"The meeting went unexpectedly smooth, even with you here," Jisoo said.
He squeezed her hand a bit and added, "My thoughts exactly. But the competitions won't be as smooth."
She dug her nails into his hand, too bad she had cut them recently. "Took t...
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Jisoo pov
As soon as the bell rang, the corridors were flooded with students eager to go home. I scanned the crowd, looking for my Mandu, who had probably left the campus. these days, it was exactly her routine to get to school early and leave ASAP, maybe one of the restrictions her parents imposed on her. they were forcing her into getting pick-and-drop services, but she had hardly convinced them otherwise.
It's always been like that with her parents. Asian parents and their expectations sometimes drain the life out of their children. with Jennie's parents, both being 9-to-7 invested in their respective businesses and jobs, she barely got the love and attention she needed from them.
It wasn't that they didn't love her, they just couldn't make time for her. She would only get their attention and sole priority when she topped her class or achieved various academic honors. As a result, she became a perfectionist—perfect scores, perfect conduct, etc.—and developed a habit of getting attached quickly. But that didn't mean she could easily like or love someone.
Finally, I spotted Jennie near the school gate, her head down, her shoulders slightly hunched. She looked so different from the vibrant, happy girl we all knew. My heart ached to see her this way.
"Jennie!" I called out, trying to catch up to her. She turned around, a faint smile appearing on her face when she saw me.
"Hey," she greeted softly.
"Hey, Mandu. How are you holding up?" I asked, gently squeezing her arm.
She shrugged, her eyes looking tired. "I'm managing. Just trying to get through the day."
"I know it's tough, but we're here for you. Always," I said, trying to reassure her.
"I know, and I appreciate it more than you guys will ever know," she replied, her smile a little more genuine now.
We walked together in silence for a bit, the bustling noise of the students around us fading into the background. I wanted to say something, anything, to make her feel better, but I knew words could only do so much.
As we reached the gate, we saw the cause of this whole mess, riding his motorbike followed by my cousin and some other XY chromosomes I didn't recognize. Seeing him pass by, the smile on Jennie's face disappeared in an instant.
Before I could say something, she started, "You know, seeing him coming to school on his bike in the morning used to make my whole day. I would think about him all day and text him to ask about how his day went. Did he see me that morning, walking on the footpath?"
"His replies, even though they were dry like his humor," she tried to laugh, her eyes glistening, "they used to make my nights. The best part was he didn't ask much about my studies, just about my day." She turned to meet my eyes, her own moistened but she didn't cry.
