Step to You

SIXTY-THREE

Rose's POV

I remember I once heard from The Fault in Our Stars that the thing about pain is "it demands to be felt."

But when you got hurt so much, your heart would start to get numb. It would suddenly stop feeling anything. But you know you're still hurting.

I'm still so lucky I got my friends who always have my back.

Jennie is always joining us at lunch ever since she and I learned about Soyeon and her friends slapping Elise. She is really so influential in school, nobody dares talking behind our backs whenever she's with us. Van is also always with us four. He keeps treating us to snacks after class, and last Sunday when we had a group date, he took us to a really fancy restaurant. I jokingly said he's really rich because he doesn't care spending money, but he told me, "I don't mind spending for important people." That earned a whoop and a tap on the back from Elise and Sue.

It has been two weeks since I stopped minding JK. I don't talk to him at home. Yes, I'm still not going back to my own place. Mom said Auntie needs us right now. Aunt Annaly is getting really depressed. She's also losing weight. Just yesterday, someone came at the house and said Auntie must go to the bank and talk regarding her properties.

I always eat at the same table with JK, breakfast and dinner. But I don't look at him now. I know Auntie notices it, she even once tried having us talk by asking us to buy something at the grocery store. But it was JK who stopped her and went out without a word. Auntie stopped trying us to talk to each other since. Good thing is that Mom doesn't interfere with my decision to ignore JK. She knew what happened.

"Honey, it would help you grow up," Mom had told me, "getting hurt would help you make better choices."

That's what makes me optimistic now. I should be careful with my choices. I realized there are far better things to prioritize.

Besides, I'm still young. I got to enjoy life instead of hurting!

So here I am now at a bright Saturday morning, eating ice cream and fries while watching The Grinch Who Stole Christmas in my laptop. I'm at the middle of the movie when knocks through my door came, and a grumpy looking Jasmine came, holding her big teddy bear.

"What is it?" I asked as she sat down beside me on the bed.

"Can I stay here?" she asked, lying on her stomach and resting her face on her palms. "What's this movie? Can we watch a horror film, Rosie?"

Look at this kid.

"Why don't you watch downstairs?"

She pouted, "JK's girlfriend is there. They're flirting on the sofa and they're such an eyesore."

Oh. So Soyeon is here then?

A sharp pain quickly passed through my chest, but I dismissed it like a defense mechanism.

Does she know I live here?

I saw Jasmine staring at me. "Why?"

She smirked, "Aren't you jealous?"

I sighed. Of course. But I shook my head. "I am not."

"Who are you kidding?" She focused her eyes on the laptop.