𝟐𝐎𝐎𝟐 , 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐤.

lunch, but better.

    The loneliness was not making her upset. It was the betrayal.

He promised Jamie he wouldn't leave her alone, yet he did. It was the betrayal. And if Jamie hated anything in this world — which was not much, because her mom told her hate is a strong word — it was betrayal. That, and horses.

    The groups of kids that had once been shouting and playing slowly began dispersing. Jamie watched parents enter and leave with their children, how they held hands as they talked. Jamie's eyes switched over and focused their attention onto the other kids. How easily they laughed together. How animated their lips moved.

    It was when the lingering feeling of jealousy stung her heart a bit too hard that Jamie finally stood up. She angrily smoothed down her skirt as she trudged towards his mother, who was watching her with curious eyes.

    And it was at that very moment, when she was about to greet the woman, when she heard a scream.

    "Jamiee!" she heard a boy yell.

    Jamie stopped. She didn't even want to turn around. The raspy, boy-ish scream only belonged to one person. But she still did.

    Hoseok was running towards her at full speed.

    She waited for him, stone faced. Eventually, Hoseok caught up to her, completely out of breath and gasping for air. People stared at the boy, slightly concerned. She heard his mother laugh behind her. Jamie would have laughed too if she wasn't upset at him.

    "Jamie!" Hoseok kept panting, "where're you... where you going? Why... you leaving me...?"

    "Leaving you?" Jamie said, offended. "I was on the grass! For a very long time! Waiting!" she said. Both failed to notice the strange looks Hoseok's mother was giving them.

    Suddenly, Hoseok's eyes looked very sad. "Sorry, Jam. My friends wanted to go play on the playground before they left."

    "What? Why did you not tell me?" Jamie's little brows furrowed.

    "I forgot. I'm really sorry, Jam Jam."

    Jamie didn't say anything. She was just tired now. All she did was turn around and look at Mrs. Jung.

Hoseok looked up at his own mother, just realizing she was here. He said hello in his small, excited voice and hugged her. Jamie, rather impatiently, watched them smile and embrace in silence.

"Can we go?" Jamie asked, still looking at Hoseok's mother. The woman's gaze switched over to the smaller girl. Jamie was given a slow nod with a kind smile, and three of them left without another word.

    A strange silence accompanied them as they walked, one that they weren't quiet used to. Silence was not common between the loudest kids in their neighborhood. Neither Jamie or Hoseok enjoyed this quiet, but not knowing what to say, they hesitantly embraced it for a while.

Hoseok's mother wasn't quite sure what to make of their silence neither. Uncertain, she asked them, "How was school?"

"It was good!" Hoseok exclaimed. The three words instantly soured Jamie's mood. "We did adding and snakes and language arts and at lunch I was on the playground and after lunch we did music and other stuff and then after school I played on the playground again."

    Hoseok continued rambling about his friends for another few seconds, stopping when he tired himself out and starting over with an "and also—" when he thought of something else. It made his mother laugh.