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[Jiyu—]
Impulsively looking back at Hunter, Jiyu cut him off, her face mottled with a reddish flush.
[Get better, Hunter. Don't blame the Jinx—don't blame me.]
It wasn't until she returned home that she realized it was the first time Hunter had ever called her name properly.
✾ ✾ ✾
The cooling-off period lasted longer than expected. They still did their math tutoring together, but the two spent the winter term of 6th grade without exchanging a single word, acting as if the other didn't exist.
The spring term was the peak of the tennis season. Hunter began missing school more frequently to participate in tournaments.
Jiyu let out a slightly spiteful snort when she heard from Ae-jeong that Hunter, who had been in a slump for over six months without any notable results, had flown into a rage and smashed his racket during the last tournament.
In mid-June, as soon as summer vacation began, Hunter attended a summer camp at a luxury tennis academy in the South of France for two months. Returning to New York in mid-August, he spent the rest of the break at a villa in the Hamptons and returned to the Hamilton residence immediately after the Labor Day holiday.
As soon as he returned home, Hunter summoned Jiyu to the treehouse.
‘Ridiculous. Am I a puppy? Do I have to scurry over just because he calls?’
Jiyu ignored his text. However, as is the case with children's quarrels, the vivid anger and sorrow she had felt had faded, bleached by the intense summer sunlight during their time apart.
‘Why is he calling me now?’
As the appointed time approached, Jiyu, unable to sit still, finally flung the book she was reading onto the bed. She couldn't overcome the curiosity fueled by impulsive adolescent hormones that made her mood swing several times a day.
She opened her closet to change, but feeling a sudden prick of pride, she arrived at the courtyard ten minutes late, still wearing the shorts and tank top she had been in. She planned to leave immediately if he got angry about her being late.
Hunter wasn't inside the treehouse; he was leaning against a pillar, waiting for her.
He was dressed in athletic wear, looking as if he intended to practice soon. His already tall frame seemed to have grown further over the break; he looked as though he would soon exceed six feet. His skin was tanned a deep golden hue, reminiscent of the South French sun.
[Hey.]
Hunter pushed himself off the pillar. He scanned her from head to toe with a gaze that felt somehow unfamiliar.
[…….]
With a cold expression, Jiyu stopped and looked away. Then, he strode toward her with his long legs and abruptly held something out to her. Covering his mouth with his fist, he let out a short apology accompanied by a cleared throat.
[Ahem, hm, sorry.]
It was the first time he had waved a white flag of truce since their second playdate seven years ago. Just like back then, instead of an olive branch, he offered a book as a token of peace.
Jiyu looked down at the book she had instinctively accepted and was nearly shocked into unconsciousness. She could tell just by the worn cover peeking through the clumsily tied ribbon that he had wrapped it himself.
‘<The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy>’
It was her favorite sci-fi novel. Hunter knew that. Unable to resist, she untied the ribbon, carefully lifted the cover, and flipped through the yellowed pages.
A 1979 first edition.
It bore the handwritten signature of the author, Douglas Adams, who had passed away in 2001.
Jiyu gasped and covered her mouth. She then carefully closed the book and hugged it to her chest. When she looked up, Hunter was looking down at her with a slight curl of his lips, before turning his head away and clearing his throat again.
This was an obvious bribe. She knew that by accepting this, there would be a price to pay. Yet, it was an apology gift that was simply impossible to refuse.
[…Thanks, Hunter.]
And so, just before entering 7th grade, the two reconciled. Jiyu once again reclaimed her position as Hunter's winning 'Jinx.'
That weekend, Hunter made a dazzling comeback, clinching the championship trophy at the U14 L1 tournament held in Chicago.
The spring term of 7th grade. April was exceptionally mild compared to previous years.
New York winters can be stubborn, so it often snowed even in mid-April. It wasn't until May that a brilliant spring shyly showed its face, only to quickly give way to the scorching arrival of summer.
Perhaps because spring arrived early, it rained frequently instead of snowing.
Three times a week, the final class was Physical Education (PE). However, today, all team and individual outdoor sports were canceled due to the rain.
In such cases, indoor classes were held at the sports center shared by Aster School and Alton School.
In the large gym, the 7th graders from both schools sat in rows on the polished wooden floor. Even so, with only about 50 to 60 students per grade, there were fewer than 120 people in total from both schools.
Within the humid air that had seeped indoors, the smell of adolescent boys' sweat and the unusually sweet scent of girls' perfume mixed in a suffocating blend. Perhaps because the more pungent smells canceled each other out, it was actually bearable.
Jiyu arrived at the gym a bit late, as she had stayed behind after history class to discuss her capstone project topic on ancient civilizations with her teacher.
As she opened the heavy soundproof door and stepped inside, she paused. Whether they had been seated on a first-come, first-served basis, the students from Alton School and Aster School were randomly mixed together. On rainy days, they usually did fitness training or simple team sports games in the gym, but today there seemed to be a special lesson.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Jiyu's face as she spotted the back of Chloe's head, who was sitting in the second row from the front. She planned to quietly slip into the seat next to her once she found an opportunity.
Slipping in unnoticed, like a ghost, was Jiyu's specialty. It was one of the survival mechanisms she had mastered in the ruthless jungle of an Upper East Side private school as an introvert.
Raising her heels, Jiyu sat at the very end, killing even the squeaking sound of her sneaker soles against the slippery, polished wooden floor.
Fortunately, no one paid her any attention. Only the boy sitting next to her glanced at her briefly before returning his gaze to the front.
Soon, the school nurses from both schools, Miss Shapiro and Mr. Hawkins, began the lesson with a human anatomical model placed in the center.
[Today, for the second part of 'Safety & Survival,' we are going to learn about Vital Signs—how to check biological responses in an emergency.]
During the last winter term, on a day when it was snowing heavily, a PE teacher with a lifeguard certification had given a lecture on first aid and CPR instead of a regular gym class.
Suddenly, there was a loud thud as the door closed. Then, stomp, stomp. The indifferent sound of footsteps echoed as someone walked in boldly, making a racket despite being late.
Jiyu suddenly stiffened. Just from the sound of the footsteps, her shoulders tensed and the fine hairs on her arms stood on end.
‘It's Hunter.’
It was an inexplicable, instinctive reaction. While the other students' gazes turned toward the door in unison, Jiyu didn't even turn her head.
[Hamilton, sit over there at the end.]
Mr. Duncan, the Alton School PE teacher, stood up and pointed to the spot next to Jiyu.
With a series of clicking footsteps, Hunter walked a few more steps and plopped down.
[Hi, Hunter!]
Sienna greeted him in a low voice, but everyone heard her.
[What's up, Triple.]
A boy sitting in front of him turned around and held out a fist. Hunter lightly bumped it.
[Yo, Hamilton.]
Once the various greetings subsided, Miss Shapiro resumed the lesson. Only then did Jiyu steal a glance at Hunter. He, too, shifted only his eyes to glance at her.
When their eyes met, he acknowledged her with a barely perceptible nod of his chin and a slight twitch of his eyebrow. Jiyu was a bit flustered, but she acknowledged him back with a small movement of her eyelids.
As she rolled her eyes back to the front, she locked eyes with Sienna. Sienna was sitting in the second row, coincidentally next to Chloe. Her gaze, as she turned her head halfway toward where Hunter and Jiyu were sitting, was ominous.
Suspicion, and denial.
Jiyu swallowed hard and cast her eyes down. She had no desire to become Sienna's enemy while attending Aster School.
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