Hello (- SHINee)

Hello

(SHINee)

 

“Hello...”

       Stopping and turning, Misha looked at the boy standing behind her"or, rather, now in front of her. “May I help you?” she asked politely. “I’m not in your way, am I?”

       “Uh… um. Excuse me…”

       Misha could not help start tapping her foot against the ground.

       “You’re Michelle, right?”

       “It’s Misha,” she corrected automatically. How annoying, having to tell that to every new person that came her way!

       The boy shifted his weight from one leg to another. “Oh… uh, okay.” Misha waited expectantly. What did this guy want?

       “I need to go,” he blurted suddenly. “Bye!” and with that he ran away back to the main school building, dark-blond hair streaming back with the wind.

       Bewildered, Misha could only stare after him.

       What was that about?

+++

“Miiiiishaaa!”

       “Yes, Abby?”

       Abigail, a head shorter than Misha, grinned up at her. “Hey, hey…”

       Sighing, Misha disentangled herself from Abigail’s vice-like hug. “What is it?”

       “Do you want to come to the mall with me today after school?” asked Abigail.

       She frowned. “I don’t know… I might have to babysit Hayden if my parents are out.” Hayden was Misha’s little brother.

       “At least promise me that you’ll try to come,” whined Abigail, tugging on Misha’s arm like a child.

       “You know, sometimes I think Hayden’s the sixteen-year-old and you’re the eight-year-old,” Misha muttered, causing Abigail to first pout at her and then grin. “But okay, I’ll see. If Mum calls me, then I’ll have to go home, and if not then I’ll tag along with you to the mall. Deal?”

       Abigail stuck a hand out. “Deal.”

       And they shook on it.

+++

The final bell rang for the day and Misha, like her other classmates, were packing their bags. After zipping hers up, Misha groped for her phone and flicked it open.

       (1) New Message

       She clicked it open, silently cursing in her head when her thumb tapped the ‘back’ button instead of the ‘open’ one. “Stupid smartphone,” she muttered. “I thought you’re meant to be smart?”

       Misha, Hayden’s going to his friend’s place this afternoon. Go out and have fun.

       Grinning, Misha pocketed her phone. This news would please Abigail to no end!

       And it did.

       “You know, your parents are really relaxed about you and Hayden,” Abigail said as they walked around the food court of the shopping centre. Misha decided not to answer; her best friend had been claiming non-stop that she was starving the minute they exited the school grounds, and Misha was desperate to shove some food into Abigail’s mouth to shut her up.

Hence why they were now standing in front of McDonald’s, arguing over whether to get a frozen coke or a sundae.

       “A sundae is better because it’s always so hot out here on the Gold Coast,” said Abigail. “I’ve heard that it’s cooler down in Sydney or Melbourne.”

       “Melbourne would probably be colder than Sydney. And I think the entire country of Australia is a boiling cauldron.”

       “That’s not important. We’re getting sundaes.”

       “Abby, they melt too quickly. Now, frozen cokes don’t. They taste better and they’re cheaper, too.”

       “But…”

       “How about this? You get a sundae and I get a frozen coke. Okay?”

       “Fine,” Abigail agreed grudgingly.

Misha smiled triumphantly. “Good girl. Now you go and buy the food and I’ll find us a place to sit.”

As she walked between occupied tables with her schoolbag on her back, Misha attempted not to feel odd and awkward about the fact she was still wearing her uniform. It was not that abnormal for teenaged students to hang out around the mall after school, right? Spotting a two-seater table close by, Misha made a beeline for it. She sat down on one of the seats and dumped her bag on the one across from her, saving it for Abigail when she returned with their snacks. Against her will, Misha’s stomach growled in protest. She scowled and pulled out her phone, sending a text to Abigail to hurry up.

“Michelle--I mean, Misha?”

Glancing up, Misha saw the boy from earlier on standing beside her, staring at her with his electric blue eyes. “Can I help you?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

He fidgeted. “No… I just saw you over here and thought I’d say hello. Yeah. That’s it. Bye!” and he dashed away, weaving through the crowded area expertly. A dark-haired boy was waiting for him at the edge of the food court.

Turning back to her phone, Misha smirked slightly. “What a weird guy,” she muttered.

“A guy?! Whom?”

“Give me my coke, Abigail,” demanded Misha without looking up. She held a hand out, the other one typing a text to her father telling him that she would be home before dinner. Something cold was put into Misha’s outstretched hand. Still not taking her eyesight from her phone, she raised the cold article of food to her mouth.

Instead of a straw, Misha’s lips met a soft solid that melted.

“What is this?” she cried, staring at the thing in her hand. “I didn’t want this!”

“Well, I thought maybe your reasoning was right, so I swapped mine with yours,” said Abigail, slurping her frozen coke happily.

