Short Story: Cheers!

Cheers?

John came back from cafeteria. It was dinner time and his eyes seemed to lost their focus.

“R-r-ring”. My cellular phone alarmed me for a text message. It was the first self-study period right next day I finished my dance performance in “Freshmen Party”: a party for freshmen to attract them and make them apply for performance club like bands or hip-hop clubs. I first thought the message was from my mom, as always she sent a “dinner message” to me. I skimmed through my new message list to find my mother’s dinner message. Yet, I wasn’t able to find mother’s dinner message; it didn’t matter though, since I was still tired, and my body was quivered because of b-boy performance beyond my body limit, I didn’t even try or want to check if another people have sent a message. I threw my cellular phone on my bed and enjoyed my time in my little Netherland sitting on my armchair.

* * * *

Rala was sitting on the sofa in Dasan building. She was impatiently biting her fingernail, wobbling her foot.

“Rala! What happened?”

Ji Young, Rala’s friend and leader of cheerleading team, shattered the anxious ambience around Rala. Rala, startled all of the sudden regained focus of her eyes and looked at Ji Young.

Ji Young called her again, “You do remember what you’ve told me yesterday, right?” After a few moments, Rala replied, “Oh… yes…yes of course! I’ve text messaged them already but still not got a single reply from them”. Only Rala’s eyes moved and she didn’t even tempt to move her body. “You know,” Ji Young said, “our team lacks boy cheer-leaders, who ought to be there! We cannot do any kind of stunt cheerleading only with feeble girls…. Last night you said your club freshmen, boy dancers, showed a great stunt and performance! I’m really looking forward to let them join our cheerleading team! I believe in your ‘Sun-bae’ power…”

After Ji Young left for her thesis paper review, Rala draw a deep breath. ‘WHY! NO! REPLY!’

* * * *

Ji Young’s face clearly reflected her inner feeling: she was greatly disappointed and somewhat be dejected. She expected some good news from her friend Rala: boys with good potential and fine dance experience would join cheerleading team.

Although she supposed to focus more on her college essay and application, she spent more time on cheerleading team that she loved; ironically when she looked back her past years to find some good theme for her college essay, she found there were tenacious spirit of dance within her since she was five, learning ballet which led her to digression. She was that much passionate about cheerleading that she almost regarded her college same with cheerleading club activity.

She walked toward her classroom imagining of great performance that new club members, the hip-hop dance club boys, will show her. No one will be able to possibly imagine how much her expectation towards the boys was high.


* * * *

Three days later.

It has been three days since I lost my phone. Before I came to this dormitory school, I never cared about my phone: basically because I didn’t have phone until I was 8th grade and there were no serious call from other people to me. Although some of the phone calls or text messages were urgent calls, they somehow contacted with me in other kinds of ways. Yet, this jail like dormitory school, away from any kind of civilization, suddenly amplified the importance of my phone: the only way to contact with outside world and the only and the most convenient way for my friends to contact with me for surging group projects. So, now I clearly do care about my phone, worried about text messages that would wait for me to check them out.

* * * *

“Rala! I….” one of Rala’s short-story group project members Hyoeun grabbed Rala’s shoulder. Yet, Rala shook Hyoeun’s hand off violently and said “WHAT!” without even looking back. “Sorry… I think we should meet one more time later…” “Fine, I don’t mind” replied Rala.

“Rala!”

“What! Still have something to say? Can’t you just do it yourself and text-message me later?” said Rala; when Rala looked back after shouting to her friend, she realized that it was actually her adviser calling her, not her friend Hyoeun. “Jeepers!” Her advisor’s face contorted. After quick figures, Rala tried to explain her situation and give some excuses to her advisor. Unfortunately, epic fail. Her advisor already went away.

Three days have been passed since Rala sent text message to scout John. Rala still have no reply from John. Ji Young always asked about the reply from John to Rala whenever Ji Young met her which made Rala even more irritated. Rala chafed at the bit to every single thing, sometimes even to her teacher.

After launch time, Rala called Bob, John’s friend, to ask what is John’s next class. It was 1:32, 8 minutes before class starts. Rala rushed down the hill with flushed face and puffing hard breath like a red bull. Her eyes were searching for John who would probably pushing his way through crowd of students in the Dasan lobby. Finally Rala’s mad eye detected the target. “JOHN!!!”

* * * *


“JOHN!!!”. ‘Did someone call me?’ with a great suspense and fear I could barely look back. Throughout my 17 years of lives, I’ve never heard someone yawping like this. What was more frustrating was that that screaming like voice was finding me. When I looked back, I could see Rala, my dance club leader. Her eyes were sparking and she was rushing towards me; my instinct for survival said ‘RUN!’ to me. So did I.