jun put his phone down and started to eat his food. It was a bit flavorless and a tad lukewarm. So he shuffled his way over to the salad bar and grabbed some crushed red pepper flake packets and some vinegarette to sprinkle over his meal. Right before he sat down, he saw Leia come through the door. He waved at her to get her attention and point where he was going to be sitting. She gave him a thumbs up and walked over to the lunch counter to grab something to eat. While he waited, he livened up his meal with the seasoning and dressing. He got a few bites in before Leia promptly sat down. Jun looked up and said ¡°that was quick¡±. Leia nodded and said Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°yeah I know, I¡¯m not incredibly hungry so I just grabbed a few things. Didn¡¯t look all too appetizing anyway¡± Jun chuckled in agreement. ¡°Yeah it honestly isn''t, that''s why I grabbed these¡± said Jun, shaking the sauce packets in his hand. ¡°Ooh smart!¡± responded Leia. ¡°Do you have any extra?¡± Jun nodded his head while chewing. He handed her the extra packet he grabbed which she promptly opened and spread over her small meal. ¡°Sho, hiw ire you njoyin your clathes sho far¡± asked Jun. Leia looked at him with a look of great puzzlement. ¡°Care to repeat yourself without a mouth full of mush?¡± she asked in a jokingly Jun snickered through his chews. ¡°Let me try that again. So¡­¡± he began. ¡°How are you enjoying your classes so far?¡± he asked earnestly. ¡°Not too bad so far. Since it¡¯s only the first day I haven¡¯t been able to get a good read on my professors or classmates. But everyone seems to be pretty excited so far.¡± said Leia with a tone of optimism. ¡°Yeah, first day¡¯s are always a little euphoric. For me anyway¡± replied Jun. ¡°New place, new people, it¡¯s something different. And that¡¯s always something to look forward to.¡± Leia nodded in agreement. ¡°I will say, the campus is a bit bigger than I keep thinking it is. It feels like I''ve gotta walk a mile just to get to my next class.¡± said Leia sarcastically. Jun chuckled and said ¡°yeah, hence the grievous wound upon my hand.¡± he said sarcastically, gesturing at his bandaged appendage. ¡°Oh yeah, is that feeling any better?¡± asked Leia. ¡°eh, it¡¯s not stinging as much as it was earlier. But it¡¯s still a little bit sensitive.¡± Jun replied. ¡°I¡¯m just hoping it heals over before the end of the day. It¡¯s hindering my hands¡¯ movement a bit. And I''ve got notes to write and sketches to make.¡± ¡°hmm..hold on.¡± replied Leia, as she looked through her bag once more. ¡°I probably should''ve applied this right as I saw you, but it didn¡¯t cross my mind for some reason.¡± she said, pulling out a small green bottle. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to do?¡± Jun asked confusedly. ¡°It¡¯s aloe vera, it helps speed up the healing process at least a little bit.¡± ¡°Here, give me your hand.¡± she told Jun. She slowly unwrapped the bandages to reveal that the cut had barely healed. It wasn¡¯t bleeding heavily, but it hadn¡¯t scabbed over either. As she applied the aloe, Jun jerked back slightly. ¡°Relax, it¡¯s gonna feel weird but I promise it¡¯ll help.¡± said Leia in a reassuring tone. As she slowly applied the aloe, Jun chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re helping me out here but, it begs the question. How did you just happen to have this stuff on you? Not that I¡¯m complaining, but it¡¯s a very interesting coincidence.¡± As she began applying the bandages, Leia responded ¡°oh, I always have these things on me. I was incredibly accident prone as a kid. My mother was always having to bandage me up after hanging out with my friends after school ¡®cause I¡¯d always come home with some sort of knick or scratch on my arms or legs.¡± Leia pulled out some scissors to cut the bandages and continued ¡°At a certain point, she got tired of always having to do it herself and eventually decided to buy me a miniature first aid kid and have me bring it around wherever I went. And even after I became a little less clumsy, I started bringing it around and periodically refilling it. Just in case a goofball such as yourself falls and hurts themselves.¡± she said, finishing with a playfully mocking tone. ¡°Oh whatever.¡± Jun said, replying to her mockery. ¡°Well, that is coming in handy so, thanks for being a clumsy child so this clumsy adult doesn¡¯t have to bleed everywhere¡± he said with a light chuckle. ¡°What else do you have in there?