emotions | love alarm

2 ~

Chapter Two

Ae-ri didn't have any friends but she was very smart so people regularly pretended to befriend her for homework answers. She didn't give them up but that didn't stop them from trying--especially since they seemed to pity her; she didn't understand why as she was a very independent, responsible, and capable young adult.

She was top of her class which made her a target for bullying but she usually handled that pretty well with some evidence based deductions. She could only blame her books of deduction on her anti-socialness but what was the point of having friends if she could easily tell which ones were worth her time or not.

Today was no different from the rest and as she sat alone on the rooftop with her lunch spread out around her, she felt at ease to be alone. The sky was clear, no one was nearby, and the sun gave her skin a soft glow.

The soft crunch of shoes pulls her from her state of bliss.

It was the guy from the day before who appeared to be going through some form of hardship. Ae-ri was sure she could find out what it was purely based on his symptoms but ultimately she could care less. He sat down where he was before before tossing his head back and slouching against the concrete ledge.

"I don't understand why she didn't want me back."

You're joking.

Ae-Ri ignored the comment and got back to reading, intending to finish the chapter she was on before lunch was over.

"I did everything right, I loved her so much," he chokes out. She looks over, slightly annoyed by his unwanted confession only to see him looking at her in despair. "What did I do wrong?"

Ae-ri closed her book before sipping her water and rubbing her eye. "Psychology says that people tend to victimize themselves and in turn cause other people around them annoyance. You're victimizing yourself and therefore annoying me," she says.

Sun-oh looks at her perplexed before she interrupts his thoughts with a burp. She glances over at him again with a bored look. "Also if this is about some ex-girlfriend of sorts, the first love is usually the worst but they are used as a learning tool so you know exactly what you want to avoid."

"But I just want her."

"That's debatable."

Ae-ri took another sip of water before beginning to collect her things for a swift departure.

"Why are you so blunt?"

"Do you prefer me to lie?"

Sun-oh is taken back by the firmness of her tone but intrigued to know her perspective on the situation. "I didn't ring her love alarm even after the day before it would ring under every circumstance, what do you think happened?"

Ae-ri stopped packing to ponder the question before proposing her firmest theory, "She probably put a shield on it."

"A shield?"

"They aren't on commercial market but they do exist. They block the person you love from knowing you love them."

A flooding warmth enveloped Sun-oh at her words but soon turned into ice as the girl got up and tucked a curl in her ear, "However, if she did do that, she probably didn't actually love you, especially if she chose her own selfish desires over you." She walked over to the guy and offered her hand, knowing they were in the same class and because it was something people did as an offer of acknowledgement.

"We will be late."

Sun-oh hesitantly grabbed her hand and didn't remove his gaze from her eyes until she turned on her heel and began walking to the staircase that led to the building.

***

Ae-ri was collecting the things she would need for her study session at the library just as the guy who as slowly becoming a nuisance came to ask her another question, "So you think I should move on?" His reluctance to accept the blatant truth was beginning to infuriate her.

"Yes."

Sun-oh watched as she zipped up her backpack before placing it on the floor in order to place her hair in a bun. He hadn't taken the time to really look at her but she was quite attractive. She had long dark brown curly hair with light brown eyes and her light caramel skin informed him she was probably mixed.

"But what if she changes her mind?"

"People change for what they want to. Ultimately, she didn't even bother doing anything for you except causing you distress. I bet she was even embarrassed to hang out with you which just implies insecurities that she should learn to handle."

Sun-oh looked through his memories and realized Jojo was indeed hesitant to hang out with him in front of people. He looks at the girl in front of him in awe before tilting his head, "How interesting."

Ae-ri shut her locker after checking her bun in the mirror and grabbed her backpack from the floor, ready to obtain knowledge about her future career.

***

After studying, Ae-ri would do a list of different unwinding activities that would bring her joy. Sometimes it consisted of getting a smoothie from her favorite place, reading her books, or swimming in the pool she had at home.

Either way, today she needed the break more than anything. Her studies were beginning to burn her out and she wanted to balance her life more so she could still maintain the motivation to accomplish her goals. Ae-ri decided she would take a bath and give her curls a little love as her unwinding activity; perhaps she would even try out some new hair products.

The sun was beginning to set on the city when she walked out of the library, earbuds in and her mind filled with questions she didn't know the answer to: If there is no up and down in space, does that mean direction is man-made? If it is man-made but it stills exists does that imply that because something is thought of it has to automatically exists? Does that mean our only limitation is our mind?

She takes a breath, choosing to silence her loud thoughts as she begins her walk home.

Her song changes to a song she didn't know about but is from one of her favorite artists, Jorja Smith. She vibes, letting the weight of human emotion wash over her for as a small reset button. Despite having good control of her emotions, she still liked to take small seconds and feel before going back to her rigid state of numbness.

The guy on the roof comes to mind as she analyzes what made her feel slightly negative today; his energy was just so off, she thinks to herself. He's so hung up over someone who didn't even care to be honest to him; in her mind honesty was the most essential part of any relationship, romantic or not.

Then again, people don't like honest individuals, as they have the tendency to say what no one else wants to hear.

She sighs before rubbing her eyes, and swinging her arms, wishing she had at least one person to converse with on these walks home. People just wanted her intellectual capacity, never just her and no matter how much she tried to say it didn't affect her, she got lonely sometimes.

The sky gives her the soft reds and oranges that she loves very dearly and she sets her shield down, letting her feelings die down, her mind taking over for her heart once more.

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a/n

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