renjun watched her as she collected all the notes, a bright smile on her lips as she tried to read the broken korean, some even in chinese which she could speak a little of.
"you speak chinese?" renjun asked, startling her.
"a little," jamie muttered, "my father had family that lived in china, so i went there often for holidays. they tried to teach me, but i could only pick up a little."
renjun nodded, "i'm from china."
"when did you move here?" jamie asked, looking at him for the first time since she had sat down.
the intensity of his stare made her avert her eyes back to the notes lucas had left.
in all the time they had been friends, which wasn't too long, he had never told her when he had moved. she assumed he was from china from his name and slight accent, but never brought herself to physically ask.
"five years ago," renjun answered, "my family didn't agree with china's laws so they moved here."
jamie nodded, flipping open to her essay for japanese that was due the next day.
"jimin, look," renjun said, looking around and lowering his voice, "i know you want what's best for me, and i appreciate that, but i'm happy with yena, even if she can be a little mean and bossy."
jamie's eyes hardened and her grip on her pen tightened, "why can't you just accept that i feel differently? why must you change my mind?"
her gaze made renjun move back from his position of leaning on the table.
"because you are wrong," he said simply.
jamie shook her head, sighing, "i don't want to deal with this right now."
"jimin, trust me, i'm fine," renjun continued.
"yeah? then why are you on dnyl?" jamie spat back before she could stop herself, recoiling from her tone.
renjun blinked in shock, thinking it over. why was he on dnyl?
"i wanted friends," he replied softly.
"because yena has torn you from all of yours," jamie explained, "when was the last time you went to eat with your team after a practice? or a meet?"
renjun thought about his chess club and shrugged, "i haven't been in a club this year."
"does she make you cancel plans just because? even without meeting up with you?" jamie continued to ask.
"yeah, she does," renjun pouted, "she says she wants to know i'm safe at home."
"when you go to parties does she stay by your side?" jamie asked, leaning forward.
renjun shook his head, "she always leaves halfway through saying her friends need her."
"have your tried to do those things back to her? make her stay? make her cancel plans to hang out with you? see her after the party?"
renjun's whole questioning thing came crashing down, "she would always yell at me, telling me i was too clingy and that she needed some space."
jamie held her hands out in an "i told you so" manner, sitting back in her chair.
"oh my god," renjun muttered.
"does she scare you?" jamie asked her last question.
"yes," renjun mumbled.
"see?" jamie said softly.
renjun shook his head, quickly packing his stuff up, "i refuse to believe this! yena and i are happy! we're in a strong relationship, we make each other happy. we are not in a toxic relationship!"
"renjun," he stopped and looked at jamie, "did you give her that hickey on her throat that i saw this morning?"
it was a lie. she wanted to see how he would react if she had said that. it was mean, she knew, but she wanted to know if she had hit a cord, if it had happened before.
renjun's mouth quivered, "no."
by his answer, she knew it had.
jamie frowned, "renjun-"
he shook his head, "no! i refuse to believe all of this! i am okay, i haven't been hurt physically, so it isn't abusive."
"i never said anything about it being abusive," jamie's frown deepened and she stood up.
"shut up!" renjun yelled, his eyes blazing as he looked at her, tears threatening to fall, "just, shut up! leave me alone!"
with that, he grabbed his stuff and left, not even signing out.
jamie sighed and ran her hand through her hair, walking over and signing him out for him, smiling apologetically to the library lady, before sitting back down.
she couldn't get any work done as she stared at it, thinking of renjun and how she could help him.
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