Tangled Strings

Chapter 5: The Aftermath

The words echoed in Chiquita’s mind long after she had left the student council office.

"You're exhausting. Following me around like some lovesick fool. It's pathetic."

She had replayed every rejection Ahyeon had thrown her way before, but this one—this one stung differently. Maybe because there was no teasing, no cold but playful deflection.

Just pure dismissal.

The fluorescent hallway lights buzzed overhead as she walked, her fingers clenched inside the pockets of her hoodie. She could still hear the faint murmurs of students in the background, but their voices felt distant, like white noise drowning under the weight in her chest.

She had smiled, played it off as a joke—like she always did. But the second she turned the corner, away from prying eyes, the mask cracked.

Her steps slowed, her breath hitching for just a moment.

Pathetic.

She leaned against a row of lockers, tilting her head back as she exhaled sharply, willing herself to snap out of it.

She should have been used to it by now. The cold shoulder, the indifference, the clipped responses. Ahyeon had never once entertained her advances, never once given her even the slightest hint of warmth.

So why did this time feel different?

Why did it feel like something inside her had finally shattered?

---

By the time she made it to the music room, Baemon was already packing up. Asa was lazily twirling her drumsticks, while Ruka tuned her bass one last time before slipping it into its case. Rora sat on top of one of the amplifiers, scrolling through her phone.

All three of them looked up the moment she stepped inside.

And all three of them noticed.

Chiquita was always loud when she walked into a room—always the one with a cocky smirk, a teasing remark, or some playful jab. But now?

She was quiet.

Too quiet.

“Yo,” Asa called, her voice laced with suspicion. “What’s up with you?”

Chiquita blinked, snapping back to reality. She forced a grin, shutting the door behind her with her foot. “What do you mean? I’m me as always.”

Ruka arched a brow. “Yeah? Then why do you look like you just got sucker-punched?”

Chiquita scoffed. “Damn, way to compliment a girl, Ruka.”

Rora, still perched on the amp, didn’t say anything. She just watched. Observed.

And that was what made Chiquita uneasy.

Rora had always been the quietest one in the band, the one who didn’t need to say much to make herself heard. But she noticed things.

And Chiquita hated being noticed like this.

She shrugged off her guitar bag and set it against the wall, stretching her arms over her head. “I just had a little chat with our lovely Vice President,” she said, keeping her tone light. “She had some very kind words for me today.”

Ruka’s expression darkened immediately. “Ahyeon again?”

Asa let out a low whistle. “Damn. She really did a number on you this time, huh?”

Chiquita snorted, dropping onto the couch with an exaggerated sigh. “She said I was pathetic.”

Silence.