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xxi

f l a s h b a c k— 
01/03/2085 

IT was dark. the sky was ominous, about to rain. it was almost night-time, and she was the only one left in the big library. the girl huffed out a chalky breath. she hadn't even realized her friends from her study group had gone. and then again, today was friday, and saturday and sunday was weekend, which meant no school. it also meant that rayson keys, the school's playboy, was throwing yet another party, inviting everyone except for her. he was handsome, she would not doubt that, but his face was simply annoying to her. 

besides, they were simply friends, and while she treated him as a frenemy, he treated her as his little sister. 

she groans, the sound echoing, though it being soft already. stupid friends, always throwing themselves all over boys in hopes to "get laid, go date", as they said. 

desperate hoes.

the girl shoves her books into her bag, taking out her tiny little umbrella at the same time. surely it would rain by the time she got off the train and started the twenty minute walk to her little apartment, where she lived in, all by herself, after her parents decided that they were better off dead, and committed suicide one after the other. 

the only things they passed to her when they were found dead was the apartment, the looks, the brains, the nightmares, and the same unwillingness to interact and socialize. 

it was fifteen minutes before she got off the train and headed back to the house. sure enough, it started raining. 

pit, pat, went the rain drops, as the fall onto the floor. the girl whips out her umbrella, pulling it over her head, and continued her journey home.

she closed her umbrella once she reached the void deck, shaking it dry as she strode to the lift, and up to the highest floor, where only she lived. it was peaceful and it was quiet. 

yugyeom stood outside, his posture indicating that he had been waiting for her for quite some time. once he heard her "what are you doing here", a smirk crept up his face. "so," he drawled, his lanky figure turning to face her. "you finally deigned to return." 

she rolls her eyes at him, though her heart beat quickly. he was the only one she let close to her, maybe because she had a minor crush on him for... what, three years now? but even to him, she would still give him the cold shoulder. 

she hums, unlocking her door and going in, him following. he knows the routine, leave shoes at the rack, wipe feet and wash hands before entering. "why is that your problem?" she replies calmly from the kitchen, where she was making a pot of tea. "why is that my problem?" yugyeom hisses out, which was quite unlike him, because he only did that when he was angry. usually, he was as collected as her. 

"why is that my problem?" he yells. she turns around to face him with impassive and unimpressed eyes, watching him push his chair back aggressively, causing it to fall. he stomps over to her, grabbing her chin forcefully. 

he was crying.

"it is my problem, because i care about you! it is my problem, because i fucking love you, but all you do is cling to that stupid rayson keys!" he shouts in her face. 

her heart skips a beat at his words that he spat into her face with such hurt.

i love you.