Stories I Write When I Can't Sleep

Growing Pains 0.1

Sunlight streamed in through the thin curtains, casting its muted gleam onto the sleeping figure. A loud knock echoed through the room but the lump under the blankets continued to sleep, only burrowing deeper into the pile of pillows. After a few more minutes of fruitless knocking, the woman sighed and shouted,"KIM YURA,WAKE UP NOW!" The lump jolted and sat up, revealing the dishevelled appearance of a 18 year old with black hair. "What is it,mother?" She rasped and squinted at the door, sleep clouding her consiousness. "Don't you have to pick up Sojin,dear?" Yura's eyes flew open as she jumped out of her bed. "I forgot!" She cried as she stumbled into her toilet, almost tripping over the multitude of textbooks scattered across her bedroom floor. Yura had been studying till late last night with her best friend of 17 years, Sojin. They shared all their classes together, despite Yura being a year younger than her classmates. She had studied hard in her entrance exam and managed to skip a grade.
It shocked everyone when the news was announced but her family knew the reason. Yura had a huge crush on her best friend, spanning almost 15 years but she had yet to say a thing about it. Her family did not mind and Yura was eternally grateful. She knew about friends whose families did not accept them for who they are and the unfortunate fates that befell them. The Kims were happy for their daughter because of the huge change that she went through just to be with Sojin. Yura rushed out of the bathroom, uniform top half-buttoned, skirt unzipped as she scrambled around the room, picking up the books she needed for the day. As soon as she was done, she dashed down to the kitchen where her family was having breakfast.
"Hey kid," Her brother greeted as she grabbed her cup of coffee, draining it in seconds. Her dad ruffled her hair as she grabbed a piece of toast from the table. "Bye Mom.Bye Dad. Bye Bro!"She shouted as she flew out of the door, easily vaulting over the short fence surrounding their house.
She towards Sojin's house, thankful that they lived only a few minutes away from each other. Yura slowed down to a jog as she neared the blue house that she had partly grown up in. Knocking as she caught her breath, Yura began nibbling on the toast in her hand. The door was soon opened and she was greeted by the sight of Mrs Park, Sojin's mother. "Yura! I'm sorry but Sojin's already left with that boy down the street." Yura felt small tug at her heart and she smiled, shaking her head to dispell the worry on Mrs Park's face. "It's fine. Have a nice day,auntie!" She smiled as she turned to leave. Disappointed, Yura continued towards her school, this time dragging her feet. Not a minute later, she heard someone shout her name from behind her. Whirling around, Yura coud only grin as she waited for the tan-skinned girl to catch up with her.
"Morning, Hyeri," Yura greeted as the girl next to her smiled. Lee Hyeri was another one of her childhood friends. The three of them grew up together in the same neighbourhood along with another girl called Bang Minah. As their parents were schoolmates, the four children were often told to play together as their parents chatted, leading to a close friendship ever since they were young. Yura and Hyeri would be the 'princes', saving their 'princesses', Sojin and Minah respectively from whatever dangers a child's mind could churn up. "You got ditched again?" Hyeri sighed as the pair continued walking. Yura sighed before lightly slapping Hyeri on the shoulder. "Speak politely to your elders!" Hyeri pouted and rubbed her shoulder, feigning pain. Hyeri was 3 years younger than Yura and Minah, who was also in the same year as Sojin.
The duo chatted until they reached the school gates where Hyeri bid goodbye to Yura. Juniors and seniors studied in different buildings, seperated by a tall iron fence that did nothing to seperate the four of them from having their recess together. The four girls would sit by the fence, talking and laughing about everything under the sun. They were a common sight, so common that even the teachers knew about them. However, they would rarely have their meals together now, with only Hyeri and Yura coming to the meeting spot while both Sojin and Minah were busy with their respective crushes. People changed as they grew. Yura headed to her classroom, dreading the sight that she would see as soon as she stepped through the doors. True enough, when she entered the room, Sojin was completely absorbed by what Taekwoon, or Leo, as he liked to be called, was saying to the people that surrounded him. She sighed and headed to her seat quietly, noticing that Sojin did not even acknowledge her presence. Yura buried her head in her arms, only lifting it when she heard the teacher enter the classroom. It hurt, knowing that Sojin had not even looked her way once. They were supposed to be best friends.
As soon as the recess bell rang, Yura exited the classroom, not even looking to see if Sojin was following her. "Hyeri-ah!" She called as she neared the fence, noticing the younger girl's sad expression as she sat down next to her. "What's wrong?" Yura asked as she took out her sandwich, taking a huge bite out of it. "I saw Minah eonnie," Hyeri frowned amd Yura clumsily reached through the hole to pat her head. She did not have to continue, Yura knowing exactly what was going through Hyeri's mind. Her older brother said that they were almost like twins, reading each other like an open book. Hyeri managed a tiny smile as she bit into her own sandwich but her eyes widened as she spotted a blond haired girl striding towards them. "Sojin eonnie!" Hyeri cried happily through a mouthful of food as the oldest sat down.
