TAERYEONG - Enough

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"Hey," I heard a knock on my locker. Without peeking, I slam it shut and see Chaeryeong with her bag swung over her shoulder. "Yeah?" I shoot a questioning look.

She smiles and leans on the locker beside mine, not caring who the owner might be, and turns her head towards the jock's direction. "He asked me if I wanted to be his date for homecoming," she started, sticking her thumb in her pocket.

My brows furrowed, unconsciously. "And you accepted?" she shrugs and I know what it means.

"You can't, please don't." I sounded like I'm begging, well, maybe I am. She cocks an eyebrow at me, "Why can't I?" she questioned. "Because," I pause.

"He's a jock. He's going to use you, in so many ways." I reasoned, glaring at him as he showed off his oh-so-big muscles to those idiotic girls. She snorts, "It's just homecoming, Tae. It's not like we're going out together, it's just one night."

I huff and slump down, "Then, who am I going with?" I asked, while she chuckled. "You can get any girl you want in school, Tae. With that face, I bet a lot of girls are waiting for you to ask them." she stated, a fist held in front of me.

They're not you, though. "Whatever, I'll go alone."

"Why not ask that crush of yours? I'm sure nobody's asked her yet." she said, holding onto my sleeve, not letting me walk away. "Someone's already asked her and she's going with them." I shrug my shoulders, pretending to not care.

Her grip loosened and I took it as a chance to escape before she could say something else. I make my way to class, sitting down next to a classmate of mine, people call her NingNing.

She greets me with a smile, like every other day. "Hello," she said. I smile back, "Hey," giving her a little wave. I take out my notebook and pencil case, scribbling some things on the top corner to make sure the ink isn't dried out.

. . .

I feel the spot next to me being weighed down and I turn to look, making eye contact with Chaeryeong and Beomgyu. "Why aren't you eating?" Chaeryeong asked, poking on my salad and stuffing some in her mouth.

I scowl at her, "No appetite.." I answered, sliding the container to her, letting her eat the rest. She stares in amusement, "And you're giving me your food! This is a great change," she exclaimed, stabbing the cherry tomato.

I hear a sigh coming from Beomgyu and I immediately turn to him, so does Chaeryeong. "Why the long face?"

He shakes his head, looking down at the text book in his lap. "Come on, Beom," Chaeryeong nudged. I snatch the book away from him, "This is so not you." I commented, tossing the book on the table.

"I'm trying to be a good student, now give me back my book." he muttered, but I hold onto the book and put it under my elbows. "Not until you tell us why," I commanded.

"Fine," he sighs in defeat, "I asked Lia to be my date for homecoming, but she said she's going with Soobin.."

I wince loudly, "Tough blow," I said. Chaeryeong smacks my arm, "It's okay, Beom. At least you had the guts to ask, not like someone else." she whispered, making me smack her back. "I said she already has a date!"

She groans in response, "You're just a scaredy cat, Taehyun." she deadpanned.
"Whatever, Chae."

---

I suck in a deep breath before pushing the door to the gymnasium open, I get greeted with loud music and blinding lights, shining in my eyes. I curse under my breath at the crowd of students, from fellow freshmen to seniors who'll be graduating this year.

I am going to regret this.

I step in with a slight smile as I wave at a couple of friends; Hyunjin, Jisung and Renjun. I walk over to them, "Who's your date, Taehyun?" Jisung asked, patting my shoulder. I glance around before shaking my head, "Meet my date, Georgina the ghost." I gestured to the empty space beside me.

We burst out laughing, very loudly. "She's really shy, guys." I continued to joke around. "Oh, what's that?" I lean to my right, "She said, you guys are ugly." I quickly jump back to avoid Hyunjin's punch.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" he yelled and I just stuck my tongue out. "Anyway, I gotta go find Minjoo." Jisung said, scurrying. The three of us coos at him, teasing him with a few whistles. "Shut up!" he shouted back at us before jogging away.

I excused myself to go grab a drink, on the way there, I spotted Chaeryeong and that jock. She's all smiles, I guess that jerk makes her happy. I tug on my suit, approaching the table full of food and drinks.

I pour myself some punch before walking around, eventually making my way over to some classmates. When I was talking to Soobin and Lia, the lights suddenly went dim and slow music played. I turned to Soobin, signalling to him and he nods his head, holding Lia's hand and gently bringing her to the center to dance along with the other students.

I stay back, sipping on punch and staring at the couples that are dancing. My eyes refuse to look away when I saw Chaeryeong and that jock, I feel a pang on my heart when she laughs while her arms are resting on his shoulders. They seem happy, she seems happy. I should just.. leave them alone, right?

Wrong.

I let my gaze fall to the ground as they slowly danced their way to the center of the gymnasium, being the center of attention. Through the crowd, I swear I could feel her eyes on me, for some reason. But, that's probably just a feeling..

You're jealous.

No, I'm not. I push myself off the wall I was leaning on and walk over to a table, setting my drink down. The closer I get to the spotlights, the clearer I can see them; the closer I get to them, the more I feel myself fading. As if I'm just a mere shadow in the crowd, searching for my owner, but to no avail as there was no one.

Stop.

I can't.

You're going to regret it.

I know I am, but nothing can stop me.

I feel the heat radiating from the lights start to burn my skin, that's when I stopped. I stopped right before I could pass the wall of students. Then, I look at her, my eyes flickering as we made eye contact for a bit. Just seeing the way she smiles at him, hurts. Like an arrow just pierced into my chest, through my heart that slowly chipped away piece by piece.

Suddenly, I turn around, like my body has a mind of its own, and walks away from the dance floor. I know it was a bad choice, to like - or even, love - my best friend. But it wasn't a choice made by me, my heart chose it; even when it knows the consequences.

But it's okay, staring is enough for me.

----

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