Jihyo's POV
It was a huge shock for me when Nayeon told me she had experienced abuse in the past. She had told me all about it and the gruesome situations she has been in.
I saw it on her face that it was difficult for her to talk about, but at the same time it lifted some of that weight off of her chest.
When I had brought her back home yesterday- I was quite concerned about her. I didn't know how she dealt with those thoughts and perhaps she even regretted telling me about it.
Luckily enough she was there for me to open the door in the morning when I came to pick her up.
The ride to the school was quiet but comfortable and we said our goodbyes to each other when we arrived before we each took our own ways.
I wondered how she was doing right now. A lot of the students still asked her about the fight with Yang Sung-Ho, though I wouldn't really call it a fight. He was the one to attack her whilst she did nothing to him.
I hope he never gets let into another school again.
The ringing of the bell got me out of my thoughts and students were getting up to go to the cafeteria or outside. I myself lingered in my seat for I don't know how long. It must've been a while because Jeongyeon took the time and energy to come knock at my door.
"C'mon, Thomas." She grinned and walked over to where I sat. Her hand took a hold of my bag and the other grabbed my arm, pulling me up from my seat.
"I can walk, you know?" I argued with her as she dragged me out of the classroom.
The science teacher kept her mouth shut and proceeded to take me with her along the hallways of the school. From where we were going, I knew it would be the teacher's lounge.
I honestly didn't enjoy the teacher's room that much, it was too noisy at times so I only came there when I wanted to drink coffee or tea.
But I guess I had no choice now that I'm pretty much being forced to go there.
"Why are we going to that rat hole." I groaned as we came closer and closer to the entrance of the lounge.
A laugh came from my best friend as she stopped and turned to me, "You do know they're just like you, right?"
I shrugged my shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "I'm more talented and beautiful." I commented to prove her wrong with her speculation.
And it seemed like I did because I didn't hear a peep come from her after that.
Jeongyeon pushed the door open for us and pulled me inside with a struggle- I held onto the door frame when she tried harder, until I accidentally let go.
Damn it.
"You shouldn't be so dramatic, they won't kill you." She teased me and took us both to a table in the middle of the room which happened to fortunately be deserted.
I got pushed down onto a chair and let out a huff as I hit the chair with my back rather harshly, "If they won't, a student surely will." I murmured under my breath when she sat down next to me before dropping my bag on the table with hers.
The laughing of the teachers behind us got me to glare at them behind my back, which resulted in a shove from Jeongyeon. I almost fell from my seat but was able to gain balance.
"Don't be so grumpy." The woman laughed and got her food out of her bag, "It's too early to be moody."
I sighed and took out the food I had taken with me for the day, which was a lot. I had the leftover bibimbap with rice from yesterday, 2 apples and 1 snack with me.
The stare from the blonde next to me made me turn my head to look at her, "What?" I asked her before opening up the box of bibimbap and then the one with rice. I grabbed the chopsticks and spoon I had taken with me and held them between my fingers.
"Didn't you have breakfast or something?" She joked.
A groan came from me when she asked me that, "Shut your mouth and eat your own food, you stick." I mocked her and took a spoonful of rice into my mouth.
Jeongyeon's hand clasped onto her chest as she let out an exaggerated gasp with a frown of her eyebrows, "How very dare you insult your unnie like that!"
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them back up, looking at the girl who called herself my unnie. My hand came forward and grasped her apple, shoving it into her mouth so that she'd shut up and eat.
And thank God she did.
Just as I was about to take another bite, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I dropped my spoon on the table and looked back.
It was Nayeon.
"Can I sit with you?" She asked when our eyes met.
I felt a shiver go up my spine and it took me a few seconds to nod my head.
That beautiful smile formed onto those divine lips as she went and sat down onto the seat nearest to me, the smell of her perfume almost overwhelming me- it was jasmine.
"Hey, Nayeon." Jeongyeon said as she and the brunette made eye contact with each other.
"Hello, Jeongyeon." She responded.
There was a short silence between us all.
"How are your ribs, do they still hurt a lot?" The blonde amongst us had asked the eldest so that there would be a conversation.
Not everyone knew what had happened to Nayeon and what kind of injuries she had, besides the bruised nose- only Jeongyeon and I knew of her injuries. Though it wasn't intended for her to let Jeongyeon know about what kind of wounds she had. I actually was the one who I told her, with consent from Nayeon, of course.
She didn't want to be reminded of it all too much, was what I understood- that's why she told everyone who asked her about herself, that she's fine. But underneath those clothing she was probably bruised.
"My ribs are feeling better than yesterday, luckily." The brunette answered Jeongyeon's question.
Just as the blonde was about to open her mouth again, I heard someone walk up to us, "Ms Im."
Not this dude again.
Mr Jung came up behind her and I could see the annoyance on her face as he pulled the chair back for him to sit next to her, not even bothering to ask her if he may sit next to her or even with us.
He put his elbows on the table and leaned towards her, "How are you doing?" He asked, "I didn't get to ask you this yesterday, so that's why I looked for you today to ask you this. If you are still in pain you should take a day off, I don't want you to get hurt."
I shared a glance with Jeongyeon and then looked down at the bowl of bibimbap I had infront of me, grabbing some with my chopsticks and then shoving it into my mouth with some rice.
This guy really annoyed me so much right now, I didn't know if he saw it but all three of us were not in the mood to chat with him- especially not when he came at our table without asking us if he could.
