Chapter Text
Rumi’s pen scratched loudly across the referral slip as she tried not to glare at the girl leaning against the lockers across from her.
Sung Mira didn’t seem even slightly remorseful. In fact, she looked bored . Her arms were crossed, one boot-clad foot propped casually against the wall, blowing into a wad of fruity-smelling bubblegum like she was in a bad teen drama. Her hair was tucked behind one ear, revealing the long row of studs and earrings that she never took out. Rumi rolled her eyes at the sheer try-hard edginess of it all. The gum popped. Loudly.
“I just told her to back off.” Mira said, not even looking at the purple-haired girl as she lazily glanced around the hall. She caught a freshman’s eye, and Rumi didn’t miss how he quickly gasped and scurried away. “She threw the first pencil.”
“That doesn’t make it okay for you to threaten to shove it back up her— ”
“You don’t even like Rosalie.” Mira interrupted with a crooked smile. “Didn’t she push in front of you in the lunch line like, last week? Still mad you beat her out for junior rep on the student council, huh?”
“That’s irrelevant.” Rumi snapped, finishing her signature with a little too much force.
“Uh huh.” Mira pushed off the wall and cocked her hip. “Keep defending your precious pecking order, princess.” Rumi bristled.
“It’s called a positive learning environment.”
“Sure…” Mira drawled around another smack of her gum. That infuriating gum. “And I’m the Queen of England.”
Rumi didn’t dignify that with a response. She ripped the yellow referral slip from her hall-monitor’s pad with deliberate precision. Mira watched with mild amusement, leaning just close enough to make Rumi feel the heat of her gaze. It irritated her more than anything else in this world.
"Keep pushing people around and you’ll be spending more time in detention than in class." Rumi muttered, shoving the slip towards the taller girl.
"You offering to keep me company there?" That low voice drawled out as Mira delicately accepted it with two fingers. Rumi stiffened, snapping the notebook shut and hoping the vein in her forehead wasn’t popping out again. Judging by the satisfied smirk on Mira’s face, it definitely was.
"Try not to get suspended this week, Sung."
Mira only offered a mock salute before turning on her heel to leave.
__________
Rumi knew she’d be able to breathe freely again once she reached the school offices—her little corner of the student council section felt like a safe haven. It was really just a spare classroom that had a shared door with the principal’s office, but it still welcomed her kindly with that familiar squeaky ceiling fan. And she didn’t mind being a door away from Principal Han, even if he sometimes asked the council members to vacate the room because he needed space to hold detention. He was always kind to her, if not a little pushy on topics like a social life. Like she needed one of those.
"Ryu Rumi, good timing. Come in. Counselor Kim just briefed me on our new mentorship pairings." The man’s familiar voice said, poking his head through his door at the sound of her arrival.
Kim Bobby, in his usual blazer-over-a-tee with sneakers, beamed from the seat beside Han as the girl entered the office. Rumi liked him. Everyone did. He ran music therapy workshops in the guidance office on Fridays and knew all the lyrics to the latest debut albums. But right now, his oddly wide smile wasn’t exactly comforting.
When he’d called her to his desk down the hall last week, she’d eagerly agreed to his proposed mentorship program. It would look good on a college application, and she was always up for helping out her fellow students. He hadn’t told her who she’d be paired with, citing the need for Principal Han’s final approval, but she’d figured nobody could be that bad.
"We want our top student body members to take on mentees this term. " Han said, pushing his glasses up. "And with your stellar record, you were an easy choice."
"Thank you, that means a lot coming from you.” Rumi replied, sitting straighter. "Counselor Kim already gave me the run-down. I’d be happy to help. Who’s my partner?" Bobby gave a thumbs-up, smile growing unnaturally before Han spoke.
“Sung Mira."
Silence.
Rumi blinked.
"I—what?"
"She just needs some socialization help.” Bobby added, too cheerfully for the horrifying prospect they’d just proposed, scrolling through what was presumably Mira’s file. "She’s got academic potential. Just a lack of initiative. And with her... disciplinary record, we thought a structured peer connection might help."
"She doesn’t need a tutor. She needs a parole officer." Rumi scoffed, forgetting for a second that it was not just her and Bobby in the room. Han raised an eyebrow as Bobby chuckled.
