Believe

Chapter 13: Too Selfish (Part One)

"You are not the heroine of a movie. You can't miraculously turn a bad guy good! You're being too naive, idealistic and just simply careless!" she continued lecturing her.

Hoseok moved in his seat, "Lisa, chill... You don't have to go far," his eyes exchanged between the two girls.

"She needs to hear it," Lisa told him.

"Listen, that guy's bad news! He does drugs! He smokes, drinks, cuts classes, he's involved in fights, he bullies people! Someone you cannot change overnight. Why would you associate yourself with someone that toxic?"

"He doesn't do anything bad to me!" Jisoo defended his name.

"So do we wait for him to do something bad?" Lisa instantly answered.

"No!" she exclaimed and sighed, "I just think the rumors about him are too much. I just want to give him the chance that everyone else deprived him of. And... Things happened. I discovered some... Stuff. I've thought about this already, I swear."

Lisa combed her hair in frustration, "Jisoo, doesn't mean you hope for the best, it will turn out better. It's always your unrealistic idealism that you don't try and think about your own sake. That positivity is so toxic, you would end up in trouble because of that."

"I promise to take care of myself. I know my limits, I know my boundaries," she reasoned out.

"But you stayed the night over at his house the other day, right? The reason why you skipped your class," Lisa stared at her. Jisoo was shocked and wasn't able to answer right away.

"You did what?!" Hoseok was the one to raise his voice this time, "Jisoo, you texted me and said you went home! I thought we talked about that?"

Instead of answering, Jisoo glanced at Bona, "You said you won't tell?"

After their scene at the cafeteria yesterday, before they went home, Jisoo decided to at least tell Bona and Rosé what happened the past few days since they were obviously confused about the scene they witnessed.

Well, Jisoo did not tell them entirely. Also, she wanted to tell the other girls too, but she didn't know how to start. That's why she asked the two of them to keep it secret for the meantime.

"Sorry..." Bona apologized guilty, "I really can't hide it from Lisa."

"Look at you now lying and keeping secrets. You even go as far to take your guard down so much around him and sleep in his place. Where's the limit you are saying?" Lisa raised her eyebrow as she eyed her friend.

"I hate to say this but I'm with Lisa," Hoseok said disappointed too, "He's influencing you already."

"He's not! It's my choice really, I'm the one who insisted on staying there. He even told me to leave, he asked if I told anyone and I said I did..." Jisoo explained as if she was caught red-handed by her parents.

"I didn't plan to stay the night over, it just happened... We didn't do anything bad! Promise!" she added.

"Are you in love with him?" Lisa interrogated her with squinted eyes.

"Huh? No!" Jisoo denied and waved her hands, "I'm just really concerned."

"Well stop that 'concern' now before it turns to something bad," Lisa stated, "Quit hanging out with him."

Lisa expected Jisoo to sigh in defeat and agree. Or perhaps say that she would think about it and settle. She thought she would understand what they were lecturing her for but Jisoo's responsed took her by surprise.

"I..." she muttered in a low voice, "I can't... Do that."

Lisa was taken aback, "But why?"

Jisoo wanted to tell them that she's afraid of leaving him alone because he might harm himself. His trauma, his attacks and the way he isolates himself. It worries her. She cannot sit in a corner after knowing that all. She's the only one who can help him, even if it's just little by little. Even just by simply being there. She doesn't want to watch and let him drown like that. She cannot take it.