sweatshirts in the summertime| l.mh /ft. p.js

chapter 15

It's the day before the dance. I'm helping Lia add finishing touches to the gym. My phone is on the other side of the gym so I don't hear it ringing. Suddenly, Jisung busts through the doors. It makes me and Lia jump.

"Anjae..." he mutters facing the ground. I walk over to him. He keeps looking down. "She cheated on me." A tear rolls down his cheek. "Ji... I'm gonna kill her." I begin walking out of the gym but Jisung grabs my arm. "Not now. Can you just stay with me?" I pull him into a hug. "Of course"

Lia walks up to us. "Hey Jisung, if you want, you can come with us tomorrow." She offers. "Thanks, I'd like that." He tries to smile. I can't say I'm surprised but I'm still angry about the situation. I wonder how Jisung even found out. I can't help but feel guilty. I should've warned him.

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It's now the day of the dance. I'm in my room getting ready. I normally tie my hair up, but tonight I decided to leave it down and display my natural curls. The navy blue dress compliments my complexion nicely. I add a simple diamond necklace to complete the look. I look at myself in the mirror. Woah! I surprised myself.

I walk downstairs to say goodbye to my parents before leaving with my friends. "Baby, you look beautiful!" My mom exclaims when she's sees me. "Our little girl is all grown up." My dad says wiping away fake tears. I roll my eyes and smile at them. "Bye!"

"Take plenty of pictures!" My mom shouts before I walk out of the door. Mark and Lia are standing outside of the car. Lia's dress fits her perfectly. She looks like royalty. She has her long brown hair tucked behind one ear. Mark is wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a navy blue tie. Coincidence?

I notice him looking at me the same way he did when I was wearing his clothes. This time I'm returning his stare. I find it hard to take my eyes off of him. I walk over to him. "You look amazing!" He immediately says. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." I return the compliment. He doesn't look bad at all.

He smiles at me before getting in the car. I climb in the backseat with Lia. "Lia, your dress is perfect!" I exclaim. She smiles "Your dress is perfect, Anjae. Blue is definitely your color." She emphasizes the last part, looking at Mark. Mark tries to conceal a smile from the front seat.

When we arrive, we're greeted by Jisung and Hyuck. They're both wearing black suits. Hyuck is wearing a red bow tie. Jisung has a black neck tie. I can't lie, they look very handsome. Hyuck's jaw drops when he sees Lia. Jisung stares at me when I walk in, but he catches himself and adjusts his tie.

"Jae, I've never seen you look like a girl before!" He jokes. "Yeah, the last time I saw you in a dress was our 5th grade graduation." Hyuck chimes in. I roll my eyes at the boys. "You could just tell me I look nice." They look at each other, then back at me. "Nah!" They say in unison. I slap both of them in the arms and they grimace in pain.

"You may look like a girl but you hit like a man!" Jisung exclaims. "I know right! She's stronger than she looks." Mark says recalling the time I slapped him in his arm. "Guys, let's go! It's starting" Lia hurries to the gym. We follow after her.

"Wow! Lia it looks amazing in here." I say looking around the gym. It looks completely different. The entrance of the gym has a red carpet rolled in front. We take turns taking pictures for each other. We all make our best poses and faces. "Whooo!" "Okayyy!" "Beautiful!!" We hype each other up on the carpet. After we're done taking pictures, we pile into the gym.

Lia is dancing with Hyuck to a Michael Jackson song. It's Smooth Criminal. Hyuck knows the whole choreography. I'm sitting at a table with Mark and Jisung. We're all watching Hyuck and Lia dance. After the song finishes the air at the table becomes tense. Mark and I have been exchanging looks all night. I didn't notice Jisung getting upset until he grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside.

"Hey! What the heck?!" I shout trying to free myself from his grip. "What's going on between you two?" He interrogates. "What are you talking about? Mark? We're friends!" I shout at him angrily. "Sure. Friends drool over each other all the time." He says bitterly. "Jisung what has gotten into you?" Jealousy has taken over his tongue. He's saying things without realizing what's falling out of his mouth. "You're leaving me, just like she did." He scoffs. "Don't you dare compare me to her." I say disgustedly. At this point I'm beyond angry. I can't even look at him.

I walk away from him. I go and find Lia and tell her I'm ready to leave. Jisung has ruined my whole night. Lia doesn't want to leave just yet. "Mark can take you. I'll ride with Hyuck." I go find Mark in the corner. "Can you take me home?" I ask him, trying not to cry. He studies my face for a bit. "Sure." He leads me to his car. I climb into the passenger seat.

The ride seems to last forever. I haven't said a word and Mark found this strange. Normally I'm talkative and playful. "Are you ok?" He asks hesitantly. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry for ruining your night. Thanks for driving me." He pulls the car over. I look up at him for the first time since we've been in the car. "You didn't ruin my night. I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here. With you. I don't know if you've noticed but I have feelings for you. Like, deep feelings. I like you Anjae." The words spill out of his mouth like he's been holding onto them for a while. I'm speechless.