Jenna drove back to the pizza shop, feeling awful. Her head hurt now from all the excitement. Her arm was now black, blue and sore. Good thing the weather was getting colder so her long sleeves would be able to cover the bruise. Her manager wasn't going to be happy at all.
She entered through the back door and dragged the empty pizza bags with her.
"What took you so long?! I tried calling you!" Her boss was understandably angry.
"I'm sorry. There was an altercation and I had to call the police. I'm sorry, but we didn't get paid." She stood before him trying not to cry. The events of the evening were catching up with her and tears threatened to spill over any moment now.
Her manager looked her over, puzzled by her current demeanor.
"Jenna, what happened? Where did that awful bruise come from? Were you assaulted?!" He fired questions at her like bullets. She shrunk back from him.
"Listen, Jenna, I'm sure it wasn't your fault. But please tell me what happened." He spoke more softly after seeing her reaction.
Sara heard the ruckus and stepped over from her work station. She saw her friend and immediately ran over to her. "Jenna! Jenna, are you okay? What's going on?"
Jenna took a deep breath and began her tale. The manager shook his head and immediately put that house on the black list. They would be getting no more deliveries from this pizza place.
Sara put her arm around her friend's shoulders trying her best to give what comfort she could. Jenna finished her story and looked up at the two people in front of her.
"Sir, if it would be alright, could I go home early? I'm not feeling well." Her voice trailed off at the end, but her boss had heard enough.
"Sure. Sara, why don't you take her home? I have enough people to cover the rest of your shifts."
"Sure. I would be happy to," Sara replied, quickly removing her apron and grabbing her things from the employee room nearby.
"Let's go, Jenna." She took Jenna's keys from her and escorted her friend to the car.
The car ride home was silent. Sara tried to make small talk, but Jenna just sat quietly. Her head was throbbing; she just wanted a hot shower and her bed.
The officer had recommended getting a restraining order against Matt. He also said he would be talking to Matt's mother about him moving back to Florida and attending college there. He really felt badly about what had happened and promised Jenna he would do everything he could to protect her, while assisting Matt in getting some professional help. She was happy with that but felt badly for the man who now had to file reports against his own son.
"I can't believe that loser tried to hurt you again," Sara said bitterly.
"He was drunk. I'm not going to let this get me down. I'm going to move past it. It just might take me a couple of days. He was so angry. The look in his eyes was pure hatred, Sara. I won't forget that anytime soon I'm afraid." She spoke so softly Sara had to lean in slightly to hear her.
Sara's heart broke for her friend. She pondered how she could help but came up with nothing. She decided she would just be there for her friend if she needed her.
They arrived at their apartment. Jenna went immediately to her room, and after grabbing some clean pj's, she went into the bathroom. Sara frowned. She wracked her brain trying to think of some way to help her friend feel better. Though, sadly enough, she came up with nothing.
* * *
Jenna turned off her light and snuggled into her blankets. Her face glowed with the light from her phone. Scrolling through her social media she saw several updates from the boys. Namjoon had posted another outfit of the day, and Jin had filmed an eating video. She decided to watch it later. She never understood how that guy could fit so much food into his mouth.
She plugged in her ear phones and played a Korean language podcast. She was trying anything to forget the earlier events of the evening. Not five minutes into the podcast, her phone buzzed.
A4D: Jenna. Please tell me everything is okay! I woke up with an awful feeling this morning. I just now got a chance to message you. Is everything okay? I can't shake this feeling.
She stared at his message. No, everything was not okay, but it would be. She just had to give herself room to be angry, sad, upset, all of those feelings; then move past it. She wanted to talk to him, but she was afraid all she would do was cry and that would just worry him. She didn't want that.
Jenna: Everything is just great. Don't worry about me. :)
A4D: I'm calling you anyway. I need to see for myself.
This worry wart...goodness.
Jenna: No! It's okay! I'm already in bed and have no makeup on. I look awful. I'm okay!
Too late.
Her video chat popped up with a call from him. He was her friend and he was worried about her for whatever reason. She just needed to stay strong long enough to put his mind at ease. She tapped the answer button and soon his face was in front of her on her screen.
