It's no surprise that the news spread, and it really spread, like really really spread. The teachers knew about it, heck even the principal somehow knew about it. A few days have passed since the incident happened yet it didn't seem like the hot news would calm down any time soon. Even the smallest action that Jaemin and Haeyoon did, being in the same meter radius, being in the same confined classroom, made the atmosphere somewhat cold and tense; very uncomfortable not only for the two, but the rational people around them that tried to tell the others to move on. But how could they? After all, Jaemin was an outsider until he started to hang out with Haeyoon. That alone sparked conversations.
In the dance room as well, they didn't talk or be near each other unless absolutely necessary. Weirdly enough, even though Haeyoon knows that Jaemin has every right to kick her, knock her to the ground, curse at her, she still felt protected around him. She never deliberately ignored or moved away from him. Haeyoon knew that it may be wrong, after all there is no way Jaemin would ever talk to her again, yet even though she knew, she couldn't help but wish that he would come back and rebuild their friendship again.
Jaemin himself became colder, way colder than before he met the group. I guess it was inevitable. After all, for the first time in a very long time, he felt belonged yet that was taken away from him in just a few minutes. Jaemin became an outsider again, some people and particularly those who hang out with Soobin, found entertainment in pulling faces and snickered about him in whatever chance they had. Before, Jaemin would fight, but now he's too tired to even lift his eyelids; what good would it be to waste his precious energy on useless beings?
"Stop sobbing, Hae." Jeno says softly through his microphone as soon as he hears her broken voice. Currently, the group minus Jaemin was doing a group call on Discable mainly to let Haeyoon just get her mind off things, trying to make things better for her.
"I'm going to beat him up, I swear to God." Renjun cracks his knuckles.
"Don't do that Renjun..." Haeyoon whimpers, "He doesn't deserve that."
"Oh yeah? So what does he deserve then, Haeyoon?" Renjun tries his very best to calm his voice, but his body language through the camera said another thing with both his clenched fists pushing down on the table.
"Calm down, Renjun. Your screaming isn't going to help Haeyoon." Yebin reminds him, "Haeyoon." A small hum and sneezing from the girl was heard, "Do you like him? Do you like Jaemin?"
"Gosh Yebin..." Haeyoon just wanted to hide under her blanket even more, her wounds opening up once again, "Just hearing his name makes me happy. He makes me fucking smile like an idiot. I love him. I fucking love him." A pause was heard, the others astonished by her confession, "But I know he doesn't even care if I disappear the next day."
Despite it being late, well early in the day, the others squirms at the screeching of Yebin's sudden shout to Haeyoon's words, "Don't you dare say that! Haeyoon he loves you! I'm sure of it!"
"Didn't you see his eyes when he said that he hated me? Those eyes were real."
"So are his feelings for you!"
"Now who's the one shouting?" Renjun mumbles to his headset.
"What am I supposed to do then, Yebin? Come up to him and tell him that I like him back? Tell him that I need him more than I thought and that the past few days have been hell for me?"
"Hold up," Donghyuck answers before Yebin, "you never told him how you feel about it? Are you an idiot?"
"Oh for fuck sakes, Hae! What the hell are you thinking? You're my best friend but I'm not going to back you up."
"Why can't we all just accept the fact that Jaemin doesn't want anything to do with me anymore?" Haeyoon smiles painfully, "He literally told me, in front of the school, that he hated me and never wants to see me again."
"Fine." Yebin shrugs, done with the conversation, "You do that. You let that happen. Just don't regret your actions later on."
"Your grades are skyrocketing through the roof suddenly. What made you study so hard?" Jaemin stood straight in front of his English teacher. Unfortunately, Haeyoon is just behind him, waiting for her turn as well with the teacher. The English teacher looks through Jaemin's graded papers, impressed by how he was consistently scoring 90s in his tests just now, despite how she has always lectured him to keep up in class and at least somewhat pass her subject.
"I managed to get rid of distractions."