Misha stared at the strawberry sundae on her palm. “You owe me a coke,” she accused.

“And you owe me a sundae. We’re even.”

Misha had a tempting urge to smash her ice-cream into Abigail’s face.

+++

Misha grumbled under her breath as she rummaged in her pockets for the copy of the house key she had. “Why lock the door when your daughter hasn’t come home yet?” she muttered.

“It isn’t locked. It’s just closed,” an amused voice said from behind her.

“How would you know?” she asked, spinning around to face a young boy with the same pale-blond hair and dark blue eyes as her.

He shrugged. “Because I was the one that closed it, and the parents have been upstairs in their room since they got home. They’re watching TV,” he added hurriedly when Misha’s face contorted.

“Yeah, whatever… what were you doing? Why’re you so muddy?”

“I was biking. Then I fell into a puddle of mud.”

Misha sighed wearily. “Stupid, Hayden, that’s really stupid. Only you would go biking after it rained so much.”

Hayden grinned at her although he was scowling. “I know that, Misha.” He pushed past her and opened the door, disappearing inside as Misha took her shoes off in the hall.

“Mum! Dad? I’m home!” she called.

“Dinner’s on the bench, honey!” her mother yelled back. Misha hurried into the kitchen and beheld a large bowl of cooked instant noodles awaiting her there. Hayden, now clean and mud-free, entered as she finished eating her food.

“Did you leave any for me?” he asked. His sister shook her head and rinsed her bowl while he pouted and paddled to the pantry, rooting about inside and emerging with a packet of salted potato chips.

+++

Abigail stared at her.

Misha stared back.

“Why?!” shrieked Abigail. “Why won’t you just do it?”

“I don’t want to.”

“That’s not a good enough reason, Misha.”

“So?”

Abigail heaved an enormous groan for someone her size. “Honestly, why do you dislike it so much?”

“I just don’t. You can’t make me like it, either.”

The two girls looked down at the small container of chocolate mousse on the table between them.

Uttering a growl, Abigail picked it up and tore the lid off. “Well, if you aren’t going to eat it, then I will,” she muttered savagely as she plunged the plastic spoon in. Misha watched in amusement as Abigail devoured the dessert in less than half a minute.

“I don’t think chocolate mousse is even allowed in school,” remarked Misha when Abigail returned from throwing the now-empty container away.

“Who cares?” said Abigail. “Okay, tell me everything, since you didn’t yesterday.”

“What do I tell you?” asked Misha.

Abigail waved a hand in the air impatiently, clipping Misha on the side of her head accidentally. “Him! Him! Who was that person? Why was he there?” she exclaimed excitedly. Misha blanked at her.

Frowning, Abigail sent her a you-better-tell-me-right-now-and-don’t- hide-it look. “Stop pretending you don’t know,” she said. “I saw him. With my own eyes! Now cough up.”

“What is there to cough up?” asked Misha, completely bewildered.

“The blond guy!” Abigail nearly yelled. “The guy at the food court yesterday, the one who came up to you especially and talked to you. Who was he?”

“Oh,” Misha murmured, comprehension dawning on her. “Him!”

       Abigail tapped her fingers on the table.

       “I don’t know who he is,” Misha admitted.

       “YOU DON’T KNOW?!” Abigail screamed. “WHAT, DID YOU NOT ASK FOR HIS NAME? HE KNOWS YOURS SO WHY DON’T YOU KNOW HIS?!?!”

       Misha winced as she covered her ears. “Whoa, Abigail, I didn’t know you cared that much about this,” she muttered.

       “Of course I do. This is your opportunity to finally fall in love and get the guy of your dreams! Every other chance was ruined by the Slutian, and since she’s away at the university in Canberra at the moment, she can’t destroy any romances you might have.”

       “I don’t know… I don’t think he likes me, he just knows my name and feels that he needs to be polite so that’s probably why he came up to me.”

       “Michelle.”

       “Don’t call me"”

       “Michelle, you stupid idiot!”

       Misha gaped at Abigail’s sudden outburst. “What’s up with your curiosity?” she asked, completely baffled at her friend’s uncharacteristic behaviour. “Why are you so desperate to know who he is and all that?”

       Abigail banged a fist down on the table. “Why, you ask?” she growled, glaring at Misha. “How thick is your skull? You’re a mostly-A student, so why can’t you figure this out? The guy obviously likes you and you don’t realise it!”

       “He does not--”

       “Michelle Lindsey, I am a pro in the department of romance, okay? The number one rule concerning people like me is never underestimate a pro. I can tell by a single glance if someone has feelings for someone, so when I say that person likes you, I mean it.”

       “It doesn't seem likely,” frowned Misha. “No one has liked me before.”