“You’re the only student with the track record and enough sense of responsibility to handle someone like Mira. You’re organized, consistent—” Han offered, smoothing down his tie before he was interrupted.
“She nearly decapitated someone with a dry erase marker last semester.”
“She’s passionate!” Bobby clapped his hands together, clearly thrilled with himself. “This mentorship program is about helping students who are misunderstood. Think of it as… character healing.”
__________
"This is character assassination." Rumi grumbled an hour later, stabbing at her tofu angrily with her chopsticks as she sat across from Zoey in their usual lunch spot: the large tree in the corner of the courtyard. “She’s going to drive me to the asylum by week three.”
"Didn’t they pair Jinu with that guy who got suspended for egging the vending machines?"
"That was Mira’s third cousin. This is, apparently, genetic." Rumi deadpanned, barely able to will herself to tell a joke. She almost felt sorry for her fellow student council member. He didn’t handle pressure well. Then again, he’d dumped her in the middle of homecoming freshman year—so maybe not that sorry.
Zoey, whose tray consisted almost entirely of yogurt and jello packets, twirled her spoon. "I dunno. You get to spend one-on-one time with the resident bad girl. Could be interesting."
“I can’t mentor someone who thinks suspension is a hobby.” Rumi groaned as she put her head in her hands.
“Well, I have chemistry with her and she's always been nice to me. She made that Saja guy that used to pick on me finally leave me alone—remember Baby?—I mean, she threatened to key his car, but still.” Zoey took a breath, seemingly having let out the first half her rant without inhaling. “Anyway, she’s actually kinda good at chem. I’ve never seen someone pay less attention but answer more questions when suddenly called on.” Zoey said around a bite. Rumi raised a brow.
“She nearly set the lab on fire last month.” The purple-haired girl shot her friend a look.
“That was mostly the Bunsen burner’s fault, to be fair.” The sophomore shrugged. Rumi just stared at her best friend. “Why are you defending her?”
"What? She’s kinda hot. In a terrifying sort of way." Zoey said, eyes squinting as if trying to picture the pink-haired girl properly.
Rumi rolled her eyes.
“I’m just saying! If one of the mean kids had to shove me in a janitors closet and threaten me with a ruler, I’d pick her.” Zoey offered, biting back a smile at the image.
“Zoey!”
“She’s not the worst option…”
"She’s rude and disruptive and thinks the rules are optional. And that’s all I have, Zo. The rules.” Rumi said, waving her chopsticks exaggeratedly.
"So you’ve noticed her a lot." Zoey accused.
"Because I have to. I end up needing to write a referral slip to guidance for her every other week." She let out, exasperated. Zoey just grinned like she’d won something.
"I bet she’s secretly a genius or something."
"What makes you think that?" Rumi asked, disbelieving.
"Hot delinquents always are—especially the upperclassmen ones. It's an anime thing." Zoey said bluntly, returning to her yogurt cup with a new vengeance. Rumi huffed, biting into her own nearly-forgotten lunch.
Just then, footsteps approached. Mira strolled by, earbuds hanging around her neck, posture loose and languid. She glanced at them with a little upturn of her lips. Rumi’s chopsticks froze mid-air.
"Aw, look at the princess mingling with the common subjects. Heard you’ll be mentoring little old me…” She said, deep voice coming out smooth as syrup with a hint of sharpness before she turned to the girl seated next to Rumi. “Hey, Zo.”
“Hey, Mira…” Zoey let out with a slight giggle before Rumi pinched her side.
“Yeah, yeah. Get it all out now while you can, Sung. We start tomorrow.” Rumi said, trying to sound intimidating despite her mouthful of tofu.
“Oh, I’m so scared.” Mira winked at Zoey. Then, she turned back to Rumi. "See you tomorrow, Ryu. Don’t be late."
She walked off without waiting for a reply.
Rumi took a deep breath, trying to will her face to not turn red from anger. Zoey didn’t help by humming the chorus to some romance drama theme song.
"You okay there, Your Highness?"
Rumi groaned, thunking her head back against the tree. This was going to be a nightmare.