Haeyoon could feel her legs go wimp when she heard Jaemin's unconcerned tone as he said his words. She whimpers backwards, stumbling on the clean, smooth floor before Renjun catches her before it's too late, his palms holding Haeyoon's shoulders steadily. With the contact, Renjun could feel Haeyoon's sadness, disappointment and heartache diffuse into his chest. The same time, Haeyoon could feel the anger, heat and tensed body that Renjun had, diffusing into hers as well. As soon as Jaemin walks out the door, non-chantly, Renjun gives Haeyoon a light push to get her back on her own legs before storming outside the teacher's room.
"Apologise." Renjun had his forearm raised to Jaemin's neck, ready to knock all life out of him, "Apologise for all the words that you said to her, you dickhead."
"Apologise for what? For telling the truth?" Renjun couldn't believe what the boy said, a sort of evil chuckle escaping his lips after he said it.
"You---"
"Renjun..." Even though Haeyoon's call was soft and mellow, it attracted his attention, "Let him go, Jun. It's okay." The pleading in her eyes was something that Renjun couldn't beat. Slowly, he releases Jaemin and the boy fixes up his clothing but unexpectedly, Jaemin furiously grabs Renjun's collar and slams him against the wall, the same way he did to him earlier. The loud bang panicked Haeyoon, her body reacting first to run to the two and break them apart, "Jaem! Jaemin, let him go."
Jaemin didn't look at the girl who had both her palms on-top of his own raged knuckles. Renjun himself didn't bother to fight back, still feeling some sort of respect for the boy as they were once friends, "Get your murderous hands off me." Jaemin directs to Haeyoon. She tries her best to not let it get to her much, and she somewhat succeeded.
"Only if you let him go." The two had a momentary eye wrestle. They both couldn't help but to get lost in each other's eyes, feeling their worlds start to finally rebuild itself.
Jaemin lets Renjun go, letting both his feet land on the ground. He picks up his discarded bag on the floor, scoffing to himself when he sees Haeyoon attending to Renjun to see if he's fine. 'Fuck you and your beautiful heart.' He leaves the two alone, not before stopping again when he hears Haeyoon calling out to him once again, 'Leave me and my heart alone, bubs. You're killing me here.'
"Jaem!"
"Jaemin!"
"Najaem!"
"Na Jaemin!"
"Nana please!"
"What do you want?! Stop screaming my name with your annoying squeaky ass voice!" Haeyoon looks at the boy, distressed and messy. To say that his face looks dead is an understatement, his body evidently skinner as she also felt it first hand when she clearly felt his spine earlier.
"Jaemin..." Haeyoon walks closer to the distraught boy.
"No." Jaemin extends an open palm to her, "Stay where you are. I don't want to hurt you." Haeyoon didn't listen, only widening her steps as she yearned to be in Jaemin's arms, "Choi Haeyoon!" Jaemin screams out when she is only less than an arm away.
"You know when you said back then that we can't force our feelings onto people but we can at least let them know?"
Jaemin gulps at his past words being recited in front of him, "What are you trying to say, Haeyoon?"
"I like you, Na Jaemin." The invisible weight that Haeyoon had been carrying for so long was finally lifted; Jaemin took it off for her, "No...I'm absolutely in love with you." Seeing how Jaemin was frozen, she took the opportunity to hug the boy, resting her head on his chest.
"Get off me." A slip of tear escaped Jaemin's eye.
"Just a little bit more. I can never hold you like this ever again, so just a little bit more."
"Didn't I say that I hate you? Did I not make it clear to you?"
"Feeling's mutual. I hate myself too." Haeyoon snuggles to his chest even more. Jaemin didn't realise it but the way Haeyoon did that, calmed his limbic system. It took all of him to not hug the girl back, choosing to stick with his colder image, "Take care of yourself, okay?" She rubs her tears away with the paws of her jacket before sprinting away with Renjun.
Thanks for 700+ reads and 70+ votes 🥺 Reaching these faster than 'Deserve'
from_izzy