(EXOt)ox(ic)

Chapter 3 : A lost friend

Location : The villa Chanyeol's POV

"Take your own time to reflect upon what you did and consider this break-up as a consequence of your foolish actions. Good night."

Jiwoo, astonished by my sudden declaration to break up with her, stood there like a pale mannequin. Was I being too harsh on her? Was I reacting unnecessarily? Who am I to care anyway? .... No. It was the right decision.

This wasn't the first time she did this anyway. Playing pranks was her favourite hobby, but there have been many incidents where these pranks went out of hand. It was always upto me to clean up the mess after her, while she merely pouted and apologised feebly, argued even. Though I had warned her about her actions, she always shrugged it off. This time, I wanted her to feel the sting of repercussions of her careless actions.

As I turned around to leave, I stopped- not because of Jiwoo's tugging on my sleeve- because of my blonde sister standing in front of us, who seemingly overheard my every word.

"If anybody is to be reprimanded, its me, Chanyeol. I am the one to be blamed. Forgive Jiwoo, exert your anger towards me. I was the one who suggested the prank in the first place, but little did I know that she would end up in a hospital! We thought she would climb up again after the fall!", said my insolent sister, Krystal.

"Not only did you involve yourself in a wrong doing, but you're also justifying your mistake? If you had any common sense, you wouldn't have even thought about pranking someone in the middle of a freaking forest!"

Krystal fell silent, not knowing how to retaliate, while Jiwoo silently cried in the background.

"Count your lucky stars that she isn't dead. Both of you could've been charged as murderers!", I raged, purely irritated by Krystal's twisted, sulking face.

I quickly left the scene, ignoring the glares I received from my sister and Baekhyun's astounded expression.

Next morning,
Location: The Hospital,
Ally's POV

I stayed back at the hospital in Harui's room that night, refusing to leave for even a change of clothes. The rising sun's light seeping through the partially open window spread throughout the room, lightening it. The intensity of the light tickled my eyes awake. Baffled by the vivid nightmare I had, I quickly surveyed my surroundings. It wasn't just a dream... I quickly scooted over to Harui's bed, right beside my upright, uncomfortable chair that made my back ache. Her face was peaceful as she slept soundly. Seeing her made me feel a mixture of emotions- angry because of her recklessness, happy because she was well, sad because I could've been a bit more strict and prevented the whole incident and alas, worried.

I peered into her face, scrutinising it, hoping for her eye to flutter open any moment. Sigh... I placed my cold hands on her warm ones and clearly that wasn't enough to jerk her awake. It really hurt me to see her in this state, because she had been like a sister to me. I distinctly remember the time we befriended each other...

It was High School that brought me and Harui together. High School was a word/place that terrified me, as I expected my schoolmates to bully me, just like at my old Middle School. Yes, I was indeed a victim of the oh-so-famous bullies. They saw me as someone worthless, while Harui saw me for my beautiful self. Shy and awkward on my first day at a new school, I kept away from people. You could indeed call me an introvert. But, Harui was an extrovert who offered her friendship to me without hesitation. She sat with me everyday during lunch break, classes we had together and even walked with me after school.