THE TRANSFER STUDENT

The Truth Untold

The day passed in a split second.

Lisa didn't come to school.

Hoseok had an idea of what was going on - he'd heard rumours. Jieun found a carton of banana milk on her desk after she woke up from a nap during lunchtime that day.

Seokjin was still unable to flat out reject Jisoo.

Byulyi was distracting herself with work and exams.

Taehyung had agreed to go to prom with Jennie.

Yoojung and Jimin were on awkward terms.

Jieun didn't talk to Jungkook the whole day.

Not because she was mad at him, she was embarrassed. Whether purposely or not, he had taught her a lesson by giving a taste of her own medicine. And she had made up her mind instantly to spill everything to her parents that night.

And so she did, despite how nervous she was.

That very night, Jieun went home and had a long talk with her parents. She told them everything that had happened the whole time she had transferred schools until now.

Everything from the bullying, the anti-fans, the F5, the watch incident, the near expulsion - she spilled everything. What Jieun was worried about, that her dad would get a heart attack from hearing the news, or her mom would faint - none of that happened.

Except... they cried and cried.

But after they cried, they hugged. They told her never to hide anything from them again. They told her to always share everything with them because they wouldn't want her to go through all that alone. They even wanted to transfer her out again (which Jieun declined).

And Jieun felt better than ever.

To be finally able to share such things with her parents, not hide her pain from them like how she was used to... Jieun felt liberated. She felt a sense of freedom that she had never felt before.

And it was all thanks to Jungkook.

The very next morning that Jieun came to school, it was a mess. She was expecting it coming, but it had all happened within a day.

The news that Lisa was the culprit behind everything got leaked.

Lisa didn't appear in school the next day. She had left without a proper goodbye or a proper apology to Jieun and Hoseok, but everyone knew that was the most she could do to save her face at that point. No one knew where she had gone to and if her mom had pulled her out of school before the school had chased her out.

But the school had released an official statement, clearing Jieun's name. Lisa was not mentioned to have been the culprit, but everyone knew at this point.

The word gotten out.

Jieun arrived in school the very next morning and was surprised by the overwhelming amount of support that she received. From the school gate, she spotted people holding banners saying "We're sSorry, Lee Jieun", "We Love You, Lee Jieun", "F5 5ever" and things like that - not many, but it still warmed her heart.

She went to class later that day as well, and her classmates seemed equally apologetic. All of them who hadn't exactly stood by her all this while, pursed their lips, looking at her with apologetic gazes and for Jieun, that was already more than enough.

Hoseok was the most apologetic one out of all her classmates - obviously, since he had been the most ignorant one of all. He formally apologised to both Jieun and Jungkook, but had also shown his sincerity by buying Jieun a whole bunch of snacks, also saying that he'd be her errand boy from now on. He was a great guy after all, only misled by rumours and false evidence. Jieun forgave him easily, and their friendship was soon to blossom again in the weeks to come.

She hadn't managed to get an apology from Lisa, but Jieun felt like Lisa's life was tough enough... and the expulsion was probably a more than enough punishment for her. Hopefully... she reflected and repented. And hopefully, her mom understood her more too.

And stopped her from smoking - prevented her from starting, if she hadn't even started.

Her friends, who had been by her side all this while, gave her reassuring smiles that made her feel like this whole ordeal, was not an end. It was a new beginning, a new start, for all of them.