The Boy Next Door

40.

"Chae-" I say while turning my attention back to the road after looking at her.

I quickly push the breaks and without thinking my hand goes in front of Chaewon to protect her from the impact.

Thankfully I stopped in time and I lift my head to see Jake in front of us looking petrified. He dropped his phone and I turn back to Chaewon to see her eyes shut tight.

"Oh fuck, Chaewon are you okay??" I ask while not moving an inch being too scared of something exploding.

"Get your hand off my chest." she says sounding mad. I quickly remove my hand and chuckle awkwardly.

"I told you to stop speeding!! You never listen to me!!" she screams while turning to look outside. When she meets her eyes with Jake she becomes quiet like he can hear us.

"Jake get in." I say while rolling down my window. Maybe he can save me from the beating I'm going to get.

"Chaewon are you okay? I've been worried sick." Jake says as soon as he gets into the car while touching her face and turning it.

"I'm fine, Jake. Now, Lee Heeseung! You idiot!! How many times have I told you to not speed!?! You almost hit Jake just now!!" she screams but her voice is shallow and weak.

"Are you worried for me, princess?" Jake asks in a slutty tone. I start driving again and turn the music high so he can't talk to her anymore.

"What the actual fuck... Are you kidding me." I hear Chaewon mutter while her eyes are glued onto her phone as I turn off and the car goes silent.

"What?" I ask while trying to see her screen. Before she turns it away from me I see a glimpse an Instagram story of Minwoo.

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel when I see him partying with other girls and them doing some unholy things on him. This fucking asshole doesn't get it does he?

"This asshole-" I mutter under my breath but quickly shut my mouth up. Chaewon's mood totally goes down and her face turns pale.

I should do something. Comfort her. Tell her it's okay. But I can't seem to say anything. I failed to protect her. I swore I would protect her from everything. I promised. I... I did.

"I... I'm sorry. Let's just go." she says while opening her car door and before she shuts it I hear her sniffle and whimper a bit. Is she crying? Shit.

I quickly follow, opening my door and chasing after her. She keeps her head down even when I catch up to her. As we enter the school I feel Jake's presence, on the other side of Chaewon.

I hear whispers and heavy stares burning a hole in my back as we walk. I place my hands on Chaewon's ears making her jump up a bit but I keep my hands on her ears.

"Don't fucking stare. Are you human garbage or just annoying?" I shout which echoes in the halls.

"Chaewon!!" I hear a girl's voice in the hall. I see Namjin running up to us and Chaewon falls out of my grip.

She walks up to Chaewon with a bright smile and so does Chaewon.

"Are you okay? You haven't been answering my texts! I've been worried!" Namjin shouts in a concerned tone.

"I'm okay. Sorry, I've been... busy." she makes an excuse no one is going to believe.

"You left me with these idiots." she says while clearing her throat. I see Sunghoon and Jay behind her rolling their eyes.

"Are you sure your okay? He's a jerk, and he didn't deserve you. You know that right?" she says in a lower tone.

"Yes. I'm okay." bullshit Chaewon.

"Well then.. Let's celebrate you being single!!! Ekkk!! I'm so excited!! I can set you up on dates and-" before she can continue she notices Jake's glare and mine.

"uhm... okay. Well today let's go to the club!! Let's meet some guys, and we can have the joy of rejecting them! Or just me... I love seeing their disappointed faces when they realize I'm not straight!" she says making me laugh a bit. Namjin is quite pretty with dyed hair, piercing, tattoos.

"Let's not Namjin. Maybe give Chae some time. And plus, we all know you just want to go to the club but you don't want to go alone." I say before giving Chaewon a affirming nod so she follows me. Chaewon's steps have always been slow and small like a tiny puppy. I don't know if it's because she has short legs or what but I always match her pace.

"Thank you Hee." she says quietly in a low whisper. I give a smile although she probably can't see how wide it is.

"For what?" I ask just so I could hear her voice again.

"For always saving me. Your always saving the right things at the right time. Like your reading my mind." she responds making me realize what she meant. She must have been uncomfortable from Namjin. Namjin is kind but too kind almost. She doesn't see when she's crossing the line or how she's making someone feel because she's to blinded by her great plan.

"What are bestfriends for?" I say trying to act cool although there's this weird sensation all throughout my body. It's like I'm burning up like a fever and my heart is pounding against my chest. What is this feeling?

"Let's go to class. Actually. I noticed you didn't eat much. I'll get you something. Go sit down in class." I say while trying to walk away but just after I turn my head I feel her cold and small hands on my sleeve.

"We can go together. I feel bad." she says while putting her fucking beautiful smile on her face. I haven't seen that in a while.

"Keep smiling please. I love it." I say before holding her hand hesitantly. I take all the weight out of my hand and softly meet my finger tips with hers. I look up at her to scan her emotions and she's not flinching but just staring at my hand.

I remove it quickly just in case I made her uncomfortable. Shit. Was that too much? I hate myself. Did-

"no..." she mutters before reaching for my hand again and gripping it tightly. Before I know it the corners of my mouth go up and my heart starts beating like it's going to explode.

"I-I... L-Let's..." I say before shutting my mouth again because I'm weirdly stuttering.

"Do I make you stutter? Let's go." she says jokingly while giggling.

"Yea..." I mutter under my breath while following her.

We get coffee and pastries and get to class right before it starts, and sit next to Jay and Boram although I didn't want to. I like spending time with Chaewon without these pesters. They are my bestfriends but still...

"Chaewon I got the bag you wanted from Milan!" Jay says excitedly to her as soon as she sits down.

"No way! Jay, bro I love you so much! I mean. Thank you so much." she says noticing Boram's facial expression.

How can Chaewon conceal her emotions so well? It's so difficult to decipher what she's thinking if I don't know what she's feeling. I miss her when she used to tell me everything. I could help her.

She's distancing herself from me. I can feel it. But why does it feel so suffocating to see her interact so normally with other guys?

"What bag?" I ask, joining the conversation.

"Its from this brand called Armani. I love the brand so so so much." she says while smiling so brightly I'm almost melting. Does the bag make her so happy?

"Jay what's your bank account number I-" before she can continue Jay cuts her off. 

"Ah ah ah. It's a gift and you can't do anything about it." Jay says before placing a finger on her chin and moving her face towards the professor. 

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Word count: 1336❤️❤️❤️