the pizza girl | p.js

9-friendsgiving

After their first date, Jisung and Heeyeon have been inseparable but not in an annoying way. They just chose to be by each other's side when it was convenient. Jisung felt a strong sense of needing to protect her and Heeyeon felt safe around him.

They were restoring each other's broken trust.

Today was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. Jisung invited Heeyeon and Chenle to sit with him and his friends Anjae, Mark, Donghyuck, and Lia. Anjae, Jisung, and Hyuck always host a Friendsgiving the day before Thanksgiving. This year they'll have some new additions.

"Everybody, this is Heeyeon and Chenle. You guys kind of know Chenle already but Heeyeon transferred this year." Jisung says introducing them. "Oh my gosh! Hi, Heeyeon, I've heard so much about you." Anjae beams. Heeyeon smiles, taking a seat.

Anjae introduces everyone else at the table and they all exchange greetings.

"I wanted to invite them to Friendsgiving this year along with Lia and Mark." Jisung whispered to Anjae. "Duh, Ji of course they're invited. It's Friendsgiving." She remarked.

The group of seven took the rest of their lunch break to plan and get to know each other. Hyuck and Chenle hit it off pretty well. Chenle took quite a liking to Mark. Anjae nearly replaced Jisung with Heeyeon. Jisung just sat and watched his friends hit it off.

~

Heeyeon offered to host the celebration at her apartment. Although it was small, it was big enough for the seven of them. She had a living room and a dining room. They also wouldn't have to worry about disturbing anyone's parents. Anjae suggested a sleepover afterward and Heeyeon agreed. She chose not to tell her mother though.

Once everyone arrived they set out the food they brought and claimed seats. Heeyeon was standing in the kitchen when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. The boy rested his head on her shoulder. She knew it was Jisung but she was still shocked by the bold gesture. They had been dating for almost a month now but he had never done anything like this.

"I hope you don't mind. I just felt like hugging you." He smiles. "I don't mind at all. I needed it." Neither of them like public displays of affection, so as soon as they heard someone walking into the kitchen, they practically ran to opposite sides of the room.

"Mhmm" Chenle hummed, grabbing the drinks and taking them to the table. Jisung and Heeyeon exchanged looks before following him. Everyone filled their stomachs with the assortment of different foods. There was chicken, ramen, a pizza (contributed by Heeyeon), and other items.

Anjae made everyone go around the table and say something they were thankful for. The most popular answer was 'friends and family'. After that, they just broke into random conversations.

Once they were finished eating, they decided to play some board games. That is until Chenle pulled out his Nintendo switch. Mark and Jisung wanted to play that instead. "Good thing I brought my extra controllers." They decided to play MarioKart.

The ladies (and Hyuck) settled for a simple game of Uno. Lia dealt the cards and they began the first round. Heeyeon's mind wandered as she waited for the others to play their turns. She started to think about Jisung and how his birthday was coming up.

February was only two months away and his birthday is super early in the month. She already knew she wanted to do something special for him but it would take planning and time. And she needed a little more information. "Hey Anjae, can I speak to you in private?" she whispered into the girl's ear. "Yeah, sure."

Heeyeon got up and lead Anjae to her bedroom and closed the door. Jisung was too engrossed in the game to notice the girls leave the room. "You're bedroom is literally so nice." She compliments, examining the room. "But, what's up?" she chirps.

Heeyeon warmed up to Anjae pretty fast. The two girls are quite alike except for Anjae being a little more outspoken. Heeyeon describes herself as passive.

"I know Jisung's birthday is in February," she says. "I would like you to help me throw him a surprise party. I just need to know a little bit more about what he likes and I don't want him to get suspicious."

"I'll definitely help you. But there is one thing you need to know. Jisung always goes to visit his grandparents on his birthday. So he won't be here. He's normally gone for a week." Anjae explained. Heeyeon hummed as she thought of what to do.

It was obvious that they could just do it afterward. So that's what they decided on. It's going to be the weekend after Jisung gets back. Anjae informed Heeyeon that Jisung really enjoyed arcades. There just so happens to be a really nice one near the pizza place.

The girls decided to plan more later so that they could get back to their friends. Everyone had gotten tired of playing games and was ready to watch a movie (go to sleep). It wasn't hard for everyone to decide on a movie to watch since there were a few new releases out.

Without fail, everyone was asleep or half asleep before the movie even ended. Jisung woke up randomly in the middle of the night. He and Heeyeon were the only two on the couch, while everyone else decided to spread out on the floor. Jisung looked at the girl next to him and noticed her furrowed eyebrows.

He got closer and saw beads of sweat on her forehead. Her small body was trembling. Just like that day in the classroom. "Heeyeon" he whispered not wanting to touch her. He whispered her name softly a few more times before she finally woke up. "Stop" she said. But she wasn't speaking to Jisung.

"Another nightmare?" He assumed. She nodded in confirmation. "Come on" he got up and offered her his hand. She took it and followed him to her bedroom. He pulled the cover down and signaled for her to climb in. She obliged and he tucked her in. "Talk to me." He said grabbing the chair from her desk.

"It was my dad. Again. I see the same thing every time. Him striking my mother and her falling to the ground with tears in her eyes. I hear my younger sister screaming at him to stop. I just sit there helplessly. Unable to move or speak."

"He turns his anger on my sister and pushes her away. Hard enough for her to fall back and hit her head. She was only two." Heeyeon's voice begins to break. "This is why I haven't seen my dad since I was three. The day after this happened my mom packed all of our things and we left while he was at work."

"Heeyeon...I'm so sorry. Nobody deserves this. Especially not a child." Jisung said this solemnly but on the inside, he was seething with anger. How could anyone ever think it was okay to put hands on a woman and a child and call himself a man.

At the sight of the tears rolling down Heeyeon's face, Jisung began to cry too. He stood up and pulled Heeyeon into a comforting embrace. Her head rested against his chest. She let his heartbeat calm her once again. He stroked her arm gently, not letting her go anytime soon. One tear rolled down off his chin and fell into her hair.

She felt this and pulled away from him. She got on her knees in her bed so that they were eye to eye. She looked at his face and puffy eyes that matched hers. She wiped his tear away with her thumb. He did the same, bringing their faces closer. They pressed their foreheads together and connected their hands. As Jisung held Heeyeon's hands he rubbed his thumb back and forth.

"Heeyeon, I want you to know that I will never let anyone do that to you or ever make you feel that way again. I am so sorry you had to experience that." The whole thing made Jisung's heart ache. He didn't know what to do except be there for her. And that was all she needed.