All it took was an unfortunate encounter with someone who knew much more than what met the eye. From their meeting at an adventure course to measuring the distance between the sun and the moon, there was no telling how deep she had fallen for him; n...
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14 ☆ ( "I DO THINGS WITH REASON." )
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I stopped in front of the school. My shaking hands gripped onto Riki's, holding him back for a moment. Riki recoiled his body, finding my pause pulling him back, so he spun around. "What is it, love?" I shook my head, unable to put the complexity of my feelings into words. So, he smiled, walking closer. He briefly removed his hand from mine and brushed my face with his thumb, searching my eyes. "I promise you, you'll be okay. I already talked to Hanae and them, and they're all ecstatic to see you."
"It's not them, Riki," I shook my head furiously, trying to change his mind. I doubt he will. "It's everyone else. I'm 1A's Class President, and I–" He hushed me, making me sigh. "You know, you can't just shut me up every time I try to bring it up."
"You'll just upset yourself every time you bring it up. I'm trying to help you be positive!" Riki defended, grabbing my hand once more. "Now, don't look back. No matter what they say, look forward. I'll be right there with you–we all will be."
I swallowed and nodded, following him. I hung my bag over my shoulder and walked alongside Riki, our intertwined fingers growing tighter against each other. Stepping into the school, it already began: People whispering. People watching. People widening their eyes. People judging me. I felt my heart crash against the walls of my ribs, wanting to be freed from this horrible body of mine. "Rie!" I looked over and saw Hanae gasping, waving with happiness.
I smiled softly and waved–and within moments, Hanae collided into me, hugging me tight. "God, it feels like I haven't seen you for years."
"We saw each other a few days ago."
"A few days too long!" Hanae whined, leaning away and grabbing my face with the palms of her hands. She squashed my cheeks together and moved them in rotation, and I knew with that silly look on her face, she was hoping to distract me from those hoping to gauge some truth out of me. "Have you been getting a lot of rest? Have you been eating well?!"
"I've been doing all sorts of things, Hanae–good things, I promise. Thank you for asking," I removed her hands from my body, clearing my throat. Jungwon glanced between Riki and I, tilting his head slightly.
