Me, Myself & I (Catnipz)

Partners.

 "Why are you bothering me?" I managed to recognize Minji's face in the midst of darkness; it was Minji who had a grip on my neck, looking at me with all the anger in the world.

"Me? Bothering you?" Thankfully, acting is something I'm good at. "What did I do now?"

"Turning into a cheerleader, that scream," I felt her breath mixing with mine. "Understand, I'm not interested in anything related to you, not friendship, and certainly not your 'support,'" she released my wrist, but my neck was still captive.

"Are you sure?" I whispered against her lips as I raised my hands to her neck, but unlike her, I gently caressed it.

She swallowed, even though she tried to hide it completely, she was nervous. I stopped my hands at her nape, slowly eliminating the few centimeters that separated us.

I captured her lower lip, sucking on it to initiate the kiss; she remained stiff. But as my tongue brushed against her upper lip, that changed. Her hand that held my neck tightly reduced its grip while her other free hand found its place on my waist. She followed suit, her beautiful lips brushing against mine in an incredible way. I had lost control; now she set the pace of the kiss while I followed. Her two hands were on my waist, her arms squeezing me, making the kiss even more incredible. She started to move toward me, and by inertia, I began to step back. We kept retreating until we collided with what was surely my car. "Darn it," I thought upon hearing the alarm go off. Minji abruptly pulled away from me, leaving me completely stunned.

"I knew you were easy," she whispered in my ear, snapping me out of my daze. "But I didn't think this much..." She looked at me disdainfully and turned on her heel.

"Everyone knows it's easier to see the president in person than to get a date with me," she could tell me whatever she wanted, fake, hypocritical. But easy? Never.

"Well, I told you," she turned and approached me again. "I'm not interested in meeting the president in person, let alone some absurd date with you," she pointed at me with her index finger.

"You talk..." I said, lowering her hand, "You talk as if you really know me." She had called me fake, hypocritical, and easy in just the two times we "talked."

"I don't need to know you to know what you're like."

"Are you psychic or maybe a witch?" I burst out laughing, and she continued with her unfriendly gaze. "No... I know, you're a mind reader," I joked without stopping my laughter.

"See," she said firmly, "I don't need to know you to know that you're just as shallow as Garam and the couple that always follows her." My laughter ceased. She was comparing me to Kim Garam.

"Me, like Garam? Ha!" I scoffed.

"It doesn't matter; just stay away from me," she said before turning away.

---

I had put on a loose pink shirt that reached a bit above my knees and some white shorts along with matching sneakers; it wasn't a good idea to wear heels since my legs were killing me. But if I leave the Cheerleaders now, it'll be pretty obvious. So that wasn't in my plans.

"Is it really you?" Danielle asked when she saw me. "And where are your high heels?" I laughed; it was rare for me not to wear heels.

"My legs, arms, and throat hurt a lot," I complained.

"Ah... but you wanted to be a cheerleader," she laughed.

"Shut up," I said laughing.

Just then, Minji was walking down the hallway.

"She's such an idiot!" I growled. "If it weren't for the bet, she'd be dead."

"I don't think you did very well with the third bird," she Danickled.

"At first, I did," I smiled. "Then what happened? She scolded me, I kissed her, she kissed me, she compared me to Garam," I knew Danielle would tease me for hours about the last event.

"She compared you to Garam," she laughed even more.

"Yeah, yeah, it's not that big of a deal," I said annoyed. "But hey... I got her to kiss me, I won the bet, right?" I raised and lowered my eyebrows quickly.

"I'm not sure she actually kissed you," she smiled. "Besides, it would be easier if it were just a kiss and done," she looked at me teasingly.

"Then what? A marriage proposal?"

"No, I don't know, at least a public 'I love you.'"

"Danielle Marsh!" I exclaimed.

Couldn't she see that the girl was tougher than a rock and wanted me to get a public 'I love you' out of her?

"Oh come on, Kang, you have a whole month," she laughed. "But if you don't want to, we can call it off and both get out of trouble."

"No," I quickly replied. I would win this bet. I closed my locker. "But you'll wash my car for six months if by some miracle I win," I added, laughing.

"Only if you miraculously win," she teased.

"Laugh all you want, Dani," I said laughing as I walked to class.

I entered the classroom, followed by Danielle, and saw Hanni sitting in the center seats.

"I'll go sit with my girlfriend," I said in a strange voice.

"Apart from being pretty, you can read minds," in seconds, I was sitting next to her. I walked to my usual spot, but now I took Danielle's place until the end.

"Young people," the physics teacher spoke. "I have very good news for you." He adjusted his small glasses. "I canceled the final exam." The whole room cheered. "You're probably wondering how I'll grade you," he assured, and someone exclaimed "noooo," causing another uproar in the room. "Students! Attention!" he shouted, managing to silence everyone. "Thank you," he said when he managed to control the class.

"You will answer a small guide in teams," he took out a packet of sheets from under the desk. "I will form the teams, or rather the pairs," he clarified.

"Why?" I thought annoyed. There's nothing worse than teachers forming teams; now who knows who I'll be stuck with. I always did team assignments with Danielle.

He named the first team and asked one student to come forward to receive the guide.

"Here," the teacher said, handing over the entire packet of sheets.

"Do I distribute them?" the student asked unsure.

"No... that's the guide," the small guide was a hundred-page packet. He was undoubtedly crazy.

"Danielle Marsh and..." he looked at the list for the other member, "Pham Hanni." Dani took the monstrous guide.

"Kang Haerin," I stood up to take the guide. "You'll go with..." he said as he searched the list, "Kim Minji ."

"Stop, stop, stop, this must be a joke," I thought incredulously. She's not even in this class." 

I turned to Danielle, who subtly nodded backward. Sure enough, there she was, with her face saying, "I'm the most bitter person in the universe."

I rolled my eyes and walked to my seat, I could see Danielle's mocking smile, and just as I passed her, I hit her with the packet of sheets. I didn't mind working with her; in fact, it would help me more in my goal. Although she probably wouldn't like having to spend time with me. The teacher continued giving instructions for the assignment, but I was still in my own world.

How did I not realize she was in my class? According to me, we were only in History. Why hadn't the idiot Danielle told me?

The bell rang, freeing us from Physics but chaining us to the next class. The room quickly emptied. I picked up my bag next to me to store the enormous packet of sheets, but it no longer fit.

I walked to my locker; I would leave the beastly guide there and would come back for it before leaving. But my plan changed. As I walked down the hallway, I spotted Minji at what was surely her locker. I adjusted my hair as I walked in her direction.