The cafeteria was always a place of noise and drama. But it was also a place of food, so Nari put up with the rest.
As she grabbed her tray and made her way down the lunch line with Jisoo, excited murmurs started to rise. Nari looked up at the doors, and sure enough, there were the new kids.
Quickly, she looked back down at her food, picking up the tray and walking over to her usual spot. Nari grabbed up her chopsticks and scored a piece of meat, bringing it to her mouth. The motion stopped when she saw who started to sit down across from her.
Now, Nari and Jisoo weren't popular in the least. Always last to be picked, always looked down upon. So when the school saw Hwang Hyunjin sit with her at lunch on his first day, an uproar was to be expected.
The boy and his friends, however, were completely unconcerned with the strange looks their table was receiving. They all took out their tableware and began eating.
Nari stared at them in shock. She had told Hyunjin she would show him around, but that didn't mean he had to sit with her! "Why are you sitting here? It will make you look bad," she hissed. Amused, Jisung glanced at her.
"It's impossible for us to look bad, so what is there to worry about?" he laughed, sticking some kimchi in his curved mouth.
With a groan, she shook her head. "You know that isn't what I mean."
Unperturbed, Seungmin raised his eyebrows. "Is it wrong to sit anywhere we want? What's wrong with this table?"
Opening her mouth, Nari paused. She closed her lips and pressed them into a thin line. "Fine. But trust me, after today you won't want to sit here again."
The boys all shrugged and finished their food. When they had, they stood and walked away, not even offering a goodbye. Jisoo, who had been silent the entire time, wrenched her head towards Nari.
"What was that??" she gasped, her mouth puckering like a fish's. Nari scratched her head.
"I don't really know."
The girls finished lunch and Jisoo left to go to her locker. Nari walked back to her homeroom to get her bag inbetween classes.
The lights were off, so she quietly opened and shut the door, making her way to her desk and feeling around for her backpack. One of her fingers hooked on a strap and she hauled it up and onto her shoulder.
She turned to leave, but was shoved back, her face stinging from a sharp blow. Tears of pain and dread welled up in her big eyes as her three regular tormentors drew closer. They were some of the school's most popular, rich girls. Sora, Minji, and Yerin.
In desperation, she tried to back up, but Yerin's rough hands closed around arms, stopping her. The "leader" of the three, Sora, spoke.
"Have fun with those boys today, Nari?" she sneered mockingly. Minji gripped her arm and harshly yanked her to the ground. "They seem to like you a lot."
Nari held in a cry of pain as Sora's heeled foot slammed into her side. Her head was knocked back by Yerin, causing her to see stars. Sora's foot hit the same spot, and this time the poor girl did cry out.
Her wrist was enclosed with bruising force and Nari whimpered. She could feel the air moving as Minji's hand slapped her face once, twice, three times. The wetness of her tears made the pain worse.
She was pushed again as the girls laughed. "There are four of them. How could you get all of their attention? Although, I wouldn't put it past you to take them all at once, you dirty - "
The lights flicked on, and the bullies gasped. Sora's hand left Nari's wrist and she looked up through her tears. She never thought she would have been as happy to hear this voice as she was right then.
"What are you doing?"
Hyunjin slowly stepped into the room, his eyes darkening dangerously as he caught sight of the girl on the floor.
Sora tried to cover. "U-um, nothing! Nari was having a panic attack, but we helped her, right Nari?"
Said girl flinched as the bully reached for her, another tear slipping down her red, blotchy cheek. Hyunjin's knuckles turned white, popping as he fisted his hands, and he shifted his eyes to the three girls. "Get out."
Sora blinked. "Wha- "
"Get. Out," he snarled, eyes flashing. The bullies quickly obeyed, scurrying out of the room like cowards. Silence filled the room. A moment later, he glanced back at Nari. "Are... are you okay?" he asked awkwardly.
She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes, her lips trembling. "No," she whispered, bursting into tears. Her sobs echoed through the room hollowly. Nari wiped at her face, but it was no use; more tears flooded out of her. She wrapped her arms around her middle, yelping as they squeezed the spot Sora had kicked.
A gentle hand touched her shoulder, pulling her up slowly. Nari cringed away but softened when she realized who it was. Hyunjin carefully enveloped the frightened girl in his arms. She pressed her face into his chest, hiccuping.
"It's okay," he murmured, patting her back. "You're okay."
Finally, she pulled away, Hyunjin's hands still on her shoulders. His hand brushed her jaw, turning it this way and that, examining her bruises. Eyes full of anger, he sighed heavily. "They did this because of us, didn't they." It didn't sound like a question.
"It happened a lot before you came, don't think you're so special," Nari said matter-of-factly, a hesitant smile forming.
A surprised laugh came out of Hyunjin's mouth as he looked at her in amazement. "How are you taking this so calmly? They - they beat you," he growled.
Nari looked up. "Why do you care so much?"
Taken aback, Hyunjin quickly released her shoulders and stepped back, his face smoothing into a neutral expression. "I would have stepped in if it was anyone else being bullied. Don't think you're so special," he mocked, turning on his heel and leaving the girl alone.
Ouch. Nari rubbed her chest as if that could get rid of the pain the harsh rebuke had left. Oh, well, she reasoned, at least he will stay away now.
And he did. For the rest of the day, Hyunjin refused to make eye contact or speak to her. But it was for the best.
At the end of the school day, Nari walked her friend home. They said their usual goodbyes and she moved on to her own home.
Nari opened her front door and stepped inside, taking her shoes off. She began to walk to her room, but was pulled back by a strong hand around her bicep.
"Where are you going?"
Heart pounding, Nari tried to swallow the dryness in her throat. "To my room. I have homework to do."
She could hear the bottles clinking together in his free hand. "Is that so? You know... we haven't had some bonding time in a while." The grip tightened. "'Suppose now is as good a time as any," her uncle slurred.
But Nari was out of his grip before the first blow could come. She slipped out of his hand like an eel and sprinted away. Her uncle yelled out for her, but she didn't look back, locking her door right as it shut behind her.
The terrified girl dug through her school bag until her grasping fingers closed around what she was looking for.
Nari pulled up Jisoo's number on her phone, her fingers trembling. Her uncle began to bang on the door, shouting her name, and each thump made Nari's heart beat faster.
Nari
Emergency. It's my uncle
Jisoo
Omg hurry come over
Jisoo
Pls get away from there
She stuffed the device into her pocket and grabbed her duffel bag, throwing random items of clothing in.
When it was full, Nari ran to her window, pulled it open and peered down at the ground. Her second story room was right next to a huge oak tree, perfect for climbing. Or escaping.
Having left her house in this manner many times, Nari slung her bag over one arm and grabbed the tree with the other. She began to climb down, but was a bit too eager to get away. As her foot touched a branch five feet from the ground, she slipped, a silent shriek escaping her lips.
Her back hit the ground, causing her lungs to spasm, and she struggled to draw a breath in as she carefully sat up.
"That was stupid," she muttered, taking stock of her sore body. Nari gasped as her fingers trailed over her right ankle. Pain started to pulse in her leg as she lifted it up. A deep, rough scrape was dripping with blood, and the tight skin around her ankle was already starting to bruise and swell. The fabric of her jeans began to dampen from the blood.
Stop looking at it, just stop.
Swallowing her pain, Nari hauled herself up and began to hobble away from her nightmare, hopefully to safety.
Ouch
Abuse and bullying are not light subjects;
if anyone needs help or someone to
talk to, I'm here
Also thank you to everyone who
is taking the time to read this book
I love you