Yura turned around so quickly that she got whisplash. "I though you were going to eat with Leo?" She weakly said with a hand on her neck. Sojin shook her head and nudged her hand aside to help massage her neck. " I was but I figured that I should eat with you guys instead since I did abandon you in the morning." Sojin explained while pointedly looking at Yura as she continued to gently work the tensed muscles on her neck. Hyeri could only nod because her gaze was fixed on someone further away. Simultaniously turning their heads, Sojin and Yura saw a beaming Minah waving goodbye to Hak Yeon, her crush. "Hey Minah,"Yura greeted the smiling girl with Hyeri silently eating her sandwich. "Morning Eonnie, Yura!" The baby-faced girl greeted before sitting down next to Hyeri. "Hey kid!" She greeted and dug into her donut. Hyeri only smiled and quietly replied," Morning eonnie." Sojin frowned and poked their youngest on the forehead. "Are you sick or something?"
Hyeri immediately straightened, shaking her head. "Of course not,eonnie! I'm so strong, why would I get sick?" She loudly protested while flailing her arms. Sojin could only shake her head as Minah look on with a fond smile on her lips. Hyeri caught Yura's eyes and the two could only sigh. The recess ended soon after, with Hyeri leaving first because of some unfinished homework with Minah yelling at her to work harder. Sojin and Yura smiled fondly and headed back to their own classroom. "Yura..." Sojin suddenly called, causing said girl to freeze. "Yes?" Yura hesitently answered. The hallways were deserted, everyone having returned to their class. "Are you mad at me?" Sojin took a step closer to Yura who was focusing on anything but her eyes. "No! Why would I be?" Yura stuttered as she felt her cheeks heat up. Sojin stared at her a moment longer before she took a step back, missing Yura sigh of relief. "Nothing, you just seemed different today." She mused as she continued back to class, Yura trailing along behind her.
Lessons ended soon enough, with the four girls heading to their respective afterschool activities. Yura despondently headed to the art club, where she was president. She had to endure a whole day of Sojin and Leo glancing at each other and to be honest she felt a bit sick. Along the way, she passed an excited Hyeri who told her that Minah was going to walk home with her after their respective trainings. She felt happy for the girl who was almost her younger sister. If only the same could be said her. The 4 hours sitting behind the easle passed by in a flash and soon, she was the only one left in the room. As Yura began to pack up her kit,she finally registered the thundering of the storm outside. "Wow, was it really that heavy?" She muttered to herself as she headed outside. As she prepared to walk home, Yura noticed a girl curled up on the bench in the pouring rain. "What the- Lee Hyeri!" She shouted as she ran to her friend.
"Eonnie,it hurts..." The heavy rain did nothing to hide the tears streaming down Hyeri's cheeks. "Where?" Yura instanly crouched beside the girl, checking for injuries. They were both drenched to the bone now, Yura's umbrella thrown aside in her haste. "It hurts..." Hyeri cried again, placing a hand on her heart. The worried expression vanished and Yura could only smile sadly as she gathered the sobbing girl in her arms. "I saw them kissing." Hyeri stuttered through her tears. Yura stroked her back and kissed her forehead. They stayed that way till the rain stopped. "You know," Yura sniffed as she wiped the tears from her face. "We're both gonna be so sick tomorrow." Hyeri cracked a small smile and she sneezed. "C,mon, I'll call my Dad to pick us up." Needless to say, they were both scolded by their parents for their foolishness.
"I heard about what happened last Friday." Yura heard Sojin speak from behind her. She whirled around, shock flittering across her features. "You're not with Leo today?" She rasped, her voice still effected by her throat. Sojin shook her head and placed a hand on Yura's forhead, frowning. " You still have a fever. Why are you going to school?" Because I wanted to see you was on the tip of her tongue but Yura swallowed it down, and said instead," Because I didn't want to miss the lessons. I'm not smart like you or Minah." Sojin smacked her arm and chastised her. "Don't say that, Kim Yura's one of the smartest people I know." Yura wished the blush she felt was because of her fever.
Sojin ignored Leo the whole day, fussing over Yura as the day wore on. Yura vaguely remembered thinking if she should fall sick alot more if it meant getting Sojin's attention like this.
As the weeks wore on, the day for the monthly gathering rolled around. As the Kim,Lee,Park and Bang families were close, they would meet every month and have dinner together. Usually the girls would love it but Yura and and Hyeri dreaded it this time. Yura had slept over at Hyeri's house, complaining about the way Sojin and Leo had been growing closer. Hyeri also noticed the way Minah and Hak Yeon seemed to be joined at the hip, totally replacing Hyeri's original position. The two girls had spent the entire night talking about their woes and excersing together in the gym in Hyeri's mansion till the wee hours in the morning. So it was no surprise that they were passed out in Hyeri gigantic bed. It was finally past lunch-time and close to afternoon that one of the Lee's maids went to wake the girls up.