"There's my girl! Hey, turn on a light. I can't see you." Jenna saw him frown a bit.
"I don't want to. Everything looks beautiful in the dark, you know," she sighed.
"I need to make sure you're okay. I had a terrible dream and I woke up feeling like something bad was happening or going to happen. Just do it for me, okay?"
Jenna sighed. She felt her eyes getting hot already and it wouldn't be long before she was blubbering like a baby. Why did he have to be so sweet?
"Listen, I'm okay. Really. No need for you to worry." She spoke softly trying to keep her voice under control.
"I can tell something is wrong. Alright, don't turn on the light, but please talk to me?" The concern in his voice was hard to avoid.
Jenna couldn't evade him anymore. She had always been truthful with him. She didn't want to ruin that track record with him now. Taking a deep breath, for the third time tonight, she recounted the evening's events.
Taehyung might not be able to see her well, but she could certainly see him, and he looked furious. His eyes became angrier than she had ever seen him look.
"Taehyung, calm down. You're thousands of miles away. There's nothing you can do about this. The police are handling him, and I think I'm going to switch jobs or something. I feel good about reporting him, because he needs help." She finally switched on her lamp, after wiping away all the tears she had cried while she talked.
"I can't believe you weren't going to talk to me about this." Taehyung spoke quietly. He was hurt she would keep this from him. Even if he was thousands of miles away, he could talk to her, get her mind off of it, support her in any way possible. He didn't like the idea of being shut out.
"I didn't want to worry you. I'm fine. Just one bruise. I'm still alive. Thank God nothing serious happened."
"Promise me, no more secrets from me. I care about you, Jenna. A lot. I never want you to feel like you have to go through something like this alone. If nothing else, I'm a shoulder to cry on. I'm your friend and the guy who loves you." He smiled sweetly at the camera.
Jenna sniffed, and tears flowed down her face again. "I was so scared..." she whispered.
"I know, babe, I know..."
Jenna and Taehyung spent the next hour talking. Well, Jenna did a lot of crying and Taehyung did a lot of listening. But that's what both of them needed. She needed to talk to someone and he needed to feel useful to her. By the end of the conversation, both felt closer to the other.
"Thank you, Taehyung. I appreciate this. More than you'll know." Jenna wiped the last of her tears away and gave him as bright a smile as she could muster.
"Jenna, lay down. Plug in the phone so it won't die. I'm going to sing you to sleep. Close your eyes..." And as had become their habit when they video chatted late at night, his soothing voice helped her drift off into dream land, bringing with it rest.
* * *
Jenna woke up the next morning, temporarily forgetting the previous night's scary events. The last thing she remembered was Taehyung telling her to lay down and then his velvety voice drifting into her ears.
She giggled like a school girl. How lucky could one girl be? Her feelings were growing for this man who lived on the other side of the world. She slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Her smile slowly turned into a frown as she looked at herself in the mirror. She felt pity for the girl in the mirror who looked tired and sad. On her arm was a big ugly bruise. For a moment, she detached herself from herself and looked at her reflection. She felt happy this morning, but the girl in the mirror looked less than happy. She shook her head and came back to reality.
Alright Jenna, you have a handsome guy who cares about you very much. You have great parents and a great friend, Sara. You're free. You're doing what you love. You have a purpose in life. You have people who love you. People who care about you. You have friends who are K-Pop stars! You even met them in person. You're one blessed girl! Just because one loser comes at you because he's drunk, cannot change any of that other stuff. So, don't let him have control over you! Smile! Fix yourself up! You're a beautiful girl with a huge adventure laying ahead of you! You can do this!
She gave herself this pep talk as she brushed her teeth and jumped into the shower. Sara stuck her head into the bathroom to ask if she wanted anything special for breakfast.
"No, I'm good thanks!" She replied to Sara's question with a happy voice.
"Hey, I don't mean to pry, but you seem pretty happy for looking so dejected last night. Does this have anything to do with the voice I heard singing in your room last night?"
Jenna froze. Sara knew very little about Taehyung. But she did know Jenna loved a group called BTS and had heard their music playing in her room. Between the music and the posters, Jenna became worried that if Sara ever put two and two together, she would figure out the whole thing. Not that she didn't trust her friend, she just didn't know how good Sara was with secrets.
