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7 months ago
"i'm so nervous for today." i mumbled.
"i'm sure you'll do great" mark exclaimed and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. it was time to finally do my presentation in front of the school board and student council for the seniors school trip. this was so important for me because if they were convinced by my presentation the current student president said she would pass down the position to me.
"you're gonna be an amazing student body president." he winked. i forced a smile, i was too nervous to smile right now.
"come on! smile. a real one." he insisted and picked me up by my waist and swung me around. i couldn't control the laughter that come out of my mouth.
"okay okay! put me down now, we're in the middle of the hallway." i demanded. he placed me down and checked to see my facial expression. this time my smile was real, he immediately smiled seeing mine. it seems like mark can make me smile no matter what circumstance were in.
"hey!" jisung approached us. mark nodded to him but didn't say a word like always. i waved to him.
"good luck on your presentation today. you'll do amazing like always." he assured. i thanked him and we parted ways. me and mark went to the library so i could do the finishing touches on my presentation.
"it looks really good!" mark commented when he peeked over to see my screen. a cheeky smile grew on me at his compliment.
i needed someone to tell me it was good to calm my anxiousness. even though i know mark would tell me it's good despite how good or bad it was.
"i wish i could be there to see you present! but only student body council and school board are allowed to be there " he huffed and slumped down in his seat.
i laughed at how upset he was. "i'm gonna be setting up everything and preparing my cue cards backstage before i enter the stage in the auditorium to present, you could come cheer me on from back there." i offered.
he immediately jumped up and nodded excitedly.
the bell rung and me and mark went our separate ways. before i knew it, it was time to present after my classes were over. i was preparing my presentation backstage.
i wonder when mark will come. i really want him to be there for me in this important moment.
"hey, looking forward to your presentation." the current student body president entered the room.
"well it's thanks to you that i even got this opportunity so thank you!" i replied.
"no need to thank me, most people on the student council agree that you are the most hardworking and responsible person on our team. i mean, everytime you and jisung are assigned something to do for student council, i can see you are always doing most of the work." she chuckled.
i never even realized i was the one who did most of the work for us, hm.
"as long as you do a good job you'll be guaranteed the position. and i know how crazy you are about making your college application look good." she grinned.
"i'll be watching from the audience. good luck!" she began to leave the room but gasped and jumped back when she left through the doorway.
"jisung you scared me! i didn't even see you there. what are you doing just standing behind the doorway." she laughed. "how long have you been there?" she joked. jisung is here? i wondered and moved forward to see jisung standing near the doorway, but where he was standing he was hidden.
"just arrived" he bit in a oddly cold tone. he's usually very bright and cheerful. what's up with him?
she nodded and waved to us before leaving to go to her seat.
"hi jisung. what's up?" i asked, curious as to what he was doing here.
"oh just want to wish you good luck before you go up there." he entered the room and moved to my open laptop that had my presentation displayed.
"how does it look?" i questioned.
he clicked his tongue as he scrolled through my slides. "wow, you've really outdone yourself. this is amazing." he said.
i smiled and thanked him.
there was smoothing lingering in the back of my mind though, i couldn't get over the fact that mark isn't here yet. it was almost time.
"sorry jisung, do you mind if i step out into the hallway to make a call?" i asked.
"no it's completely fine, go ahead." he said and snapped his head back to my computer screen. he seems so into my presentation. damn, is it really that good?
i stepped into the hallway and called mark.
"hey where are you? i thought you were coming." i said when he answered.
"i'm so sorry i got detention for something stupid. i'm gonna leave without the teacher knowing though so don't worry i'll be there." he spoke over the phone.
"detention? what did you get detention for?! and no just stay there or else you will get another detention for leaving." i sighed over the phone. even on this important day, he can't stop making trouble?
"no! you're more important. i don't care if i get one or two more days of detention if it means being there for you." he ranted. and just like that i couldn't be mad at him anymore. even though i've scolded him before for making trouble and he still did, whenever he says those things to me my heart warms.
"okay, fine! be quick because i'm almost starting and enter through the backstage to watch me, you might get in more trouble if you watch in the auditorium since only certain people are allowed in and you aren't one of them." i warned.
"i'll be there, i promise." he sounded out of breath, signaling that he was probably running here.
"annie! are you ready?" a school staff asked. i hung up and nodded. i entered the room again to get my laptop. my brows furrowed in confusion when i saw my laptop being shut by jisung.
"here!" he handed me my laptop. he looked flustered and panicked.
"are you okay?" i asked. why was he acting so weird lately?
"yeah, i'm fine. i'll be watching you out there." he gave me a thumbs up but his hands slightly shook. before i could question him further he left the room hastily.
i brushed it off and took a deep breath before entering the stage.
i took out my cue cards and read them over in my head. i was gestured to begin walking on stage.
this is it.
i walked up on stage and put on a big smile.
