before & after ‣ 엔하이픈

005 ; present

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AERI

Something felt amiss in the air.

Aeri has been unsettled since she first rode Sunghoon's car for the third time now this week, apparently making it his everyday endeavor to annoy her by annoying her to get into his car every morning. She always gave in, even when she promises to herself every night she wouldn't. This morning was particularly different from the last two.

There was a mysterious gut feeling telling her that something was wrong. She initially thought she had forgotten something important back at home but it wasn't that. Even Sunghoon and her's never ending bantering wasn't enough to ease the wariness of her system. So since she first arrived, she was vigilant of her surrounding, seeing if anything would be any different today that she'd feel it deep within her.

But the only weirdest thing about the day was Bora not giving her the same nonchalant looks. The girl only ever looked away whenever Aeri would do so much as glance at her.

While Seeun and Haesu made their way to the cafeteria, Aeri asked to be left behind so she could go to the restroom all while she hoped that one vomit would be enough to get the anxiety of everything out of her gut and head. But as she pushed the door open, she was met with Bora, who seemed surprise to see the queen bee barge into the restroom alone, along with her friend who was more angry than she was surprised.

As much as Aeri wanted to ignore them, she couldn't seem to ignore the way Bora's friend was looking at her.

"Do you have something to say to me?" Aeri, with all her courage, tells Bora's friend.

"Inah, stop." Bora was quick to react as she tried to halt her friend who merely steps forward towards Aeri.

"Yes, I have something to say to you. I can't believe you would get together with someone who just broke up with his girlfriend a week ago. Were you waiting for Jake to be single? Is that it?" Inah said, eyes blazing with anger all while Bora held the girl's left arm as she tried to pull her away from Aeri. "Or is he just one of your many pawns to further your cause of being queen bee?"

Aeri's fist clenched, her best attempt yet in keeping herself calm. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't deny it! I saw you and Jake every single night! You guys were always together! You even kissed one another!" Inah defends what she saw and the validity of it.

Aeri knew it was all true but for the sake of protecting what she had with Jake, she was bound to play a fool in the next following seconds.

"Don't you dare accuse me of anything." Aeri said, asserting dominance even when every cell within her hated the response she resorted to.

"You don't scare me for a bit, queen bee. You can act all high and almighty with the captain of the soccer team now yours to claim, but you'll never replace Bora in his life—"

"Inah!" Bora cuts her friend off, but Inah didn't seem to care and instead decided to walk out, leaving Bora there with Aeri who had nothing to say after the outburst Inah had just said to her. "I'm sorry abour Inah, Aeri. I know she didn't mean what she said. S-She was just trying to protect me in her own way."

"Do you believe her?" Aeri's question seemed to have thrown Bora out.

Bora forced a smile on her face. "She has no reason to lie and although I don't want to believe it, it doesn't seem so impossible." Aeri had watched Bora also make her way towards the doorstep, however, she stopped midway. "I know you and Jake will continue to play a fool as to what you two really have but I wish you all the best still." That was the last thing she says before disappearing from Aeri's sight.