"Uh...someone singing?" Jenna tried to play it cool.
"Don't play stupid with me. I heard him, and he was singing in Korean from what I could tell. Who was it?" Sara smirked at how uncomfortable her friend sounded right now.
"Hey, I'm trying to take a shower here! Can't a girl have some privacy?" Jenna protested her friend invading the bathroom.
"Sure. Sure. But we will talk about this again, Miss Shepherd!" Sara giggled as she left the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. That voice she had heard last night sounded vaguely familiar. She just couldn't put her finger on what made it seem familiar. She shrugged and decided to pester her friend some more over breakfast.
Jenna breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the bathroom door shut. Sara could be persistent, and she fully expected to be thoroughly interrogated once she left this room. She tried to collect her thoughts and decide exactly what she would tell Sara and what she would leave out.
She finished up her shower and took her time getting ready, trying to postpone the inevitable. She opened the bathroom door as quietly as possible and tried to tip-toe to her room across the hall.
"I HEAR YOU TRYING TO BE SNEAKY! GET IN THIS KITCHEN RIGHT NOW, YOUNG LADY!" Sara's mom voice had made an appearance and Jenna knew it was best to do as she said. Sighing in defeat, she shuffled into the kitchen.
She moved to the cabinet, grabbing a bowl and spoon. Choosing her cereal, she stopped off at the fridge for the milk. All the while, she felt Sara's judgmental stare burning holes into her body.
"So. Spill it. All of it. Who is that guy and why does his voice sound familiar to me? And why is he singing to you at night?" She rattled off questions in rapid fire succession, making Jenna's head spin.
"Okay, first things first. That 'guy' is Taehyung. He's my friend and someone I care about a lot." Jenna shoved a bite of cereal into her mouth.
"This is your Korean friend, right? Okay. What else?" Sara folded her arms across her body and stared her friend down again.
Jenna gulped. She stared at her cereal in her bowl a little before raising her eyes to meet Sara's stare. "What I am about to tell you is very, very secretive. I have to be able to trust you, Sara. If I tell you everything, you'll have to swear to keep it all a secret. Can you do that?"
She spoke with a secretive, quiet tone hoping her friend understood the gravity of the situation at hand.
"Jenna, is he some kind of North Korean spy or something? Is he a convicted murderer on the run? What kind of guy is this Taehyung?" Sara giggled a little at her friend's dramatic speech.
"Sara, this isn't funny. I'm serious." Jenna's face remained emotionless.
"Okay. I get it. I get it. Just try to explain it to me, without the dramatics, okay?" She rested her arms on the table and waited patiently for her friend to begin.
Jenna took a deep breath and started at the beginning. "Well, after watching a few dramas I got into this music called K-Pop. I decided to learn the Korean language and started looking into apps. One of my first language partners was this guy with the handle A4D..."
Jenna told her most everything. Not everything she had told her mother, but most of it.
Sara sat across from her slack jawed. "That's why his voice was familiar! I knew I had heard it before!"
She smiled at Jenna. "You secret is safe with me. I promise. You're my friend, Jenna. I don't want to ruin your happiness, ever. You can count on me."
Sara gave her a sweet smile and Jenna felt relief wash over her. It felt good to share it all with someone close to her.
"Thanks, Sara. Taehyung and I have gotten close. I don't want to use the word 'love' yet, but we are taking it day by day. Eventually, I want to be an English teacher in Korea, so I'm working towards that now. I'm sorry I never talked to you about all this. I just didn't feel like I should."
"No problem, Jenna. Really. I think it's great you want to teach others to speak English! I'm sure you'll be one of the most favorite teachers when you get there. You're such a sweetheart, how could anyone hate you, huh?" Sara giggled.
Taking her friend's empty bowl to the sink, she turned around. "Hey, I saw there was a new drama that just completed. It's Saturday...and the boss called while you were in the shower and gave us the weekend off. Let's binge a K-Drama, shall we?" Her eyes shone with excitement.
Jenna had a better idea. Pulling up BTS' video channel, she smiled and said, "How about I introduce you to some of my Korean friends?"