¡± asked Jun inquisitively. Leia rummaged through her bag some more. ¡°Lets see, other than what you¡¯ve already seen. Some tylenol, neosporin, tape bandages, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, a tourniquet-¡± ¡°a tourniquet?¡± Interrupted Jun. ¡°When in the world are you gonna need that?¡± he asked. ¡°Hey! You never know! You¡¯ve gotta be prepared.¡± Replied Leia sternly. ¡°Yknow, that¡¯s fair. I guess I can¡¯t question it seeing how having any of it has helped me here.¡± said Jun. ¡°Exactly, never question a woman¡¯s intuition.¡± replied Leia. Jun nodded in agreement while eating another bite of his lunch. ¡°Ah, speaking of childhoods¡± Leia chimed in. ¡°What was school like for you here in America growing up? I imagine it¡¯s a bit different from what I experienced in Scotland.¡± Jun finished chewing his food and replied ¡°Well, what do you want to know? There¡¯s a lot that could be different that I¡¯m just not aware of.¡± ¡°Well, are those buses real?¡± asked Leia curiously. ¡°School buses?¡± asked Jun confusedly. ¡°Yeah! Those! Do you guys really get on those to go to school?¡± Leia asked energetically. ¡°I mean yeah, I did till highschool when I could drive.¡± ¡°That''s so cool! A bus full of your classmates! Sounds like a great time.¡± said Leia optimistically. ¡°Eh¡­not exactly.¡±. Leia looked at Jun with a puzzled look and asked ¡°How come?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Jun started. ¡°You get a tin can on wheels and fill it full of hormonal assholes. You make them go to the one place they hate the most while also giving them a breakfast of sugary cereal and energy drinks. I¡¯m sure you can imagine the ramifications.¡± Leia looked at Jun with a face of mild horror. ¡°Oh jeez. That¡¯s not nearly as fun as the movies made it out to be.¡± she said with a tone of concern. ¡°Yeah, Hollywood has never been the best at showing the actual experience. A lot of, let''s just say, shenanigans, happened on my bus. Our driver had to be replaced multiple times because the school refused to punish the kids who were acting a fool, and the drivers refused to take that route because of it. It was crazy.¡± Leia gazed at Jun with a look of pure disbelief. ¡°What did they do to cause such a stir? That sounds utterly insane.¡± Jun chuckled and responded ¡°it would be easier to list the things they didn¡¯t do.¡± Leia¡¯s look of disbelief turned to one of mild horror. ¡°For starters¡­¡± Jun began. ¡°They were the vice principal¡¯s kids. So there''s already some bias there. They almost never got in trouble for anything ¡®cause their father was such a weak hand. He probably never punished them for anything at home either. They would graffiti the bus walls, poke holes in the seats, instigate fights in the back rows, blast the most horrendous, ear bleeding electronic music you ever heard. It was a new flavor of awful every day. The drivers did their best to control the situation, but they never listened. And I''m sure you can imagine, they were no better in class.¡± There was a slight pause between them before Leia spoke up. ¡°If something like that happened in a Scottish school, we woulda taken them ¡®round the back and beat the crap out of them.¡± She said intensely. ¡°Oh trust me, people tried. But they are as annoying as they are hard to wrangle. And the second someone tried something, the VP found out and had them expelled immediately. Anything to keep his precious little babies safe.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± replied Leia. ¡°Nepo babies¡± she continued. Jun gave a hearty chuckle and said ¡°Yeah, something like that.¡± ¡°So they never got in trouble for anything?¡± asked Leia confusedly. ¡°Not a damn thing.¡± responded Jun. ¡°It got so bad that we had to get the superintendent involved. Unfortunately for all of us¡± He paused for a breath ¡°those two happened to be friends. The most he got was a slap on the wrist, and all we got out of it was the taste of disappointment.¡± finished Jun, as he took a bite of food. ¡°They never learned a damn thing did they?¡± asked Leia. Jun finished his bite and responded ¡°Nope, but it¡¯s okay. We all got the last laugh anyway.¡± he said with a slight chuckle. ¡°Ah, and why might that be?¡± asked Leia with a tone of curiosity. Jun gave her a mischievous grin. ¡°Well, for starters, one got caught in a highschool drug trafficking ring sting operation. It was all over the news, school was crazy for a few days after that. People were starting fights over the whole ordeal to defend him or something stupid like that. It was absolutely insane.