"What? Eunbi?" Hyeri blearily blinked as she sheilded her eyes against the sunlight. "It's almost time,Hyeri-shi." The maid told her as she picked up the pillows that were kicked to the floor when both girls were asleep, not missing the immediate grimance that passed through the girl's face. "It'll be over quickly. I'll make sure that the food get's served as soon as possible, okay?" Eunbi promised as she shook the other lump awake. Hyeri nodded but a frown still marred her features. "Smile for me?" Eunbi patted the 15 year old on the head as Yura sleepily mumbled. Smiling suddenly, Hyeri hugged her maid tightly before heading to the toilet, leaving Eunbi to wake the log that is Kim Yura.
"I don't want to see them..." Yura muttered as the two girls lounged on the floor of the gym. It was their safe haven, often where the girls would go to escape. The day before, Sojin had told her that she would be bringing Leo to the gathering while Hyeri had heard from a friend that Minah was bringing Hak Yeon. It was already 5 and they knew that their guests would be coming soon. Yura and Hyeri had both changed into comfortable clothes, tank tops and shorts, and had finished helping the maids set the table. They would be having their gathering in the garden. Hyeri could only sigh and reply,"I don't want to see them either." They heard a barking from upstairs and two dogs, a huge german shepard and a smaller beagle puppy zipped down the stairs. Yura frowned as she nudged the yapping puppy away from her face before sitting up. Hyeri ran her hands through the german shepard's fur and sat up as well. Wordlessly, the two girls headed out of the gym to meet their guests.
"Welcome!" Mr Lee greeted his guests, both of which sat next to his daughter's and Yura's crush, he noticed with a frown. The boys greeted him back and he saw his daughter's expression or lack thereof. He knew of his daughter's crush on Minah and so did the rest of his family. The dinner continued pleasantly albiet with the two girls at the end of the table hardly saying anything. "Well, to what pleasure do I have of these fine gentlemen coming to our gathering?" Mr Bang asked as he sipped his wine, eyeing the two boys with distaste. "Well sir, we're courting your daughters." As soon as Hak Yeon said that, he heard a low growl from behind him and to his shock, saw that a huge german shepard was behind his chair, hackles raised. The entire table looked to Yura and Hyeri, fearful about their reactions but were only met with the sight of them silently shoving food into their mouth.
"If you'ld excuse us." Yura montonously bowed as she headed into the house. Hyeri followed behind her, only pausing for a minute to call the dog off, "Thunder," She called and the dog immediately stopped to follow his owner into the house. "Well,it looks like its time for our guests to leave." Minwoo, Yura's older brother said as he stood up. The butlers all but dragged the two boys out of the house. All the attention instanly was on Sojin and Minah. "Explain." Minwoo crossed his arms. He was met with mystified looks and all but growled out. "They like you, for almost half their lives. You just had to bring those idiots here for them to tell them this?" Sojin and Minah looked at each other and faced Minwoo with fierce looks of their own. "We need to find them." "I'm not letting you go till you tell me what just happened." "Please, we'll explain later." Sojin begged and Minah nodded, adding, "We need to talk to them." Minwoo glared at them before setting his mouth in a firm line and nodding.
The two girls ran into the house only to be met with silence. The beagle puppy sat by the basement staircase, barkig excitedly as soon as she saw the girls. Sojin ran foward and the puppy began wagging her tail. " Daisy,where's Yura?" Daisy instanly ran down the basement staircase, leading Sojin to the gym. As she neared it, Daisy stopped by the door, keeping quiet and Sojin could hear someone panting and hitting the punching bag. She took a deep breath and opened the door, letting Daisy enter the room first. She saw Yura stop and pick up the puppy, sniffing as she did so. It was then Sojin realised, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that Yura, her happy pill, was crying.
She pushed open the door and saw Yura stiffen in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was flat and if she did not hear her sniffing beforehand, Sojin would not have known that she was crying. "I came to find you." Sojin answered, entering the gym and shutting the door. "I'm sure the dinner's not over yet, you should tell them I'm full." Sojin took a step closer to Yura who had not faced her. Enveloping her arms around Yura waist, Sojin did not miss the way she tried to wriggle out of her embrace. "The dinner's over. Minwoo chased them home." "What are you doing?" Yura's voice was hard and her fists were clenched so hard that Sojin knew it must hurt.
"I came to find you, to tell you that I'm not dating Leo." She felt the tension ebb out of Yura's frame before she suddenly stiffened again. "Oh? I thought you were." Her tone was light, everything about her screaming that she was lying. "Minwoo told me, Yura, that you like me." "Minwoo must have been drunk." Yura muttered, struggling to get out Sojin's arms again. "Look at me." Sojin growled as she forcefully turned Yura around and pulled her into a bruising kiss. They only broke apart when the need for oxygen became too great. Yura finally met her gaze but her eyes were red and Sojin could see clear tear tracks on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I should have realised it sooner..." Sojin mumured as she brushed Yura's bangs to the side. Yura leaned into her touch, sighing. "Then what was that all about?" "Leo convinced me to let him come. Said about how he wanted to meet my family. I only saw him as a brother though." Sojin said she placed a light kiss on Yura's nose. "If he's a brother then what am I?" Yura pouted as she stared at Sojin. "My girlfriend."