| Fan Fiction |
by Take_Flight
Yee Jin checked out hers. “Omo..mine have tiny crack lines on it. Will it break overnight?” she asked worriedly.
“No it won’t silly! But look at MINE. It’s the best of the best. It even has intricate designs on it as well” Dana proudly showed her art piece to everyone.
“That’s unfair! Miss Arena did that for you. You were simply sitting there and doing nothing the whole time during the class” Taemin retorted.
“YAH! You take that back!” Dana screeched at him, banging the table.
Changmin looked up from the magazine he was reading and watched as the two students squabble while the third one was trying to shut them up. The scene reminded him of the days when Yoochun and Yunho were always picking on Junsu and Changmin was caught in the middle.
“They can be quiet a handful most of the times” Nadine spoke up from behind him. Changmin moved aside to let her placed her stuff on the teacher’s table.
“Did you carry that all the way here?” Changmin asked, gesturing to the stack of drawings she was carrying together with three thick books.
Nadine nodded, flexing and massaging her arms. “Killer load” she told him. Changmin put the magazine back onto the rack behind her. “You should have at least called me or the students to help you” he told her.
Nadine rolled her eyes. “Its fine, I do it all the time” she insisted. She looked at her watch. “What time are the suppliers coming?” she asked.
“Soon. They’re kind of stuck in traffic” Changmin replied. “Are you rushing off to somewhere after this?”
“Nope. Do I look like I’m in a rush?” Nadine asked him, arranging the papers on the desk.
Changmin shrugged. “Kinda. But I understand if you need to go off first. It’s my fault too for telling you at the last minute about the art supplies coming in today”
Nadine waved her hand away, brushing off his apology. “No worries. I’m pretty excited myself to see what you’ve got for the stu—OUCH!”
Changmin hurriedly stood by her side just as she withdraw her hands from the stack of papers and saw two long thin slits on her right index fingers. Blood was already seeping out and Changmin fished out his handkerchief from his breast pockets and covered the open wound.
“Stupid papercuts!” Nadine was grumbling as she pressed the cloth onto her finger. “I better wash it before it gets infected” she told him and left the room.
Yee Jin heard the commotion and asked Changmin what had happened. “Just a small papercut. Do you happen to have a first aid kit?” he asked her. The girl nodded and ran to the back of the class where she retrieved a green box from a tall cupboard. She gave it to him at the same time Nadine came from the washroom, dabbing the now damp handkerchief onto her finger.
“Omo Miss Arena, you ought to be careful next time!” Yee Jin told her when she saw the dark red stains on the cloth.
“It’s nothing Yee-Jin. Stuff like this happens all the time. Could you help me return back these drawings to the class? I’ve already graded it” Nadine told her.
While Yee Jin proceeded with her task, Changmin told Nadine to take a seat while he nursed her injured finger. “You don’t have to. The cut’s not that deep!” Nadine argued with him but Changmin insisted and Nadine gave in.
As Changmin applied the medicated lotion onto her finger, he noticed her clutching his handkerchief with her left hand, her lips pressed together. “Does it hurt?” he asked. He finished applying the lotion and wrapped her finger with a white strip bandage.
“It stings” Nadine told him. “Oh, and I got it ruin” she said holding up his handkerchief. “I’ll get it wash and return it to you ASAP araso?”
Changmin chuckled. “No rush” he said. They were both silent for a while until Nadine spoke up. “It’s rare to see guys carry this piece of cloth in this century” she commented, leaning back on her seat.
“It’s more like…a habit for me. I’ve been carrying that since middle school. My mum used to make me bring it and I don’t like it. But it slowly grows on me so why not? And I know what you are thinking. Men who carry this mere piece of cloth are considered a mummy’s boy” Changmin said, patting her bandaged finger with a satisfied smile.
Nadine held up her bandaged finger and smiled to herself. “Actually no. I think it’s bold of you to do that. Not many men these days who would be able to pull that off so easily. However, I read somewhere that some women find it….appealing if they happen to stumble upon men like you” she told him.
Changmin raised his eye brows. “So do you find me appealing?” he asked innocently causing Nadine to burst out laughing. “I’m not going to answer that” she told him as she stood up.
Changmin noticed Nadine was blushing as she turned away from him. He put the first-aid box away wondering what the hell was wrong with him. He had noticed that these few days, there’s been a rather weird phenomenon overcoming him. And it only occurs every time he’s with Nadine. He will start saying things he didn’t know that he could say in the first place and instead of Nadine getting disturbed or flustered, she simply brushed him off or taking it easily.
Changmin’s phone beeped and he read the message. “Hey guys! Your stuffs are here!” he announced to the class.
“Wooooaaaah!! FINALLY!” Taemin whopped, scampering to the corridor with the rest of the students. Nadine shook her head at the herd as she followed them down the stairs and to the back of the building where a blue truck was waiting for them. Changmin followed her closed behind and watched as they unload the stuff. Nadine turned to Changmin who was standing behind her, and looking rather pleased. “Thank you” she mouthed to him before joining her students and helping them carry the stuff back to the studio.
Changmin felt his heart swelling with contentment as he watched his hard work paid off. All those days spent calling up different stores that could offer their items at a good cheap price, and the numerous meet-ups he had with Nadine and her student just to listen to what they had in mind for the curriculum.
Changmin saw Nadine trying to lift a few easels by herself but he quickly took it from her. “I’m not letting you” he told her as they walked side by side. Nadine sighed as she picked up a box containing the paintbrushes. “Fine. I’ll carry these then” she told him. “Thanks again for all this”
“Enough thanking me already” Changmin pointed out as they reached the studio.
“I can’t!” Nadine told him with an amused expression. ”I’m just so…thrilled! Don’t you think so? And it’s definitely a win-win situation. I can finally get to teach the subject I love the most, the students get to embrace Art and you…you’ll probably have a pay raise after this. Who knows?” Nadine laughed. “See! Everyone’s happy!”
Changmin stared at her in amazement, almost forgetting about the heavy weight of the three easels he was holding. Suddenly, someone cleared her throat. He glanced behind and saw Dana, with a brown sealed box in her hand.
“Are you going to stand there and stare at my teacher, or are you going to move your butt and let me walk?” Dana grumbled.
“S…sorry” Changmin stammered and walked to the back of the room to place the easels. “Dammit! Was it obvious that he was staring at her the whole time?
“Wow! I never seen this room look so alive!” someone commented. “Now I can’t wait to start lessons next week!” Yee-Jin squealed.
Changmin observed Nadine who had joined her class in the middle of the room and commenting on all the stuff that they had gotten. Nadine must have felt Changmin was watching her for she glanced up and gave him a small smile. Changmin mouthed “Your welcome” before Nadine had the chance to say “Thank You” again. Nadine gave him a disbelief look and giggled.
“Whatever” she replied before turning back to her students.
Changmin quietly slipped out of the studio, and glanced back at the class before leaving. His gaze lingered for a while on Nadine and deep down, he was glad that Mr Jung had agreed on this mini-project of his.