¡± Leia looked at Jun, mouth agape. ¡°Oh my god¡± she eeped out wearily. ¡°And what happened to the other kid? Did he also get caught up in something sketchy?¡± she followed. ¡°Oh boy, where do I even start?¡± exclaimed Jun. ¡°Well for starters, he was also in on the trafficking ring. But in comparison to his biggest crime, that would make him look like a saint.¡± said Jun with a serious demeanor. ¡°He was taking his part of the money and using it to buy black market weapons for a gang he was creating. He was very much a white supremacist type. His family weren¡¯t publicly racist, but you could always tell. He was just the only one brave enough, if you could even consider that bravery, to say the quiet part out loud. Thank god he got caught in that operation, ¡®cause if he wasn¡¯t it¡¯s entirely possible I could¡¯ve died in what he was planning.¡± said Jun with a look of mild dread on his face. ¡°Oh my god, I¡¯m so sorry Jun. That must¡¯ve been traumatic to say the least.¡± responded Leia with a tone of deep sympathy. ¡°I appreciate your concern, but it¡¯s okay, really, I¡¯m fine. I mean, clearly I¡¯m still alive. And I''m grateful for every day he¡¯s locked behind bars. For society''s sake, I hope he never sees the other side of them till the day he dies.¡± Jun said coldly. ¡°But uh, yeah, they¡¯re not our problem anymore. At least not for another 25 to 30 years or so.¡± he continued. ¡°That¡¯s not nearly long enough for the other guy, I think he should rot there¡± exclaimed Leia strongly. Jun took another bite of food and nodded in agreement. After finishing his bite, he responded ¡°I doubt he¡¯ll even be alive by then to be honest. He was always very aggressive, always trying to start fights with people who looked at him the wrong way. If karma exists, he¡¯ll pick a fight with the wrong guy and not make it out the other end.¡± Jun continued to eat his lunch, trying to get it all down before it got cold. He noticed Leia had hardly touched her plate and jokingly asked ¡°you gonna finish that?¡± through bites of his own meal. ¡°Oh jeez yeah, I¡¯m not hungry but I probably should still eat something.¡± said Leia before taking a few bites of what she grabbed. As the two sat there, Leia sat on what Jun had told her. It was all down to luck that that kid was caught before he carried out his plan. The thought that she might have never met Jun if that kid hadn¡¯t been found out cut her deeply and mortified her. As Jun finished his meal, he looked at his watch and realized ¡°Oh shoot, I might be late for my next class!¡± Jun quickly finished the last bite of his meal before quickly standing up, he grabbed his plate and put it in the bin where they collect them to wash. Right before he left the dining hall, Leia called out to him. ¡°Jun! Wait!¡± Jun stopped in his tracks and looked at Leia as she walked over to him. She stopped a foot before him and paused. For the first time in quite a while, Leia was nervous. Her mother raised her to be strong and independent, unafraid of anything that stood in her way. But all that came crashing down when she realized just moments before that she could lose Jun. Silence between the two was broken when Jun asked ¡°Is there something you wanted to say?¡± With that question, she spaced back into reality. Quickly, she rummaged through her bag and grabbed out a small spool of bandages and a miniature bottle of the aloe she had used on him earlier. ¡°Here, have these incase you need to change out the bandages. I''d recommend doing so if the bleeding doesn''t stop within the next few hours.¡± Jun grabbed the items he was handed and put them in his backpack. ¡°Thanks Leia! Honestly, you¡¯re really kind. I appreciate it.¡± said Jun earnestly. ¡°Well, I''ve gotta head to class, don¡¯t wanna be late on the first day. It was lovely chatting with you! See you later!¡± Right before he left for the door, Leia called out to him one more time, stopping him where he stood. Before she could think about it, she quickly came up to him and hugged him closely. Jun was completely caught off guard by this. He was incredibly flustered by this act and wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. Leia looked up at him while she held him and spoke. ¡°Please be safe.¡± she said shakily. Jun looked down at her, embraced her, and responded ¡°I will¡±. With that, Jun walked to his next class. Filled with that same feeling from before. But he wasn¡¯t the only one who was feeling that tender sentiment. Something was brewing in Leia that she couldn¡¯t explain, nor could she ignore.