"hello everyone! thank you so much for taking the time to come to my presentation." i looked at the audience. the nerves were kicking in but i couldn't show it. my eyes met with jisung from his seat and he gave me an encouraging smile.
"as we all know the senior trip is a big deal to students. it's something me and my fellow students are looking forward to as well, even as a junior i'm eager to go on a senior trip. however some have expressed how the current plan for the senior trip is unexciting and boring. that's where i come in. i'm am going to present you with a trip idea that is sure to satisfy students." i opened my laptop and clicked my keyboard to show a slide.
what showed on the screen had me completely mortified.
it was a picture of a strip club. my eyes glued to the screen out of disbelief. how the fuck did this get in my presentation? i heard the audience gasp.
"excuse me! do you really believe a strip club is the appropriate place for a high school senior trip?!" the principal shouted in anger and stood up. other faculty members stood up as well.
"she can't be serious"
"what does she think she's doing?"
"why would you put someone like her up there to present such a thing?!"
"get that picture off the screen!"
i heard the audience shriek from their seats. my vision began to blur and my hands were getting sweaty.
this can't be happening.
"no, this isn't mine i don't know how" my eyes began to water and my face had completely got red.
"is this the person you wanted to pass your position off to? seriously?" i heard the principal scold the student body president who was still in shock.
i panicked and ran off stage. the tears were pouring out now and i could practically hear my heart racing.
my opportunity was ruined, and i don't even know how it happened. i fucked up my chance.
i ran backstage and i could still hear the chatters of the audience members. i put my hands on my ears to shut out the sound. i closed my eyes, crouched down in a corner and i bawled my eyes out.
i can't believe this happened.
i gasped when i felt hands touch mine and take them off my ears. it was mark. he crouched down in front of me with concerned eyes.
"i just arrived, what's wrong?!" he exclaimed.
"i fucked it up completely. i ruined it mark. i lost the opportunity to become student body president and i embarrassed myself in front of all of them. how am i suppose to show my face in front of them anymore? i'm probably gonna get kicked off the student council too." i cried out and threw my arms around him.
he let me soak up his shirt with tears. he wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back. he held me there for a bit and whispered soothing affirmations.
"it's okay" he whispered and ran his hands through my hair.
i sniffled and pulled back. he wiped my tears with his thumb, still with one arm wrapped around me.
"how did you mess it up? the presentation looked amazing to me." he questioned in confusion.
i explained to him what happened through my tears. he nodded understandingly and furrowed his brows.
"how does that happen?" he blurted out. he said it in a way where he wasn't asking me but rather expressing disbelief for the situation. when he saw me begin to sob again he pulled me back into a hug.
"i'm sorry, i didn't mean it like that." he rubbed my back again. he comforted me for a few minutes before pulling back and letting me go.
"let me bring you home okay? i'll make you some food. anything you want " he tried to cheer me up but i couldn't even if i tried. i nodded anyway and packed my things to go.
"wait.. my laptop. it's out there on stage." i realized and my face showed fear at the fact that i have to face the audience again.
"i'll go get it for you! don't worry." he ran out on stage before i could even reply. my nerves calmed down, knowing i didn't have to go out there again. i sighed out in relief.
i waited and waited. he was taking longer than i thought.
i was startled when i heard yelling from the stage. i furrowed my brows. what was that? i walked up to the stage and the yelling got increasingly louder and louder. i opened the curtain to the stage to see jisung and mark. i gasped when i saw mark throw a hard punch to jisung and tackle him to the floor.
my eyes widened and i shrieked. jisung was hitting him back but mark didn't seem fazed and continued throwing punches as held him to the ground.
"you fucking asshole!" mark sneered to jisung.
the audience members had mostly left by now but there was still 3 people in the auditorium. they gasped in horror and began running out to get security.
"mark! get off him." i tried pulling him off but he just yanked himself out of my grip.
"mark stop!" i screamed and luckily security was fast and pulled mark off jisung.
jisung was bruised and bleeding from mark and they took him away to the nurse. my heart sunk seeing him like that. why would mark do that to him? i knew he didn't like him but that isn't an excuse.
they began to take both boys away.
i called out mark's name before they pulled him out of the auditorium, he looked at me and all i saw was fury. he was absolutely fuming. his eyes softened when he met my mine but he still had that same fire in his eyes when he was beating up jisung.
i looked at his face and he didn't have any injuries from jisung but that didn't stop my concern. even though it was obvious that he was stronger than jisung, i was still concerned for him. i've never seen mark that mad before and i couldn't stop worrying about him.
what could've made mark that upset?
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[a/n: continuation of this flashback in next chapter. also reminder to pls vote thank you! :)]