"Why can't you understand that it's easier for me to be alone?" Aeri says, the sand under her feet no longer bringing her comfort.
"And why can't you understand that I need you?" Jake asks, pulling her towards him. Aeri tries to escape his grasp bu...
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☼ Chapter Six ☼
Fool Me Once
Jake practically skips over the sand of the beach, waiting impatiently for Angel and Aeri to appear on their way to school. He stops, closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath. The boy had started feeling so much lighter now that he had Aeri back, every bit of depression and anxiety that he had felt over the past two years had melted away.
"Jakey! Your girlfriend is here!" Jake turns to see Angel and Aeri standing on the sidewalk, the younger girl eagerly waving her arm at the boy. Aeri smacks her sister, her face turning a bright red shade as Jake approaches.
"Don't listen to her, she's just being dumb." The girl says, narrowing her eyes at Angel.
"Good morning to you too." Jake says with a short chuckle, walking next to Aeri. She smiles at him, his heart skipping a beat.
"You two are so cute, I'm gonna be sick." Angel says before walking through her school's gate, completely ignoring the eye roll from her older sister.
"So, you ready for this test tomorrow?" Jake asks, nudging Aeri with his hip. She nods, her eyes shining with determination.
"I'm going to go to the library at lunch time to study." Aeri says, adjusting her bag straps on her shoulders.
"Can I come, I need to study too." He asks, throwing an arm around the girl's shoulders. She scoffs, shrugging.
"If you want to." Is all she says before Sunoo appears next to them, waving at the pair.
"What are you two up to?" He asks, watching as Jake slowly takes his arm off of Aeri's shoulder. He interlocks their fingers, sliding their hands into the pocket of his uniform jacket. The girl looks at him briefly, glancing down at their hands before turning her attention back to Sunoo.
"Just walking to school." Jake says to Sunoo over Aeri's head, grinning at him.
☼☼☼
"Jake, would you stop that?" Aeri hisses at Jake across their desks, earning an eyebrow raise from the boy. He knew exactly what he was doing, he had been tapping the side of her leg with his shoe for the past hour.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jake says with a shrug, looking back down at his notebook. He jumps when the toe of Aeri's shoe connects with his shin, the boy letting out a laugh.
