CJ watched the movie.
10 Things I Hate About You.
And yeah… he got it. The attitude. The banter. The quiet, complicated moments. The way the tough girl wrote that poem at the end and cracked open a piece of herself.
He thought of Kim.
And suddenly the line “I hate the way I don’t hate you, not even close…” felt a little too familiar.
By the time Monday rolled around, CJ was mentally prepared to tease her about the movie, maybe crack a joke about becoming a romcom connoisseur.
But then he saw her in the hallway.
Laughing.
With another guy.
Tall. Glasses. Neatly combed hair. The kind of guy who definitely used a planner and didn’t forget his umbrella.
CJ didn’t recognize him at first—but then it hit him.
Ethan Kim. Debate team. Same honors classes as Kim. Probably knew how to pronounce “existentialism” and actually meant it.
CJ told himself it didn’t matter.
But something twisted in his chest anyway.
Later, in class, Kim slid into her seat next to him like usual.
“You’re quiet today,” she said, glancing at him.
CJ shrugged. “Just letting the smart people talk today.”
Kim raised an eyebrow. “That’s new.”
He didn’t answer.
She tilted her head. “Are you okay?”
He shrugged again. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m great. Fantastic. Living the dream.”
“…CJ.”
“I’m just surprised you’re slumming it with me when your new boyfriend clearly passed Advanced Breathing.”
Kim blinked. “New boyfriend?”
“The guy in the hallway. Tall, shiny shoes. Straight-A energy.”
Kim paused—then actually laughed. “That’s my cousin, Ethan.”
CJ’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.” She smirked. “Were you jealous?”
“What? No. Pfft. Jealous? Please. I was just concerned you were upgrading to someone who owns a calculator watch.”
“You’re the worst liar I’ve ever met,” Kim said, still smiling.
CJ groaned and buried his head in his arms. “Kill me now.”
Later, after class, Kim nudged his arm as they walked down the hallway together.
“For the record,” she said, “if I ever had a type… it wouldn’t be someone who owns more highlighters than personality.”
CJ looked sideways at her. “So... not Ethan.”
She gave him a look.
Then added softly, “I like people who surprise me.”
CJ stopped walking for a second, watching her as she walked ahead.
And for once, he didn’t have a comeback.
It all started with a rubber band, a crumpled note, and CJ’s inability to sit still during math.
Kim should’ve known something was up when he started whispering “watch this” under his breath during a lecture on quadratic equations.
She didn’t even look up. “No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m about to do.”
“I know that it will be stupid.”
CJ grinned anyway, loaded a tiny paper ball into the rubber band slingshot, aimed toward the back of the room—
—and accidentally launched it straight into Mr. Delgado’s coffee.
Sploosh.
Silence.
Kim closed her eyes and whispered, “I hate you so much.”
Ten minutes later, CJ and Kim sat side by side in detention for the first time ever.
CJ slouched dramatically in his seat, arms behind his head. “Welcome to the dark side.”
Kim stared straight ahead. “This is my first detention.”
“I feel honored to share this moment with you.”
“I’m making a list of reasons I should switch project partners.”
“You’re already alphabetizing it, aren’t you?”
Kim glanced at him. “It’s in color-coded bullet points.”
CJ laughed. “You’re such a nerd. It’s kind of impressive.”
After a few minutes of silence, CJ tapped his pen on the desk.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“…Sorry.”
Kim turned to him. He wasn’t joking for once.
“For real?” she asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t mean to get you caught up in it. I was trying to hit Jake, not Mr. Delgado’s sacred coffee.”
Kim blinked. “That’s… surprisingly thoughtful.”
He smiled. “Don’t get used to it.”
They sat quietly for a moment.
Then CJ added, “Also, I wrote something. Wanna see?”
Kim raised an eyebrow. “Depends. Is it another comic strip where our history teacher is a lizard overlord?”
“Nope. Song lyrics. I started it after the movie.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Seriously?”
He pulled a wrinkled paper from his pocket and handed it over.
Kim read the short verse silently.
It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t perfect.
But it was real.
> “You don’t smile easy, you don’t waste time
You speak in lines, I live in rhymes
But still, somehow, you pull me in
Like quiet storms beneath your skin…”
Kim looked up, speechless for a moment.
“…This is about me?”
CJ shrugged, suddenly shy. “I mean… maybe. I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
He scratched his head. “I didn’t mean for it to be. But then I kept thinking about umbrellas and poetry and you rolling your eyes every time I talk... so yeah. Maybe it is.”
Kim folded the paper carefully and tucked it into her book.
“I don’t hate it,” she said softly.
CJ blinked. “High praise.”
“From me? It is.”
When detention ended, they stepped outside into the golden haze of afternoon sunlight.
Kim looked at him. “So, what happens next time you try something stupid in class?”
CJ grinned. “You’ll stop me?”
“No,” she said, already walking away. “I’ll bring my own rubber band.”
He watched her go, a little stunned, a lot smiling.
Maybe detention wasn’t such a bad place after all.
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