Need Help? - {Jayhoon}

{𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 12}

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The next few days passed with an air of tentative peace. Word spread quickly through the school about Jay and his friends standing up to her, and people began to see the cracks in her stories. Whispers of doubt about her motives drifted through the hallways, and Jay's friends could feel a shift as students who had once been on her side started to distance themselves from her.

But she wasn't one to back down easily.

One morning, Jay found a note in his locker. *"Meet me in the park after school. We need to talk."* It was signed with her name, and Jay's stomach twisted as he read it. He knew that meeting her alone might be risky, but he also felt that this confrontation was inevitable.

After classes ended, Jay headed to the park, his friends waiting nearby for backup if he needed it. He found her sitting on one of the benches, looking far less confident than usual. As he approached, she looked up, her face a mixture of anger and something else he couldn't quite read—something almost vulnerable.

"Why?" she asked quietly, her usual sharpness softened. "Why do you keep fighting back?"

Jay took a steadying breath. "Because I can't let you control my life anymore. Whatever you're dealing with, it's not fair to make me your target."

For a moment, she was silent, her gaze drifting to the ground. Then, she sighed, a crack forming in her icy demeanor. "You're right... It's not fair." She clenched her fists, her voice barely a whisper. "I thought making you feel as small as I did would make me feel better. But it didn't."

Jay's frustration softened into something like understanding. "You don't have to keep doing this. We don't have to keep fighting. You could... just let go."

She looked at him, eyes bright with a mixture of resentment and regret. Finally, she nodded, a slight tremble in her voice. "Maybe you're right."

After a long pause, she stood up, casting one last look at Jay. "I'll leave you alone, but don't expect me to apologize. Some things just... don't have easy answers."

Jay nodded, watching her walk away. The weight he'd carried for so long felt like it was slowly lifting. As he walked back to his friends, he realized he didn't need an apology to feel free. He just needed this moment—the moment when it finally ended.

His friends were waiting for him, grins breaking out as he approached. Jake clapped a hand on his shoulder, and Jungwon gave him a reassuring nod. They'd all been through this together, and now, it was truly over.

With his friends beside him, Jay felt lighter than he had in months. It was the start of a new beginning, one filled with real friends, support, and—finally—peace.

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To be continuedddd