the pizza girl | p.js

7-bad dream

Heeyeon exited the school without seeing Jisung again, she didn't even see him at lunch. She and Chenle sat alone. Part of her was glad he didn't show because she kinda didn't want to talk about what happened in front of Chenle. She'd prefer it be a conversation had in private.

Tonight when Jisung arrives at her apartment, he seems...nervous? Normally, Jisung is very laid back and quiet. Right now, he's still quiet but he can't seem to hold eye contact with Heeyeon for more than two seconds.

"Hi, Jisung." Heeyeon says.

"Hi, Heeyeon." He replies. Both of them just stand there. Finally, Heeyeon opens the door, inviting him in. They set up their stuff at the table and get to work on studying without another word.

30 minutes have passed and the question burning at the back of Jisung's throat is requesting freedom. "Heeyeon, can I ask you something?" He asks sheepishly. "Yeah, but I forgot to tell you, the math exam has been moved to tomorrow. Our teacher is having her baby, so she'll be on maternity leave after tomorrow."

"What?! Tomorrow?" Jisung sobs dramatically. "Yes, but what was your question?" Heeyeon looks quite eager. "Oh umm, do you have any siblings? You have the vibe of an older sister, kinda like Anjae." He tries to save himself. Thankfully, it works.

"I have a younger sister named Heejin. She lives with my mom, obviously. She's one year younger than me." Heeyeon reveals. "You?"

"I have an older sister named Jiseol, we don't really see each other that much." he shares. "Anjae is basically my sister, so I guess she counts too."

~

The two decide to finish studying a little bit earlier so they will be well-rested for the test. The next morning at school, Jisung is met by Chenle. "So did you ask her?" Chenle inquires. "No, I kinda panicked."

"Ask who what?" a voice came from behind the boys. They both turned around in horror. "Why do you both look like you saw a ghost?" Heeyeon questions.

"Oh, it's just you haha" Jisung tries to play it off. "Yeah, we were asking Mrs. Choi..."

"The gender of her baby!" Chenle chimes in.

"Oh, it's a boy. I'm pretty sure she told us at the beginning of class last week." Heeyeon says disappointed in the boys for not paying attention. "Anyways, are you ready for the exam?" She says looking at Jisung. "I guess so" he shrugs. "Let's go."

Heeyeon grabs Jisung by the hand and leads him to the classroom. "We got this!" she reassures. He can't help but smile at her optimism. Why is she so cute? He thinks to himself. His thoughts of Heeyeon are soon interrupted by a sheet of paper being placed on his desk.

He scans the paper before beginning. He can honestly say that he's never felt more prepared for a test, and it's all thanks to Heeyeon.

As time passes, people begin turning in their tests. Heeyeon was the second person to turn her paper in. Second to arguably the smartest person in the class, Huang Renjun. Jisung eventually finishes and turns his paper in with a good feeling.

Since people were still working, the rest of the class was welcome to do something else quietly like read a book or study for another class. Jisung and Heeyeon both decided to sleep.

Once the bell for dismissal rang, Jisung woke up because he slept lightly. His friend in the back, however, was in a deep sleep. It didn't seem to be a peaceful one either. Jisung ran over to Heeyeon because she seemed to be shaking.

Once he got closer, he heard small whimpers and he saw tears in her eyes. he was afraid to touch her but he didn't know what else to do. He slowly placed his hand on her back and rubbed softly in an attempt to wake her up. At the contact, she jolted awake. She was breathing heavily, seeming very scared.

"Shhh, it's okay. You're okay. I'm right here." Jisung says softly trying to comfort her. The girl throws her arms around his waist and begins to quietly sob into his chest. Jisung holds her tightly and strokes her hair.

Mrs. Choi looks over and Jisung gives her pleading eyes. She understands and goes outside to tell her next class to wait in the hallway. "Heeyeon, sweetie, are you okay?" Mrs. Choi asks softly. Heeyeon slowly nods, still pressed into Jisung's embrace.

Jisung knew they needed to move since there was a class outside. He pulled away from Heeyeon even though it pained him as much as it probably pained her. He saw her eyes and he wanted to cry. They were red and puffy, in contrast to her normally bright eyes.

He gathered her things and his and then returned to her. He couldn't hold her and their books, so he gave her his jacket in hopes that it would provide temporary comfort. It did. The two exit the classroom and Jisung leads her outside. He sets everything down and turns to Heeyeon.

He places his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "Heeyeon, are you okay?" She nods. "Are you sure?" She nods again. Jisung can see it in her eyes that she's not okay. "Talk to me, please" Jisung begs, sounding like he's on the verge of tears.

"I had a bad dream. It triggered a breakdown." She deadpans. "What kind of dream triggers a breakdown like that?" Jisung asks genuinely. "The kind that's filled with memories. The kind you can feel." Jisung doesn't know what to say and he doesn't want to pry so he just pulls her into another tight embrace.

"Heeyeon!! My baby!!" a dolphin-pitched voice comes running up to them. "Oh my goodness, Hee are you okay?!" Chenle shouts studying the girl's face intently. His voice is laced with legitimate concern. "I'm okay, Lele." She says quietly. "I just had a bad dream." Chenle thinks for a moment. "About...?" Heeyeon nods.

It's now Chenle's turn to hug the girl. Jisung is still standing there, quite confused. He decides to let them talk privately and gathers his things. "Wait, Jisung. Don't go." Heeyeon requests. "I'd like you to stay with me."

Jisung fights a smile but loses. "Aww, so cute" Chenle coos. Heeyeon shoots him a death glare. He takes this as his cue to leave. Jisung chuckles and sits next to Heeyeon. She scoots in closer to him and rests her head on his chest. He wraps an arm around her shoulders and rests his head on top of hers.

The sound of Jisung's heartbeat is what calmed Heeyeon. Back in the classroom when she hugged him, the rhythm of his heartbeat is what soothed the panicked girl. Heeyeon feels a special connection to the boy that is currently holding her. No one has ever made her feel so safe.

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I improvised this whole chapter. I had a plan for it but I just let my mind wander and this was the outcome. I hope you noticed my reference to the main character, Jiseol, of Unlikely by haekkum