The Girl Aria (A Stray Kids Fanfiction)

Chapter 21

The previous rough night passed by and I found myself once again straining to open my eyes to the harsh and unforgiving world. My eyes were still dry and burning from the tears that had been shed. My body felt exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was muster up enough energy just to sit up. I had school again today which I strongly desired to skip. Just the thought of facing another full day made my stomach queasy. Socializing is overrated. I thought. It could have been my mood that morning but I felt if everything was against me, stopping me dead in my tracks from living a decent life.

My eyes flicked quickly to the side, watching Lee Know's and Chan's sleeping figures. I brought my arm from up underneath the covers to messily run my fingers through my scalp and to the ends of my hair. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, squinting my eyes and stretching as far as my limbs would allow. I finally forced myself to get up and make my way to the bathroom to get ready. I didn't bother shutting the door behind me. I grabbed a hair-tie and messily pulled all my hair up into a bun, the baby strands of hair escaping and framing my face. I glanced briefly at my visual aspect in the mirror. I had small bags under my red, irritated eyes, my oversized shirt was falling off me, exposing my bare shoulder. My face looked a little more puffy this morning and I rubbed it a little to help the swollen look as well as to awake myself from dreamland. When I reached for the supply of face washes I realized my hand was still bandaged and needed a new wrap. I didn't have the medical stuff on hand so I would have to awake one of the boys. I inwardly groaned. It was embarrassing enough to have broke down in front of them last night, and I strongly didn't want to converse with any of them until I gave myself a pep talk beforehand.

But you guessed it. When I turned back to the right, the next thing I knew was that both Lee Know and Chan were standing in the doorway. I wanted to crawl away from their searching gazes. I wanted to hide somewhere no one could ever find me and I could be in peace. But on the other hand, I wanted to trust them with everything I had, wanted to tell them all of my fears, desires, and worries so that they could be there to give me advice, comfort, and encouragement. I was scared that if I became too distant or too close, I would lose what I had already gained. It was like a choice between life or death.

Lee Know approached me instead, postponing the decision I would have to make at some point or another. Chan, I assumed, went to go wake the others which left me only to Lee Know's care. He took a new bandage from underneath the sink and went to unwrap my old one. When he grabbed my wrists I cried out in exclamation, snatching my wrists back from him. By the look in his eyes, I knew I had taken him by surprise. He almost looked taken aback, and I wouldn't blame him for it. When he came back from his shock, he took my wrist in his hand, more gently this time, and softly raised up the cuff of my sleeve, now exposing the dark purple almost blue bruises patterned around my arms.

"How did this happen?" He asked gently while studying the injuries. I hesitated, almost as if I was expecting someone to answer for me. Did I want to lie and risk him misunderstanding the situation, or tell the truth which so obviously needed to be stated? At the time, the answer had been foggy, but now that I look back, it's clear as day that I made the right choice.

"Hyo..." I stated quietly, looking away. He knelt down a little so make direct eye contact with me.

"Hyo did what?" He said lightly, concentrating on my every word and expression, trying desperately to read me.

"She..." I swallowed, tears pooling from all the pressure, "She threatened me." His face grew serious, his eyes almost black with hatred, although not at me.

"What did she say to you?" He pressed, lifting up my chin with his hand so that I would concentrate. I inhaled a shaky breath, knees shaking.

"She told me to stay away from you guys and that if I told anyone she said that she would kill me." I hiccuped, trying to balance myself and not have another panic attack that seemed as if it were right around the corner.

"Aria, we need to tell the school about this. She's making death threats. That's enough to get her expelled." I shook my head violently, lips pressed and tears falling.

"No...she said...she said...th-that...she said that." I stuttered violently. Lee Know grabbed my face in both of his hands and stared at me dead in the eyes.

"Listen to me, we are not going to let her hurt you. You'll be okay, I promise." There were those words again. I promise. The ones I had such a hard time believing. How was it after all they have shown me, there was still a percentage of me that wanted to deny them? Oh how fickle my polluted mind was, how immature my actions seemed to be. If I wanted to ever get better, I would have to start going out of my comfort zone and pushing myself towards success instead of being stuck in this same continuous cycle as the days passed by.

Like a small child who is attempting to be brave, I wiped my tears away and wrapped my arms around Lee Know's neck as if saying that I trusted him. I did not even have to utter a single word for him to understand I was finally putting every once of trust I had into them.

"Don't ever abandon me. Please." I cried out softly, my face hidden in his shoulder.

"I promise." And somehow, one way or another, I let myself believe him.

* * *

I brought the cup of warm milk up to my lips again, the temperature soothing me into somewhat of a dazed state. My body felt exhausted mentally from all the emotions that had come upon me like a tidal wave. Chan had made the decision for me to not attend school today due to current situations involving Hyo and my state of mental health. They told the teachers I would be taking a whole week off. He also mentioned the death threats to the principle, which I guessed they would resolve. But, Hyo being the "popular girl" and all, I doubted she would get anything more than detention.

You could say that I was looking forward to staying in the house, away from the social, outside world. It would give me a break and a chance to think over everything. But the boys had other plans for me that day. Han entered the kitchen, sitting down next to me while running his fingers through his messy, morning hair. He looked at me, excitement twinkling in his eyes.

"I talked with Chan-Hyung about maybe bringing you with us to work today." He stated, fiddling with the strings on his hoodie.

"Hmm, and what did he say?" I tried to sound as friendly as possible, but I had a feeling it came off as more "I'mtryingtosoundnicebutIreallydon'tcaresogoaway".

"I thought it would be a great idea." Chan answered for him while drinking coffee and stepping into the kitchen to join us, the rest just behind him. Han smiled so wide I could hardly see his eyes.

"So what do you say?!" He asked, eager to hear what my words would be. I paused, quickly looking at everyone else. They all seemed so happy and thrilled about the idea I hated to disappoint them. After all, if I were to become an idol, I would have to start getting out of my "comfort zone".

"Sure." They all cheered, especially Han who had exploded due to his suppressed excitement. I grinned at their reactions. They actually cared, and it made me feel so incredibly good that I wanted to stay in this moment forever. I took a mental picture of this moment so I could savor it when I felt myself slipping. It would be something I could grasp to hold on to reality and to see that there was a way to be happy.

It was one step closer to victory.

(Hoped you guys liked it and will try to get another chapter out soon!)