It might seem childish that I'm thinking like that, but it's something so insolent to do.
"Uhm, I feel fine. There aren't any needs to be worried, I'm taking things slow and careful." Nayeon told him and gave him a somewhat well executed fake real smile.
Her eyes looked into mine and I could just tell that she wanted me to help her get out of this situation.
I started to think about what excuse I could make up so that he would leave her alone and that's when I remembered something.
"Mr Jung, I remember one of the students asking around for you, Chaewon. He is in the cafeteria, it's urgent, too." I told him.
His head turned to me after a whole minute of staring at Nayeon, which made my blood boil for some reason.
"Chaewon?" He repeated after me and looked dumbfound.
It took the guy a few seconds to remember the student and when he did, he stood up.
"Nayeon, I will talk to you later." Mr Jung told her and left shortly after, leaving us 3 alone again.
We all sighed in content and shared a small laugh, "Well he for sure is interested in someone specific." Jeongyeon called out amongst us and continued eating when I gave her a look that told her to shut her mouth.
Nayeon was now quiet.
I didn't know if it was because of Mr Jung or that comment Jeongyeon made. But either way, I felt the need to put my hand on her shoulder- so I did.
The brunette looked at me and gave me a small smile, letting me know that she was fine.
"Don't you have food with you?" I heard Jeongyeon ask the eldest when she still didn't have anything on the table infront of her.
The English teacher shook her head and looked down at her lap, "I forgot to take it with me."
I raised my eyebrows and put my spoon down, "You forgot to take it with you?" I repeated her and tilted my head to the side in confusion, "Why didn't you ask me to ride back to your apartment so you could've taken it with you?"
Nayeon inhaled and looked at me with a guilty face, "I thought I would've been a burden to you if I did that."
I looked at her in disbelief and sighed to myself. It was sad that she thought of herself as a burden to me, because she really wasn't and never will be.
"Next time you should tell me, okay? Even if we are a minute away from arriving at school, you should tell me if you forgot something." I told her and received a nod from the older woman.
My mind went back to the fact that she didn't have anything to eat for today and then I decided to just give up my own food for this hour.
"Here, take this." I offered my meal to her and pushed the two boxes infront of her, grabbing a pair of throw away chopsticks from the table and handing them to her.
Her head raised up and she seemed somewhat surprised by my offer, "No no, I shouldn't." Nayeon protested in an attempt to push the food back to me but I stopped her from doing so.
"You should, please." I insisted and grabbed onto her hand when she tried to push the food away again, "I don't mind."
Knowing that Nayeon had at least some food in her system reassured me. I didn't want to have her on the floor with the reason that she was malnourished just because she forgot to take her meals with her for the day.
The girl gave me a hesitant look and then looked down at the food in her hand and my hand holding onto hers.
"You should take it from her, she won't stop till you got that food in your stomach." Jeongyeon spoke up with a full mouth when there wasn't any further progress.
It was true though, I wouldn't stop insisting until Nayeon accepted the offer from me.
"Alright." She finally gave in after a while and took the food back infront of her, breaking apart the chopsticks given to her and taking a bite from what she ate last night.
I watched her eat for just a few seconds before my attention averted back at my best friend, who was looking at me with a huge grin stuck on her face.
Her hand groped mine and she pulled me up with her, "Nayeon, we will be right back." She told the eldest- who nodded to her statement.
Just like before, I was dragged along with her like a doll. She took us outside the room and into the hallway.
"What was that about?"
"What do you mean?"
The blonde sighed and smiled amusingly, "You never give your food away to other people, you don't even share a bite with me and you just gave Nayeon your whole lunch for this hour."
I chuckled at her and crossed my arms over my chest, "She didn't have anything else to eat today."
"I also had days where I had nothing to eat!" She argued with me and pulled my arms away from my chest, "You always tell me to go buy it or to not be so dumb next time."
A groan left my throat and I shook my head, "And so what?" I said and looked her up into her eyes, "What does that have to do with the fact that I gave Nayeon my lunch?"
"Nothing, but isn't it odd that you treat her better than your own best friend?"
There she goes with that 'best friend' stuff again.
"It's called being kind and considerate." I told her and raised my eyebrows.
"I think it's called having a girlfriend." She suddenly claimed.
What the fuck does she even mean by that, was she seriously assuming that I was dating Nayeon?
"What!?" I shouted at her and shoved her by her shoulders, which resulted in an entertained laugh from her.
"Why would we be dating, she is literally straight." I whispered to her angrily when a few students that walked by gave us glances because of my shouting.
The blonde shrugged her shoulders and smiled, "Actions speak for themselves. If you guys aren't dating, then for sure do you have a crush on her." She concluded and grabbed my shoulders, "No need to be ashamed though, I'll still be your one and only bestie." Jeongyeon smirked and rubbed me over my head before heading back into the lounge- leaving me standing flabbergasted in the hallway.
It indeed wasn't something for me to give out my food to someone else.
But that she right away jumped to the conclusion of Nayeon and I dating was way too much- it was shocking, really.
Nayeon and I have only been somewhat close to each other for over a single week, so for us to date already would be weird- especially because she was heterosexual.
I did feel some sort of attraction to her though, but maybe that's just in a platonic way.
There's no way I'd have a crush on Im Nayeon,
Right?
~