it was the first night of summer break and the gang was at their usual place with their "special" drinks.
"cheers!" they shouted as everyone clinked their bottles with one another.
"hyuna, you sure you don't want one?" yeonhui, hyuna's best friend since childhood asked for the third time.
hyuna was against underage alcohol, but she didn't really mind others drinking around her. so as long they respected her desire to be sober, she participated in these gatherings by substituting a can of beer with a carbonated drink or apple cider. she took a sip of her non-alcohol drink and shook her head, a satisfied grin on her face.
"i said i'm just fine with my pal, chilsung cider right here," she responded, shaking her plastic bottle.
"goody-two-shoes as always," taehyung chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully.
"see babe? tae keeps calling me that even when i tell him i'm doing the right thing by waiting until i'm legal," hyuna pouts as she nudges her shoulder to rub eden's.
"well, i don't blame him. he can't help saying the truth," eden joined in, teasing his girlfriend along.
taehyung laughed and tried as hard as he could to ignore how hyuna looked at eden with admiration and affection despite his playful comment. a spark of jealousy touched his heart, but he shrugged it aside by continuing to tell himself it just wasn't going to happen. maybe if he just maybe, he could-
"tae! you deaf, buddy?"
a shake on his shoulder brought him out from his thoughts and taehyung faced eden, who looked at him with a harmless grin.
"man, don't tell me you're starting to get tipsy. you know you're the only one that can keep up with me," eden reminded, taking a swig at his own can and gulping the remaining liquid.
"hey, i can too!" yeonhui argued with a determined expression before following eden's action.
"nah, weak. hui-ah, i know your average is two cans and a bottle of soju," eden taunted, a smirk tugging his lips.
hyuna giggled in amusement as though to agree with eden's words. yeonhui, obviously pissed, stood up, grabbed her can of beer and a bottle of soju, and then mixed them together in one of the bowls they brought along.
"you're going to regret saying that to me, you little ass," yeonhui threatened with the tinge of playfulness in her voice and then immediately, chugged down the alcohol until there wasn't a single drop.
and from there on, the crew had the best night of their lives. they never thought that when the morning came, everything would change. they never thought that in the end, hyuna would make that choice. and taehyung never realized his own true motives until that day came. sooner or later, someone slipped up.
PRESENT TIME
val returned back to her house quietly. realizing that her mother still wasn't home, val remembered that her mother couldn't come back for a week due to a business trip that was mandatory. val threw her phone to the couch and headed straight for the washroom upstairs. after turning the lights on, she opened one of the cabinets to find herself faced with the red toothbrush. just staring at it made her feel weak to her knees and sick to the stomach. though she received many toothbrushes back in high school, val hated that specific one because it held the worst memory she had hoped to bury.
it was the day when she forgot her pad and leaked in front of the whole school. in the middle of the hallway, with everyone's eyes on her, park jimin humiliated her even more by throwing the red toothbrush at her feet. what's worse was that the day it happened, was her birthday.
val gulped and had to take a huge breath before she managed to hold the toothbrush in her hand. and just by holding it, val could feel her pulse quickening and anxiety kicking in. she was terrified, she was scared, but most of all, val felt betrayed. betrayed by someone who she thought she could've trusted. betrayed by someone that she finally was able to open up to.
"how could he do this to me..?" she whispered meekly as she dropped herself onto the floor tiles.
his reassuring smile, his worried expression, his comforting words, and his loving gestures were all just a play. the way he felt towards her was fake and it broke val's heart that after all this time, she was being used. again.
"that bastard," val swore, biting down hard on her lower lip.
was this how much valencia was worth? just enough to play around with and throw away once she became useless? she wasn't an object; she was human.
'how dare he?'
a feeling of dread hit val as she heard a familiar voice inside of her mind. val knew she needed to stop before it became too late. she tried to suppress it by shaking her head or clenching her eyes shut.
'aw, val. did you miss me?'
it had been months since she left and val thought she was gone for good. obviously, she was wrong.
'you're not wanted.'
she chuckled, 'are you sure it's not you that's unwanted?'
a sharp pain stabbed val as soon as she heard that rebuttal.
'i'm fine, now.'
this time, she laughed.
'oh, are you really? the door was wide open. almost as if you were inviting me.'
val scowled, 'i would never. you're unwelcome here. so leave.'
she came close to val. too close for comfort.
'make me.'
from there, val knew. she knew that the cycle was going to happen again. everything she worked so hard to just to get rid of her. and it all crumbled down in an instant.
'i knew taehyung was up to no good the minute he realized me. see, i used to be friends with-
'i don't want to hear about it. moreover, i don't give two shits about his past or his life anymore,' val cut off, a cold look on her face.
'aw poor valencia. just as she thought that the world was getting better by finding herself a true companion, he turned out to be nothing but a playboy.'
val's nails dug into her palms, furious.
'it was so so terrible of him to implant false hope into you just so he could rip it out. doesn't that make you angry? doesn't that make you feel worthless? maybe, taehyung didn't want to be your significant other because... you weren't good enough.'
val had to continuously remind herself that the words were lies and all just for her to surrender, resorting to the old methods. however, she felt her hand holding the toothbrush rise up in front of her face.
'oh dear. val, you look like you've gained a few kilos while i was gone. my, my, that's disappointing. all that effort and you're back to your porkbelly state. let's work together to lose those, alright?'
val crawled towards the toliet. she opened her mouth and she had done it. valencia had lost.
anna was back. and she was stronger than ever.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