       “No one has liked you before, which you know of,” corrected Abigail. “You’re a pretty girl who is just so dense that you sink when it comes to romance, so I wish the poor boy luck when he chases after you.” She produced another small tub of chocolate mousse and began eating it, diplomatically ignoring Misha’s hurled glances of revulsion at the dessert.

       “How can it not go bad in this hot weather?” she wondered.

       Looking up briefly, Abigail answered, “I have ten ice-packs in the cooler bag I call my lunch bag.” And then she returned her full and undivided attention back to the chocolate mousse.

       “Do I know you?” Misha muttered before answering her own question. “No, I don’t, you’re just some weird kid that’s sitting with me for lunch.”

       “Hey!” exclaimed Abigail, pointing her spoon at Misha. “That’s offensive and stereotypical to all the weird kids out there, Misha.”

       Misha sighed.

+++

“There are rules when you’re in a relationship,” began Abigail in her best teacherly tone.

       “Yeah, I know that,” retorted Misha. “Remind me again why we’re sitting at the top of a tree after school when we should be going home? I have to babysit Hayden today.”

       “You can go later,” Abigail replied dismissively. “Now, the number one rule when in a relationship: if your boyfriend offers you chocolate mousse, you eat it. No matter how much you hate it or how disgusting it is, you still eat it.”

       “Honestly, Abigail, that again?”

       “Yes, that again! I betted against Hayden today over the phone that I would get you to eat chocolate mousse, no matter what it takes!”

       “When did you do that?”

       “You haven’t eaten any yet.”

       “No, when did you get into that bet with Denny?”

       “Oh, that… before I left the house this morning. Seven o’clock-ish.”

       Misha frowned. “I thought he was showering at seven? He had locked the bathroom door when I really needed to use the toilet. And it doesn’t take you an hour and a half to get to school, two hours at the latest.”

       “You’ve always been so perceptive at matters like that,” complained Abigail. “Why can’t you be more perceptive about feelings?”

       Misha began to zone out.

       “Okay, you didn't catch anything I said about relationships,” said Abigail, leaping off the branches one-by-one and landing on the ground after some kind of somersault. “It’s kind of mean to fall asleep when someone’s teaching you, Misha,” she said reproachfully. Coming out of her doze, Misha lost her balance and tumbled downward through the branches without a chance of being able to be stopped.

       “Misha!” Abigail yelled. Falling through the last of the leaves, Misha began dropping to the ground.

       “Wha--oomph,” mumbled Misha as the front of her head was squashed against something warm. She could feel arms underneath her and her legs were dangling, and Misha looked up into a pair of electric blue orbs.

       “Oh, it’s you again,” she murmured. For some obscure reason, her cheeks heated up and she attempted to hide her face.

       The boy smiled slightly. “Yeah, it’s me again,” he said, placing her onto her feet.

       Feeling awkward and out-of-place Misha said, “Thank you for, uh, catching me.”

       He smiled again. “It was no problem. And, Misha?” he added as she started to turn away.

       “Hmm?”

       “You’re pretty when you blush,” he whispered shyly. Misha became red again.

       “Thanks.”

+++

(1) New Message

Misha, Dad and I are going to my friend’s house for dinner today and won’t be back until late. You’ll need to look after Hayden this arvo, okay? Thanks! -Mum xox

Heading out of the school gates as she tucked her phone away, she walked straight into someone. “Sorry!” she exclaimed at the same time as the other person did. “Wait, you’re that guy!”

‘That guy’ gave her another one of his little smiles. “I’m Gabriel, but call me Gabe, in return for me calling you Misha.”

“Oh… okay. Hello, Gabe.”

“Hello.”

Author's Note

Too straightforward?

Reviews

[Priya]

Straightforward? This is perfect! Please do continue. I haven't read such a clearly written romance story in a long long time! Your characterizations are very good, and the dialogue even better :) this is going into my favourites. 100/100

P.S. Proof read to remove a few errors in punctuation

[~By R.N.]

I freaking love this! Your style is so refreshing and humorous--it made it pace well and easy to read. I seriously love Abigail. She's too funny and serious with the silliest things.

I really think you should keep it the same. It's not too straightforward. It's brilliant! I cannot wait until you post more.

Misha seems like an interesting character. Like she's some type of robot with a sophisticated outlook of the world. The scene where Gabe caught her and she blushed actually proves that she has emotions! Yay! I actually had an "awww" moment when Gabe told her she looked cute when she blushed.

There are kinks, of course, like in every story. You have unnecessary " marks throughout the writing. Also, some words are misused or the structure of a sentence is off. Get to the fixing whenever you can. It'll make the story easier to read and more professional.

Please let me know whenever you update! This is an amazing story, one of the best that I've read so far.