𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 - 𝘚. 𝘑𝘢𝘦𝘺𝘶𝘯

Nervous Wreck

Jake, in fact, did not open his door.

The girls knocks grew softer, each knock made him regret his actions (or lack thereof)

The Sim boy lau sprawled on his bed, staring at his phone, heart pounding. The girl he'd been crushing on for a whole month, had just knocked on his front door. And he'd ignored it.

His mind raced back to their last exchange, which had been... less than friendly. Jake cringed, recalling his last text—bitchy and rude, that he had sent in a moment of frustration. Though, in his defence, he hadn't realized he was texting her.

"Why didn't I just answer the door?" he muttered, his stomach hurt, the anxious type of hurt and he definitely felt like throwing up. "Great job, Jake. Now she probably thinks I'm some asshole."

The sound of Yeri's footsteps fading away from his porch cut through the silence of his room. He peeked through the blinds, catching a glimpse of her retreating figure. She didn't look back.

Desperate for advice, Jake grabbed his phone and called his friends. Moments later, a video call with them began, their faces popping up on the screen.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Heeseung asked, eyes wide. "Why didn't you just answer?"

"I panicked!" Jake shot back. "She's my neighbor! What if she's coming to yell at me for that text? I cant let her know that it was me!"

Sunghoon chuckled. "How would she even know you're the one who sent it? You live in a huge neighborhood. Her package could be at anyone's house."

Jake's eyes widened. "Package?"

"Yeah, didn't you say something about her package?" Jay added. "That's literally why she was there in the first place."

Realisation struck Jake like a truck (a huge one, and probably speeding). He sat upright, eyes darting to his window. "Guys... the package. It's on my porch."

There was a collective pause, then a fit of laughter from his friends.

"Oh man" Sunghoon wheezed. "You're screwed."

"wow! Thanks for the tremendous amount of comfort! You guys are really great at this!" Jake groaned, slumping back onto his bed. "What do I do now?"

"Just leave it out there and pretend you didn't see it" Heeseung suggested, still chuckling. "Maybe she'll come back for it."

"Or" Sunghoon interjected "you could man up and give it to her. Apologize for being a jerk."

"Easy for you to say" Jake grumbled, ending the call.

___

That night, Jake missed the chances where he took sleep for granted. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her disappointed face or imagined her discovering the package on his porch, branding him as the biggest jerk ever. Hours passed by as he stared at the ceiling, his thoughts were in utter chaos. It felt like he was on the verge of some monumental disaster, and the thought made his stomach churn. When he finally slipped into a restless sleep, the sky was already lightening with dawn.

Morning arrived way too quickly. Jake's alarm blared, jolting him awake with all the subtlety of a fire drill. He shot up, eyes wide in panic. "Shit!" he shouted, slipping out of bed. He had overslept and was now running late—an event so rare it might as well have been a solar eclipse.

In a frantic scramble, Jake threw on his uniform and grabbed his backpack. He paused briefly, catching sight of himself in the mirror. His hair stuck out at odd angles, and dark circles under his eyes. He shook his head, baffled at how he could stand there, zoning out, when he should be out the door by now. "Get it together, Jake." he muttered, snapping back to reality with a frustrated sigh.

He took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping into the morning light. He looked down—and there it was. A small, neatly wrapped package sitting innocently on his porch.

His heart sank. "This is it. Today's the day I die of embarrassment" he muttered.

Unable to face his neighbour, Jake made a decision. He would return the package without being seen. He peeked out the window, waiting until he saw her leave for school. She glanced around, probably still wondering where her package could be, before heading down the street.

Taking the opportunity, Jake grabbed the package and dashed over to her house. He hurriedly placed it on her front step, taking care to position it where she couldn't miss it.

Jake sprinted back to his own house, heart racing, and slammed the door behind him. He leaned against it, gasping for breath. "What the hell have i gotten myself into" he whispered.

The clock on the wall showed that he was running late. By the time he grabbed his backpack and rushed out the door, school had already started.

When Jake finally arrived at school, he was greeted by the stern look of his teacher. "Mr. Sim, you're quite late."

"Sorry, Miss Lee" he panted, trying to catch his breath. "It won't happen again."

As he slumped into his seat, he couldn't help but wonder what his neighbour thought of him. He felt nauseous again. He hoped that his little stunt would be the end of it and he wouldn't have ti face her anymore.

At lunch, he met up with his friends, their faces lighting up with mischievous grins as he approached.

"There he is!" Niki exclaimed, slipping a hand on Jakes shoulder. "Late to school? That's a first."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Jay chimed in. "Did you forget how to set an alarm?"

"Or maybe he was too busy dreaming about his neighbor" Niki teased, raising his eyebrows.

Jake groaned, sliding into his seat. "Guys, it's not what you think."

"Oh really?" Sunoo leaned in, a smirk on his face. "Then tell us, why so late?"

If there was one thing they knew about Jake, it'd be how much he hated being late. Well, you know what they say love changes you.

"It's complicated" Jake muttered, avoiding their eyes.

"Complicated my ass" Heeseung said, laughing. "I bet it has something to do with a certain package..."

Jake's face burned. "Okay, fine! I had to return her package. I panicked and didn't give it to her yesterday, so I left it on her porch this morning."

His friends burst into laughter, making Jake want to disappear under the table.

"Holy shit you're that down bad already?" Jungwon laughed, teasing Jake.

"Shut up" Jake grumbled, glaring at them. "You guys are genuinely so supportive, you know?"

"Oh, come on," Sunghoon laughed. "It's hilarious. You're the only guy who can turn returning a package into some over the top mission."

"Next time, just talk to her" Jay suggested, his tone mock-serious. "You might actually get somewhere instead of freaking out."

"Yeah, sure" Jake snapped. "Next time, I'll totally just walk up to her and say, 'Hey, remember me? The idiot who freaked out over your package? You know the one who a complete ass towards you?"

His friends burst into another round of laughter, and Jake could only roll his eyes, frustration bubbling up. "You guys are the worst" he muttered, though a small smile played at the corners of his lips.

As the laughter finally faded, Jake felt a small feeling of relief. His friends' teasing was maddening, sure, but he couldn't deny he'd missed it. Maybe, just maybe, he could muster the courage to talk to her without making a complete idiot of himself. Learning her name would be a decent first step. It would be easier if she didn't turn him into a nervous wreck every time he thought about her. She was the first girl to shatter his record—Jake had never crushed on a girl for longer than a month. Usually, they'd be his girlfriend or forgotten within a week. But her? She was driving him absolutely insane.

But for now, he had to survive the rest of the school day with his sanity intact.